Nationalism and Religious Identity In Geoffrey Of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain

st are again and again brought forward to the reader's attention and linked to current leaders, "... Constantine, the son of Helen, and Maximianus, too, both of them close relations of mine..." (233) Monmouth's history continually remarks on past great deeds of Britains, in a time when the British are a defeated people. In this manner Monmouth displays a nationalistic theme, where the British have no equal anywhere else in the world.
             Monmouth also attempts to achieve this outcome by discrediting the impact of other cultures on the British people, namely that of the Romans. Monmouth states that the conquering Romans were a destructive influence to the British instead of a positive one, "Greater than all its other evils is the harm done to it by the overlordship of the Romans..." (150) Monmouth by asserting this accomplishes two things: that the British themselves are responsible for their glorious past and that the Romans become an oppressive ruler of Britain, which takes nobility away from their own history and adds to Britain's. Geoffrey therefore creates a nationalistic theme in two ways, both by glorifying the Britain and demonizing other cultures that have interacted with the Britains.
             In this manner Geoffrey uses the ancestors of the characters of his history to glorify the British people and create a nationalistic attitude. The characters create
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Nationalism and Religious Identity In Geoffrey Of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain . (2000, January 01). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 04:52, October 17, 2026, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/62434.html