The Medieval Chronicle: 8 by Erik Kooper

There are several reasons why the chronicle is particularly suited as the topic of a yearbook. In the first place there is its all over Europe and throughout the Middle Ages chronicles were written both in Latin and in the vernacular, and not only in Europe but also in the countries neighbouring on it, like those of the Arabic world. Secondly, all chronicles raise such questions as by whom, for whom, and for what purpose were they written, how do they reconstruct the past, what determined the choice of verse or prose, or what kind of literary influences are discernible in them. Finally, many chronicles have been beautifully illuminated, and the relation between text and image leads to a wholly different set of questions.