Arnulf of Milan, or Arnulfus Mediolanensis (flourished c. 1085) was a chronicler of events in Northern Italy in the work in five books by which he is known, Liber gestorum recentium, a "book of the deeds of recent times". He describes his labour in the first book as "a simple narrative, offered in everyday speech, of the deeds accomplished by our kings, our bishops, and our fellow citizens from Milan and beyond, as well as our compatriots in the Kingdom of Italy, which I myself have seen or somehow heard from either those who saw them or those slightly later." Unlike most Christian chroniclers of Late Antiquity

Late Antiquity

Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...

 and the Early Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...

, Arnulf did not begin with the Creation ("Nevertheless, leaving aside antiquity, let us begin from recent memory") and his account is all the more valuable for recording events that were fresh in the memory of the living, as seen from the archbishopric of Milan.

Arnulf's history begins in 925, with Hugh of Arles ("Hugh of the Burgundians") reigning as King of Italy

King of Italy

King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers of the Italian peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire...

 and exercising his right to appoint an archbishop of Milan. It covers the years of the Gregorian reform

Gregorian Reform

The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, circa 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy...

s, the reform movement of the Milanese Patarenes, and the Investiture Controversy

Investiture Controversy

The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...

. It ends with the kingship granted to Rudolf von Rheinfeld as anti-king of the Germans (1077).