author
of Jumièges William
A Norman monk writing in the eleventh century, this chronicler is one of the earliest sources for the story of the Norman dukes and the conquest of England. His work gives modern readers a rare near-contemporary view of the world around William the Conqueror.
1 Audiobook
Histoire des ducs de Normandie, suivie de: Vie de Guillaume le Conquérant
by of Jumièges William, Pictaviensis Gulielmus
About the author
Probably born around the year 1000 and alive after 1070, William of Jumièges was a monk at the Abbey of Jumièges in Normandy. Much about his life remains uncertain, which makes his writing all the more valuable: he stands in the background of history, but close to some of the events he describes.
He is best known for the Gesta Normannorum Ducum (Deeds of the Norman Dukes), a major chronicle of Norman rulers. Building on earlier material, he helped shape one of the key narratives of Norman history, and his account became especially important for later understanding of the Norman Conquest.
Because he wrote so near the events of 1066, historians have long treated him as an important early witness, even while reading him with care. For listeners today, his work offers something especially compelling: not a modern retelling, but a voice from the medieval world itself.