Written between 1015 and 1030, his ''Historia Normannorum'', or ''Libri III de moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum'', was dedicated to Adalberon, Bishop Of Laon . Dudo does not appear to have consulted any existing documents for his history, but to have obtained his information from Oral Tradition , much of it being supplied by Raoul, Count Of Ivry , a half-brother of Duke Richard. Consequently the ''Historia'' partakes of the nature of a Romance , and on this ground has been regarded as untrustworthy by such competent critics as Ernst Dümmler and Georg Waitz . Other authorities, however, e.g., J. Lair and J. Steenstrup , while admitting the existence of a legendary element, regard the book as of considerable value for the history of the Normans. Although Dudo was acquainted with Virgil and other Latin writers, his Latin is affected and obscure. The ''Historia'', which is written alternately in Prose and in Verse of several Metre s, is divided into four parts, and deals with the history of the Normans from 852 to the death of Duke Richard in 996. It glorifies the Normans, and was largely used by William Of Jumièges , Wace , Robert Of Torigni , William Of Poitiers and Hugh Of Fleury in compiling their chronicles, and was first published by A. Duchesne in his ''Historiae Normannorum scriptores antiqui'', at Paris in 1619. Another edition is in the '' Patrologia Latina '', tome cxli, of J. P. Migne (Paris, 1844), but the best is perhaps the one edited by J. Lair (Caen, 1865).
- E. Dummler , ''Zur Kritik Dudos von St Quentin in the Forschungen zur deutschen Geschichte, Bande vi'' and ''ix'' (Gottingen, 1866)
- G. Waitz , ''Uber die Quellen zur Geschichte der Begrundung der normannischen Herrschaft in Frankreich'', in the ''Gottinger gel. Anzeigen'' (Gottingen, 1866)
- J. C. H. R. Steenstrup , ''Normannerne, Band i'' (Copenhagen 1876)
- J. Lair , ''Etude critique et historique sur Dudon'' (Caen, 1865)
- G. Kortung , ''Uber die Quellen des Roman de Rou'' (Leipzig, 1867)
- W. Wattenbach , ''Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen, Band i'' (Berlin, 1904)
- A. Molinier , ''Les Sources de l'histoire de France, tome ii'' (Paris, 1902)
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