On the Ruin of Britain

In «On the Ruin of Britain,» Gildas presents a poignant and somber reflection on the state of post-Roman Britain, revealing the moral decay and societal fractures that plagued the island during the 6th century. This work is marked by its mix of historical narrative and religious exhortation, employing a rhetorical style that oscillates between prophetic lamentation and admonitory invective. Gildas's prose reveals the tensions of a society grappling with the absence of Roman authority and beset by internal strife, thus providing crucial insights into early medieval culture and the psychological state of a nation in... Edasi