Vortigern and the Adventus in the Historia Brittonum

The HB contains a number of dating clues regarding Vortigern and the Adventus:

Vortigern and the Adventus. Extracts from Woolf A., 13 Nisan AM 5775. Click image to enlarge.

Historical dates

31.1

factum est autem post supradictum bellum, id est quod fuit inter brittones et romanos quando duces illorum occisi sunt, et occisionem maximi tiranni²¹³, transactoque romanorum imperio in brittannia, per quadraginta annos fuerunt sub metu. guorthigirnus²¹⁴ regnauit in brittannia; et dum ipse regnabat in brittannia, urgebatur a metu pictorum scottorumque et a romanico²¹⁵ impetu necnon et a timore ambrosii.

interea uenerunt tres ciulę a germania expulsę in exilio,

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.J., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, XXVIIII, XXX.

It came to pass that after this war between the Britons and the Romans, in which the generals were killed, and after the killing of the tyrant Maximus and the end of the Roman Empire in Britain, the Britons went in fear for 40 years. Vortigern ruled in Britain, and during his reign he was under pressure, from fear of the Picts and the Gaels, and of a Roman invasion, and, not least, from dread of Ambrosius. The three keels came, driven into exile from Germany.

The 40 years is the time gap between the execution of Magnus Maximus (388), taken as the effective end of Roman rule in Britain, and the arrival of the Saxons (428). It was a period in which the Britons were concerned about attacks from a number of external sources. It appears that the arrival of the Saxon exiles brought temporary respite for the inhabitants.

66.4

a regno guorthigirni⁶⁰⁸ usque ad discordiam guitolini et ambrosii anni sunt duodecim, quod est guoloppum, id est cat guoloph.

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.J., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, LXV.

from the reign of Vortigern to the discord between Vitalinus and Ambrosius are 12 years, which is Guollop, that is Catgwoloph.

12 years from the start of Vortigern’s reign takes one to the year 437. John Morris identified the location as Wallop, an element which appears in the names of a number of Hampshire villages.

66.5

guorthigirnus⁶⁰⁹ autem tenuit imperium in brittannia theodosio et ualentiniano consulibus

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.J., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, LXV.

Vortigern, however, held power in Britain in the consulate of Theodosius and Valentinian²²

This entry refers to the Eastern and Western emperors Theodosius II and Valentinian III respectively, who were consuls in the year 425.

66.6

in quarto anno regni sui saxones ad brittanniam uenerunt felice et tauro consulibus

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.J., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, LXV.

in the fourth year of his [Vortigern’s] reign the Saxons came to Britain, in the consulship of Felix and Taurus,²³

This entry indicates the Adventus was in 428, the fourth year of Vortigern’s reign. Felix and Taurus were indeed consuls then.

Contradictory dates

However, the document also provides alternative contradictory dates. The cause for these variations are the result of a number of different error types and methodologies:

Error type 1: Confusing AD (anno domini) with AP (anno passionis) dating systems.
Error type 2: Placing an event in a neighbouring Metonic cycle.
Error type 3: Addition or loss of a Roman numeral.

Method: Adopting 35 years for Christ’s lifespan rather than the usual 28.

2.1 and 2.2 (In translation 4.1 and 4.2)

a passione autem christi peracti sunt anni septingenti nonagenta sex. ab incarnatione autem eius anni sunt octingenti <triginta unus>².

Fitzpatrick-Matthews K.j., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, II.

From the Passion of Christ 796 years have passed; from the Incarnation 831 years.

35 years is used as the time gap between the Incarnation and the Passion (Method).

31.2

regnante²²⁵ gratiano secundo equantio, saxones a guorthigirno²²⁶ suscepti sunt anno trecentesimo quadragesimo septimo post passionem christi.

Fitzpatrick-Matthews K.j., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, XXXI.

When Gratian ruled for the second time with Equitius, the Saxons were received by Vortigern, 347 years after the Passion of Christ.

Using Christ’s 35 years lifespan (Method), Vortigern’s reign in 425 may have been expressed as 390 AP, the year of the consulship of Valentinian II. However, a later scribe may have read that as an AD date (Error type 1). That there was a tradition adopting 390 as the start of his reign can be seen in the Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest):

From the age of Vortigern to the Battle of Badon, which Arthur and his nobles fought with the Saxons, when Arthur and his nobles were victorious, 128 years.

The Cambro-Briton, Volume 2,1821, 218.

As Badon occurred in 518 according to the Annales Cambriae, this would suggest Vortigern’s reign commenced in the year 390.

Taking Vortigern’s reign as 390 would imply the Adventus occurred in 393. Placing this event in the previous Metonic cycle (Error type 2) results in the date 374, the year of the consulship of Gratian and Equitius.

66.2

a duobus geminis rufo⁶⁰³ et rubelio usque in stillicionem⁶⁰⁴ consulem⁶⁰⁵ trecenti septuaginta tres anni sunt;

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.j., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension H, LXV.

from the twins, Fufius and Rubellus,¹⁹ to Stilicho,²⁰ 373 years.

Fufius and Rubellius were consuls in the year 29, the year of the Passion, Stilicho in the year 400. The author incorrectly believed Fufius and Rubellius held the consulship in the year 28. To see the evidence for this assertion, we need to understand that 66.2 and 66.3 were combined to give the interval between the Passion and the Adventus.

66.3

a stillicione⁶⁰⁶ usque ad ualentinianum, filium placidę, et regnum guorthigirni⁶⁰⁷ uiginti octo anni.

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.J., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension, LXV.

from Stilicho to Valentinian son of Placidia,²¹ and the reign of Vortigern 28 years.

The author incorrectly refers to Valentinian III’s consulship and Vortigern’s reign instead of the Adventus. From Stilicho’s consulship year as 400, there is indeed 28 years to the Adventus.

66.7

quadringentesimo⁶¹⁰ anno ab incarnatione⁶¹² domini nostri iesu christi.

Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.j., 2016, ‘Harleian’ Recension H, LXV.

[the Saxons came to Britain] in the four hundredth year from the incarnation²⁴ of our lord Jesus Christ.

This dating of the Adventus was the result of replacing passion by incarnation (Error type 1).

66.8

ab anno quo saxones uenerunt in brittanniam et guorthigirno suscepti sunt usque ad decium et ualerianum, anni sunt sexaginta nouem.

Latin Fitzpatrick-Matthews k.j., 2016, 66.

From the year in which the Saxons came to Britain and Vortigern welcomed them to Decius and Valerian²⁵ are 69 years.

There has been a long-standing issue of the identification of the name Decius. As Dumville suggested, Decius was an error for Aecius/Aëtius. However, a possibly more plausible explanation of the above quote than his suggestion is offered here. The consulship of Gratian and Equitius, incorrectly ascribed to the year of the Adventus according to 31.2, was 58 years earlier than that of Aëtius and Valerius, in 432. It is proposed that luiii became corrupted to lxix.

Observations

1. Most of the entries with historically dates appear in the block 66.4 to 66.6.
2. 35 years for Christ’s lifespan occur in 2.1 and 2.2 together with 31.2.
3. The use of 19 year cycle (Enneadecaeteris) in 31.2 may indicate that the HB made use of a very early annal.