Chronica Naierensis
Encyclopedia
The Chronica Naierensis or Crónica najerense (originally edited under the title Crónica leonesa) was a late twelfth-century chronicle
of universal history
composed at the Benedictine
monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera
. In Latin
it narrates events from Creation to its own time, with a focus on the Bible, classical history, the Visigothic in Spain, and the kingdoms of Castile
and León
. It was an important model for later Spanish Latin historiographers, notably the De rebus Hispaniae
of Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada
, the Chronicon mundi of Lucas de Tuy
, and the Estoria de España
of the patronage of Alfonso X of Castile
.
Besides its classical and Biblical authorities, the Chronica Naierensis relied heavily on material culled from the cantares de gesta. The Chronica is not an original work in any rigorous sense, but rather a compilation. Its Visigothic history is based squarely on Isidore of Seville
and its more recent Spanish history incorporates the Corpus Pelagianum, a work supervised by Pelagius, Bishop of Oviedo, mid-century. The date of the Chronicas completion was long dated to 1160, but the 1995 critical edition published by Juan Estévez Sola revised the terminus post quem
to 1173, for it was not until that year that Pedro Coméstor finished his Historia Scholastica, which the Chronica uses as a source. The terminus ante quem of the Chronica can be placed in 1194, the earliest date for the composition of the Linage del Cid, which used it as a source. These dates make it contemporary with the Historia Roderici
, though the influence of the latter in the Chronica is evident.
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
of universal history
Universal history
Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
composed at the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
. In Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
it narrates events from Creation to its own time, with a focus on the Bible, classical history, the Visigothic in Spain, and the kingdoms of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
. It was an important model for later Spanish Latin historiographers, notably the De rebus Hispaniae
De rebus Hispaniae
De rebus Hispaniae or Historia gothica is a history of the Iberian peninsula written in Latin by Archbiship of Toledo Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada en the first half of the thirteenth century on behalf of King Ferdinand III of Castile....
of Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada
Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada
Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada was a Navarrese-born Castilian Roman Catholic bishop and historian....
, the Chronicon mundi of Lucas de Tuy
Lucas de Tuy
Lucas de Tuy was a Leonese cleric and intellectual, remembered best as a historian. He was Bishop of Tuy from 1239 until his death....
, and the Estoria de España
Estoria de España
The Estoria de España, also known in the 1906 edition of Ramón Menéndez Pidal as the Primera Crónica General, is a history book written on the initiative of Alfonso X of Castile "El Sabio" , who was actively involved in the editing...
of the patronage of Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
.
Besides its classical and Biblical authorities, the Chronica Naierensis relied heavily on material culled from the cantares de gesta. The Chronica is not an original work in any rigorous sense, but rather a compilation. Its Visigothic history is based squarely on Isidore of Seville
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
and its more recent Spanish history incorporates the Corpus Pelagianum, a work supervised by Pelagius, Bishop of Oviedo, mid-century. The date of the Chronicas completion was long dated to 1160, but the 1995 critical edition published by Juan Estévez Sola revised the terminus post quem
Terminus post quem
Terminus post quem and terminus ante quem specify approximate dates for events...
to 1173, for it was not until that year that Pedro Coméstor finished his Historia Scholastica, which the Chronica uses as a source. The terminus ante quem of the Chronica can be placed in 1194, the earliest date for the composition of the Linage del Cid, which used it as a source. These dates make it contemporary with the Historia Roderici
Historia Roderici
The Historia Roderici , originally Gesta Roderici Campi Docti and sometimes in Spanish Crónica latina del Cid , is an anonymous Latin prose history of the Castilian folk hero Rodrigo Díaz, better known as El Cid Campeador.It is generally written in a simple, unadorned Latin by...
, though the influence of the latter in the Chronica is evident.
Editions
- Antonio Ubieto Arteta (ed.), Crónica najerense. Zaragoza: Anubar, 1985. ISBN 978-84-7013-201-8.
- Juan A. Estévez Sola (ed.), Chronica Hispana saeculi XII, Pars II: Chronica Naierensis, Corpus Christianorum, Continuatio Medievalis, LXXI A. Turnhout: Brepols, 1995. ISBN 978-25-030-3714-1.
- Juan A. Estévez Sola (ed.), Crónica najerense, Clásicos Latinos Medievales y Renacentistas, 12. Tres Cantos (Madrid): Akal, 2003. ISBN 978-84-460-1668-7.