S
by Sarah NovakBede’s Books
31But say you lived in England
about 1,200 years ago. You are
writing about history. So what do
you do? There are no public
libraries, no internet, no laptops.
Books are scarce, each one written
by hand. So you would do what
Bede did. Bede was an Anglo-Saxon
monk who wrote a history of
England. (He loved history!) Bede
used the books at his monastery
library for much of his research.
During Bede’s time, monasteries
were the main centers of learning.
He collected more information from
other monasteries. He asked
traveling friends to copy documents
in Europe for him. And he talked to
people who knew about the past.
He carefully noted all these sources
of information.
Bede finished writing this book,
The EcclesiasticalHistory of the
English People, in 731 C.E. Bede’s
history is an important record of
early Anglo-Saxon England. Bede’s
skill in collecting and combining
his many sources to describe long-
ago people and events earned him
the title “the father of English
history.”
Bede was also the author of
books about many other subjects:
grammar, calendars, astronomy,
and music. He once wrote, “I
always delighted in learning,
teaching, and writing.” (The
modern illustration at left shows
Bede teaching children.)S
ay you have a school assignment. It is for your history
class. (You love history!) You are writing about George
Washington. So what do you do? You listen to your
teacher talk about him. You find books about Washington at
your school library or your public library. You find information
online. (You look at reliable sites only.) You finish your
research. Now you know a lot about George Washington. You
write what you know in your own words on your laptop. You
note the sources of your information. You check your work. You
fix your mistakes. Done!
A monk is a member of a male religious community that is usually separated from the outside world and
often lives in a monastery.
Ecclesiastical refers to the Christian church, the major institution of Bede’s era.