How Accurate is Geoffrey of Monmouth ?
[Geoffrey wrote an early text with references to Arthur called Historia regum Britanniae : ed] Regarding complaints about Geoffrey of Monmouth’s accuracy: anyone who criticizes Geoffrey for writing a fabricated work is completely missing the point. Although he claimed that he was merely copying an ancieint manuscript he had run across, there is no doubt that he invented most of his story, although large elements are beleived to have already existed in Celtic myth. He was definitely interested in writing a “political work” more than an accurate description of past events. His intention was much like that of Vergil in The Aeneid or the authors of the Charlemagne/Roland legends.
