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[[File:Peterborough.Chronicle.firstpage.jpg|thumb|260px|right|The initial page of the ''[[Peterborough Chronicle]]''<ref>Bosworth, ''The Elements of Anglo-Saxon Grammar,'' p. 277.</ref>]]
The '''''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''''' is a collection of [[annals]] in [[Old English]], chronicling the history of the [[Anglo-Saxons]]. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in [[Wessex]], during the reign of [[Alfred the Great]] (r. 871–899); its material is known as the "Common Stock" of the ''Chronicle''. Multiple copies were made of that one original and then distributed to monasteries across England, where they were independently updated. In one case, the ''Chronicle'' was still being actively updated in 1154.
 
Nine manuscripts of the ''Chronicle'' survive in whole or in part, thoughnone theyof which is the original. Seven are notheld allin ofthe equal[[British historicalLibrary]], valueone in the [[Bodleian Library]] at Oxford, and nonethe oldest in the [[Parker Library, Corpus Christi College|Parker Library]] of them[[Corpus areChristi theCollege, original manuscriptCambridge]]. The oldest seems to have been started towards the end of Alfred's reign, while the most recent was writtencopied at [[Peterborough Cathedral|Peterborough Abbey]] after a fire at that monastery in 1116. AlmostSome alllater ofmedieval thechronicles materialderiving infrom the ''Chronicle'' is in the form of annals, by year; the earliest are dated at 60 BC (the annals' date for [[Caesar's invasions of Britain]]), and historical material follows up to the year in which the chronicle was written, at which point contemporary records begin. Theselost manuscripts collectivelycontribute areoccasional knownfurther ashints theconcerning ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' material.
 
Almost all of the material in the ''Chronicle'' is in the form of annals, by year; the earliest is dated at 60 BC (the annals' date for [[Caesar's invasions of Britain]]), and the final year of the Common Stock was around 891. Thereafter additions—some contemporary, some added after a lapse of time—begin. These manuscripts collectively are known as the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''.
The ''Chronicle'' is biased in places. There are occasions when comparison with other medieval sources makes it clear that the scribes who wrote it omitted events or told one-sided versions of stories. There are also places where the different versions contradict each other. Taken as a whole, however, the ''Chronicle'' is the single most important historical source for the period in [[British Isles (terminology)#England|England]] between the [[End of Roman rule in Britain|departure of the Romans]] and the decades following the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]]. Much of the information given in the ''Chronicle'' is not recorded elsewhere. In addition, the manuscripts are important sources for the [[history of the English language]]; in particular, the later [[Peterborough Chronicle|Peterborough text]] is one of the earliest examples of [[Middle English]] in existence.
 
Both because much of the information given in the ''Chronicle'' is not recorded elsewhere and because of the relatively clear chronological framework it provides for understanding events, the ''Chronicle'' is the among the most influential historical sources for [[British Isles (terminology)#England|England]] between the [[End of Roman rule in Britain|collapse of Roman authority]] and the decades following the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Conquest]]. The ''Chronicle''<nowiki/>'s accounts tend to be highly politicised, with the Common Stock intended primarily to legitimise the dynasty and reign of Alfred the Great. Comparison between ''Chronicle'' manuscripts and with other medieval sources demonstrates that the scribes who copied or added to them omitted events or told one-sided versions of them, often providing useful insights into early medieval English politics.
Seven of the nine surviving manuscripts and fragments reside in the [[British Library]]. The other two are in the [[Bodleian Library]] at Oxford and the [[Parker Library, Corpus Christi College|Parker Library]] of [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]].
 
The ''Chronicle'' manuscripts are also important sources for the [[history of the English language]]; in particular, the later [[Peterborough Chronicle|Peterborough text]] is one of the earliest examples of [[Middle English]] in existence.
 
==Composition==
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