| Kentish Royal Legend | |
|---|---|
| Mildrith Legend | |
| Full title | Vita Deo delectae virginis Mildrethae |
| Also known as | Minster-in-Thanet foundation story, þa Halgan, S.Mildryð, Vita S. Mildretha |
| Language | Old English and Latin |
| Date | mid-11th century onwards |
| Authenticity | reliable |
| Historia Regum text | |
| Bodley 285 | |
| Vitae Mildrethae | |
| Cotton Caligula A (OE | |
| Gotha Text | |
| British Library: Stowe MS 944, ff 34v-39r (þa Halgan, OE) | |
| Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge No. 201, pp. 147–151 (þa Halgan, OE) | |
| Cotton Vitellius A 2 ff 3-5 (Latin þa Halgan) | |
| Hugh Candidus text | |
| Other Vitae | |
| Subject | Genealogy, Abbey Foundation, Hagiography |
| Period covered | Anglo-Saxon England |
| Aethelberht, Eadbald, S. Æthelberht, S. Æthelred, Domne Eafe, S. Mildreth and others | |
The Kentish Royal Legend is a diverse group of Medieval texts which describe a wide circle of members of the royal family of Kent from the 7th to 8th centuries AD. Key elements include the descendants of Æthelberht of Kent over the next four generations; the establishment of various monasteries, most notably Minster-in-Thanet; and the lives of a number of Anglo-Saxon saints and the subsequent travels of their relics. Although it is described as a legend, and contains a number of implausible episodes, it is placed in a well attested historical context.[1]