Author: Gildas

Gildas, a monastic figure of the 6th-century revered for his piety and scholarship, stands as a singular beacon of British history during the tumultuous period following Roman withdrawal from Britain. His seminal work, “De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae” (On the Ruin of Britain), provides an invaluable narrative of the moral decline and political turmoil that beset the island during his lifetime. Although exact details about his life remain elusive, Gildas is thought to have been born in the very late 5th century, possibly in what is now Scotland. He is traditionally associated with the British church and is considered to have written his treatise in the first half of the sixth century, as it references events up to around 560. His work, lamenting the decadence of rulers and clergy alike, is part exposé, part jeremiad, marked by a plaintive and austere rhetorical style that reflects his monastic leanings. “On the Ruin of Britain” is preserved in three parts: a preamble, a condemnation of British kings, and a denunciation of the British clergy. Gildas”s influence endured, with his text serving as a source for later medieval writers, and it remains a cornerstone for historians grappling with the Dark Ages in Britain. A figure shrouded more in legend than in fact, his very life is as compelling as the ominous literary legacy he has bequeathed to the annals of British historiography.