Matthew Paris (~1200-
1259) was a
Benedictine monk and
chronicler, based at
St Alban's Abbey[?] in
Hertfordshire,
England. Having been admitted to the order in 1217, he inherited the mantle of
Roger of Wendover, the abbey's official recorder of events, in
1236. Paris revised Roger's work, adding new material to cover his own tenure, and this
Chronica Majora is an important historical source document. Equally interesting and innovative are the illustrations Paris used in his work.