Why Is Bede Considered A Historian?

If the question of who is considered one of the first historians, one may answer with the name Bede. Bede was an educated monk and scholar who composed many works over his time. His most famous piece, “A History of the English Church and People”, Bede wrote about “the conquest of Britain by the Anglo-Saxon tribes after the departure of the Roman” (Editor 83). This kind of piece requires historic documents, which was something that wasn’t as accessible back in Bede’s time like it is today. The lack of documentation of events gives Bede a disadvantage when writing his historic pieces. Bede would not be considered a historian in the contemporary sense since documentation is scarce. However, if Bede was given the proper sources needed, he could
be considered a historian. The first section of Bede’s “A History of the English Church and People” is entitled “The Situation of Britain and Ireland: Their Earliest Inhabitants”.
The section makes many references to the geography and resources of Britain and Ireland. The way the text is presented makes it seem like Bede is correct in his statements. However, Bede’s references contain numerous mistakes, questioning the accuracy of the section and the piece as a whole. Using the resources and technology that are accessible in today’s time, it is very simple to prove Bede wrong. For example, Bede states that Britain “extends 800 miles northwards and [Britain] is 200 in breadth” (Editor 85). In fact, both of the statistics stated are inaccurate, with an atlas arguing that Britain has a 600 mile stretch from north to south, and 300 miles wide. (Atlas 87). Other than the length and width of Britain, Bede also had inaccuracies in the length of the coastline, distance to the next known land, the natural resources, and animal life. For instance, Bede mentions about the “many varieties of shellfish” (Editor 85). However, the atlas does not mention anything about shellfish and sea creatures. These are few of the many examples that demonstrate Bede’s inaccuracy in the works that he has produced. As a result, this gives Bede a strike against him from being considered as a historian. A historian should have accurate facts and statements when writing an educational piece for others to gain the knowledge of the
world. If the facts that are written are incorrect, Bede is just teaching all of Europe the wrong information and he is misleading his intended audience.
Although Bede has many inaccuracies, he included some facts that are true. One of the facts Bede did get correct was the climate and length of day in Britain.