User:Nicknack009/sandbox/Saint Patrick (rewrite)

Sources and dating
The primary sources for Patrick's life are his two surviving works, the Epistola ("letter"), an open letter condemning the British warlord Coroticus for killing and enslaving Irish Christians, and the Confessio ("confession" or "declaration"), in which he defends his activities in Ireland against his critics. Further information is offered by early hagiographies and annals, but few modern historians accept these as reliable.

The dates of Patrick's life are uncertain. His own writings provide nothing that can be dated more precisely than the 5th century. Patrick's quotations from the Acts of the Apostles follow the Vulgate, suggesting he was not writing before the early fifth century. The Epistola implies that the Franks were still pagans at the time of writing: their conversion to Christianity is dated to the period 496–508.

The Irish annals for the fifth century are not contemporary documents, but were compiled in the mid-6th century at the earliest. The annals date Patrick's arrival in Ireland to 432, but this date was probably artificially chosen to minimise the contribution of Palladius, who was known to have been sent to Ireland in 431, and maximise that of Patrick. A variety of dates are given for his death. In 457 "the elder Patrick" (Patraic Sen) is said to have died: this may refer to the death of Palladius, who is said in the Book of Armagh to have also been called Patrick. In 461/2 the annals say that "Here some record the repose of Patrick"; in 492/3 they record the death of "Patrick, the arch-apostle (or archbishop and apostle) of the Scoti", on 17 March, at the age of 120.

While some modern historians accept the earlier date of c. 460 for Patrick's death, scholars of early Irish history tend to prefer the later date of c. 493. Supporting the later date, the annals record that in 553 "the relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille" (emphasis added). The death of Patrick's disciple Mochta is dated in the annals to 535 or 537,  and the early hagiographies "all bring Patrick into contact with persons whose obits occur at the end of the fifth century or the beginning of the sixth".<ref name=FJB / However, E. A. Thompson argues that none of the dates given for Patrick's death in the Annals is reliable.

Early life in Britain
Patrick was born into a Christian family in Roman or sub-Roman Britain. His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon and a decurio, a local government official. His grandfather, Potitus, was a priest.

His father owned a small estate, near a small town named in the Confessio as Bannavem Taburniae. Scholars consider this corrupt on linguistic grounds and it is commonly amended to Bannaventa Burniae, but no settlement of that name has been identified. A Bannaventa is known in Northamptonshire, but this is likely too far inland. A number of identifications have been proposed. Dumbarton in Scotland was once favoured, although it is unlikely to have had a Roman town with decuriones. De Paor glosses it as "[probably near] Carlisle", and Thomas argues for the areas of Birdoswald, twenty miles (32 km) east of Carlisle on Hadrian's Wall. Mac Neill argues for a location in South Wales, noting that the western coasts of southern Scotland and northern England held little to interest a raider seeking quick access to booty and slaves, while the southern coast of Wales offered both. In addition, the region was home to Uí Liatháin and possibly also Déisi settlers during this time, so Irish raiders would have had contacts to direct them to the most profitable sites. Dark points out that the West Country is the only "part of Roman Britain which has produced convincing archaeological evidence for Irish maritime raids in the later fourth and early fifth century", as well as Roman towns, villas and Christian communities, and suggests Dorset and the Cotswolds as likely areas.

Patrick tells us he did not take his religious or secular education very seriously. He was not a native speaker of Latin, and when he came to write he regretted his poor command of the language. The Confessio refers to a sin he committed at about fifteen, one serious enough to cause concern to the Church authorities when revealed to them many years later, but does not specify what it was.

The hagiographies add that his mother was called Concessa. Dumville says it is "a reasonably well-attested Late Latin name", but does not consider this a reliable tradition. Mac Neill speculates that Q. Calpurnius Concessinus, a Roman cavalry commander whose victory over a band of (probably) Irish raiders is commemorated in an inscription found at Hexham in Northumberland, may have been related to Patrick, although this has not found wide acceptance.

The hagiographies also ascribe Patrick a number of names. Tírechán, citing as his source a book owned by Ultán, bishop of Connor, gives the following:


 * Magonus, meaning "famous". This name appears in the Historia Brittonum as Old Wesh Maun, deriving from British *Magunos, "servant-lad".
 * Succetus, meaning "god of war". Muirchu renders this name as Sochet; "Fiacc's Hymn" as Succat.
 * Patricius, meaning "father of the citizens".
 * Cothirthiacus "because he served four houses of druids". This is generally considered a misunderstanding of a a Q-Celtic rendering of Patricius, *Qatrikias, confused with cethair, the Irish word for the number four.

Slavery in Ireland
At the age of about sixteen, Patrick was abducted from his father's estate by Irish raiders, and taken to Ireland as a slave.