Roger of Wendover

Roger of Wendover, d. c.1236, English chronicler, a monk of St. Albans. As historiographer of St. Albans, he began the Flores historiarum (see Matthew of Westminster), a general chronicle starting with the creation. He drew the material from 1192 to 1201 from Roger of Hoveden, but that from 1201 to 1235 is original. His work contains many fantastic and distorted stories and judgments hostile to King John. He is in large part responsible for the negative picture of John (perpetuated by Matthew of Paris) that has come down through history.

---

Roger of Wendover 

Date of birth unknown; died May 6, 1236, in the monastery of Saint Albans. English chronicler; monk at the monastery of Saint Albans. Possibly a native of Wendover, Buckinghamshire.

Wendover’s chronicle, Flores historiarum, is devoted to the history of England and, in part, that of a number of other countries, particularly France. The account covering the period 1201–35 is the most detailed and reliable. The chronicle was reworked by Matthew Paris, who incorporated it into his own opus.