Bede (c. 673-735)

English theologian and historian, known as the Venerable Bede. Active in Durham and Northumbria, he wrote many scientific, theological, and historical works. His Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People) of 731 is a primary source for early English history, and was translated into the vernacular by King Alfred.

Born at Monkwearmouth, Durham, Bede entered the local monastery at the age of seven, later transferring to Jarrow, where he became a priest in about 703. He devoted his life to writing and teaching; among his pupils was Egbert, archbishop of York. He was canonized in 1899. Much of our knowledge of England in the Dark Ages prior to the 8th century depends on Bede's historical works and his painstaking efforts to research and validate original sources, both documentary and oral testimony. He popularized the system of dating events from the birth of Christ.