Chronicle
A historical record arranged year by year, often a source of memorable quotations.
A chronicle is a prose account of events arranged in chronological order, usually year by year. Unlike a history, which selects and interprets events in the service of an argument, a chronicle often records what happened without elaborate explanation.
Chronicles have been written across many cultures: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Chronicles of Japan, the Royal Frankish Annals, and the medieval European chronicles of monasteries and cities. Because they are close to the events they record, they are valuable sources for historians and quotators.
Quotations from chronicles often have a plain, factual force. A line like 'In this year was the great plague' carries no ornament; its authority comes from proximity and directness. Writers use chronicle quotations to ground a scene in a particular moment.
Common mistake: expecting a chronicle to offer analysis. A chronicle tells you what happened; a historian tells you what it means. Use chronicle quotations for fact, not for interpretation.
“Anno Domini 1066. In this year came William, and won England.”
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