Chronicles

Chronicles are accounts of events organized in the order in which they occurred. They may function as factual records, narrative histories, or both, with an emphasis on sequence and dating rather than interpretive analysis. The term derives from Greek chronikon, via Latin chronica, and denotes writing about time and events. In scholarly usage a chronicle is distinguished from a history by its focus on documenting events and dates rather than offering extensive interpretation of causes or broader significance.

Chronicles appear in diverse forms, including annals, court chronicles, city chronicles, and religious chronicles. They rely on archival sources, eyewitness testimony, or institutional records, and they often present material in a year-by-year or otherwise chronological framework. Medieval Europe produced many chronicles that recorded rulers, wars, laws, and everyday happenings under ecclesiastical or royal sponsorship. Notable examples include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and various religious and dynastic chronicles from other regions. In the Hebrew Bible, the Books of Chronicles present genealogies and events from a temple-centered perspective.

In contemporary usage, the word chronicle can refer to any account that records events over time, including documentary journalism, diaries, and memoirs that are organized chronologically. As a verb, to chronicle means to document events in their temporal order. The term is widely used in literature and scholarship to describe both historical records and narrative compilations that track developments across a period.