Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 1 of 6, slice 2 of 9. England, early history

In Short

This section of the chronicle examines the legendary pre-Roman history of Britain, tracing its first inhabitants from the descendants of Noah down to early Celtic dynasts, giant invaders, and exiled Egyptian princesses. Raphael Holinshed and editor Abraham Fleming collate classical accounts, biblical lineages, and medieval traditions to determine how the island was first named and populated. It narrates the reigns of five early Celtic kings who established law and learning, the bloody rule of the giant Albion, and the mythic arrival of Danaus’s daughters. It endures as a primary source for Renaissance historical methodology and myth-making.

The Story

The chronicle opens with an editorial note by Abraham Fleming outlining the organizational principles of the text and acknowledging the immense difficulty of reconciling conflicting historical authorities from remote antiquity. The main text then turns to the island’s earliest origins following the Great Flood. Drawing upon biblical narrative, the chronicle asserts that Noah divided the world among his three sons, with Europe falling to Japhet. Within two centuries of the deluge, Japhet’s offspring settled Britain.

The first recognized sovereign over this territory is Samothes, who establishes the kingdom of Celtica, introducing Phoenician letters, astronomy, and moral law. His successor, Magus, builds numerous towns across the realm, giving his name to a class of renowned divines. Magus is followed by Sarron, who creates public seats of learning to civilize the populace and establishes the Sarronides, a order of revered philosophers without whom no religious sacrifice could be performed. Next comes Druis, credited with founding the Druids. The chronicle details their governance of religious and civil disputes, their belief in the transmigration of souls, and their eventual abolition under Roman rule due to human sacrifice. Druis is succeeded by his son Bardus, who invents music and poetic verse, founding the order of the Bards to sing the deeds of ancestors and mediate conflicts on the battlefield.

This era of Celtic governance gives way to tyranny when the islanders abandon their disciplined habits for ease. Albion, a giant and the son of Neptune, invades the land, subjugates the populace, and renames the territory after himself. Albion rules for several decades alongside his brother Bergion, who governs Ireland. When their cousin Hercules Libicus marches through Gaul to avenge the murder of his father Osiris, Albion and Bergion assemble a massive army to block his passage near the Rhone. A violent battle ensues; though Hercules’s troops run short of weapons, they hurl stones gathered from the field to crush the enemy, slaying both giant brothers.

With Albion dead, the remaining giants revert to a lawless, beastly existence. The text then addresses the origin story of Danaus’s fifty daughters. Fleeing a forced marriage to their cousins, the sisters receive swords from their father and slay their husbands on their wedding night, save for Hypermnestra, who spares her groom Lynceus. When Lynceus later conquers the kingdom, he places the murderous sisters aboard a unmanned ship to drift across the ocean. The ladies land on the shores of Albion, where they mate with the native giants. The book concludes by critically examining the name of the island, rejecting the presence of a princess named Albina among Danaus's daughters, and leaving the reader to judge these conflicting antiquarian conjectures.

How It Unfolds

The division of the earth Following the universal deluge, Noah allocates the land among his sons, assigning Europe and its adjacent islands to Japhet.

The lineage of Samothes Samothes establishes the kingdom of Celtica, introducing written characters, astronomical knowledge, and moral philosophy to his subjects.

The rise of early institutions Succeeding kings establish lasting orders, including the town-building Magus, the academic Sarron, the religious Druis, and the musical Bardus.

The conquest by Albion The giant Albion subdues the softened inhabitants without significant resistance, changing the land's name and placing it under his autocratic rule.

The fall of the giants Hercules Libicus confronts Albion and Bergion in Gaul, defeating their forces with a barrage of stones and killing both brothers.

The arrival of Danaus’s daughters Exiled in a rudderless vessel for murdering their husbands, the daughters of Danaus cast ashore on the island and mix with the surviving giants.

The People

• Samothes: The sixth son of Japhet who founds Celtica. He desires to establish a civilized society and succeeds by introducing script, star-lore, and civic governance to the island's earliest post-flood settlers.
• Druis: The son of Sarron who establishes the order of the Druids. He seeks to maintain religious and judicial control, using doctrines of soul-transmigration and augury until his sect's practice of human sacrifice leads to its ultimate suppression.
• Bardus: The son of Druis who invents dities and music. He creates an enduring institution of poet-heralds tasked with recording genealogies and calming violent conflicts through song.
• Albion: A giant son of Neptune who invades the island, defeats the Samotheans, and gives the land his name. His desire for expansion leads him into battle against Hercules Libicus, where he is slain near the Rhone.
• Danaus: King of Egypt who fears a prophecy that his son-in-law will kill him. He forces forty-nine of his fifty daughters to murder their new husbands on their wedding night to secure his reign, which ultimately triggers Lynceus's revenge.
• Hypermnestra: The single daughter of Danaus who disobeys her father's command. Driven by spousal affection, she spares her husband Lynceus, aiding his escape and securing her own eventual release.

In Its Own Voice

"And yet it is not a worke for euerie common capacitie, naie it is a toile without head or taile euen for extraordinarie wits, to correct the accounts of former ages so many hundred yeares receiued..."

Editor Abraham Fleming reflects on the enormous difficulty of reconciling conflicting historical manuscripts while introducing the main work.

"...if two hosts had bene readie ranged to ioine in battell, and that any of them had fortuned to enter among them, both the hosts... would haue holden their hands, giuen eare vnto them, and ceassed from fight, vntill these Bards had gone out of the battell."

The text highlights the extraordinary authority and immunity granted to the ancient order of poets established by King Bardus.

"These giants and first inhabitants of this Ile continued in their beastlie kind of life vnto the arriuall of the ladies..."

The chronicle transitions from the defeat of Albion to the legendary landing of the fifty exiled Egyptian princesses upon British shores.

What It's Really About

The text wrestles with the problem of constructing a coherent national identity out of conflicting, legendary sources. It balances biblical authority against classical mythology, weighing stories of giants, Egyptian exiles, and patriarchal lines to find plausible historical truths. Underneath the narrative lies an ongoing concern with political decay: societies flourish when governed by learning, law, and piety, but fall swiftly to foreign conquerors when their people succumb to effeminacy and idleness. The work also probes the role of preserved knowledge, demonstrating how early institutions like the Druids and Bards shape a culture's survival long after their political regimes vanish.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to readers interested in Tudor historiography, early British mythmaking, and the evolution of historical methodology. Reading it offers an immersive look into how Renaissance scholars attempted to categorize the distant past, sifting through classical fragments, scripture, and medieval folklore.

The prose presents minor challenges, including archaic spelling, Latinized syntax, and lengthy sentence structures typical of sixteenth-century scholarship. Readers must also navigate the text's reliance on obscure sources, such as the questionable writings attributed to Berosus.

Despite these hurdles, the narrative possesses a rhythmic vigor and a striking breadth of imagination. The vivid accounts of ancient giant battles, the origins of sacred orders, and the critical evaluation of national myths offer a compelling window into the Elizabethan historical imagination. What stays with the reader is the editors' candid awareness of their own limitations—their willingness to present competing conjectures rather than forcing a single, artificial truth onto an uncertain past.