Chapter 9. England

Abstract

This chapter offers an overview of the Latin literary production in medieval England, from the mid-sixth to the early fifteenth century. The chapter is divided into two main chronological units separated by the year of the Norman Conquest, 1066. Each section is further subdivided into shorter time periods, in which the main literary figures and the most important cultural and political events are presented accompanied by a brief analysis of their significance and influence. Anglo-Latin literature is marked by the complex linguistic reality on the island where Latin was introduced as a foreign language. In consequence, the interaction between the Latin idiom and the various local languages created linguistic and cultural challenges that had to be skillfully negotiated and creatively resolved.