Ms. Douai 842: a new testimony of the Liber Chronicorum by Pelagius of Oviedo

Abstract

This paper focuses on manuscript Douai 842, which was copied at the end of the twelfth century at the monastery of Sainte-Rictrude of Marchiennes, Southern Flanders. This manuscript transmits an unknown version of the Liber chronicorum – Compilation B, which originated at the scriptorium of Pelagius of Oviedo (?-1153). After providing a brief description of the manuscript’s structure and contents, I argue that there were at least two versions of Compilation B (rather than just one, as previously believed, represented by the well known copy in Madrid, BNE, 1513), with Douai 842 transmitting the oldest. I contend that this version attests to the existence of a primitive form of Compilation B, representing a distinct branch within the tradition of the Liber. Finally, I suggest that Douai 842 was copied between 1177-1179.