SOURCE: “Geoffrey of Monmouth's Portrayal of the Arrival of Christianity in Britain: Fact or Fiction?” Reading Medieval Studies, Vol. 19, 1993, pp. 3-13.

In the following essay, André argues that Geoffrey's writings concerning Christianity are in part historically authentic and in part politically-motivated propaganda.

William of Newborough described Geoffrey of Monmouth as ‘effrenta mentiendi libidine’ (that is, as an imposter writing from an inordinate love of lying). In more modern times, Geoffrey has fared little better in the hands of R. W. Hanning, who calls him ‘an unscrupulous fabricator of a legendary British past’.¹ However, I would like to suggest that an open-minded approach to a reading of the Historia Regum Britanniae shows that Geoffrey does not entirely deserve his reputation. By examining his portrayal of the structure of the pagan church, the arrival of Christianity in Britain, and the subsequent progress of the Christian faith, I hope to go...