died 1155
Medieval British chronicler.
He was probably an Oxford cleric for most of his life. His mostly fictional History of the Kings of Britain ( 0441; 113539) traced the descent of British princes from the Trojans; it brought the figure of Arthur (see Arthurian legend ) into European literature and introduced the enchanter Merlin , whose story Geoffrey related in the Vita Merlini ( 0441; 114851?). Though denounced from the first by other historians, the History was one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages and had an enormous influence on later chroniclers.