Bede’s Historiae Ecclesiasticae Gentis Anglorum is a foundational work of early English history and one of the most important sources for the early medieval period in Britain. Written in Latin by the Northumbrian monk Bede the Venerable, it chronicles the history of Christianity in England from the Roman occupation up to Bede’s own time in the early 8th century. The work is divided into five books, each detailing key events in the Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the lives of saints and missionaries (like St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Cuthbert), and the political and ecclesiastical developments of the time. The most authoritative edition is the 1722 Cambridge edition edited by John Smith.