King Arthur

King Arthur in the history

Some think that he would have lived with and would be originating in the Wales, or of the west of the England, but the exact site of its court, known under the name of Camelot, remains a mystery. It would have fought the Saxons. It is sometimes compared to a chief named Ambrosius Aurelianus , “King off the Brettones”. Unfortunately, we know only few things of this chief, and the specialists do not know if the “Brettones” designated the inhabitants of the British Isles, or those of Brittany. It is nevertheless rather probable that the term designates the insular people, the word “Brittany” at the time not indicating any ground on the continent. The anglophone historians speak about Britto-Romans ( romano british in English), who name the whole of the romanized Celtic populations of Great Britain, except for the Scots and of the Pictes of Calédonie. Concerning Arthur itself, an interesting thesis would make of it a romanized land great landowner having constituted, as it was then current at the time, its own troop of Buccelaires (mercenaries with the pay of a person rich and paid in food, from where them name ( buccelus = cookie), and having lent hand-strong to the kings brittons against the Saxon ones. Indeed, the chronicle of Nennius (9th century) indicates it like a dux bellorum (war leader) combatant “with the Breton kings”. Moreover, as of the 4th century, the bodies of buccelaires are mainly made up of riders. The legend of a body of riders of elites serving Arthur is not far…

Kemp Molone thought of having found Arthur truth in the character of Lucius Artorius Castus. The relationship of name is indeed rather disconcerting. This Roman Prefect, installed from York, ordered (the epigraphy attests it) the Life Legion Victrix , charged with fighting the Calédoniens (people of current the Scotland) beyond the Hadrian's Wall. He gained against them (and not against the Saxons) a succession of victories between 183 and 185 after J. - C. Then, it is sent in Armorique to subdue a rebellion. At the time of this forwarding, it carried the title of dux , which is not without pointing out the title of dux bellorum brought back by the chronicle of Nennius.

According to Geoffrey Ashe, legendary Arthur is inspired by the real character of Riothamus, which would have carried the title of “king of Breton” between 454 and 470. This one would have made countryside as a Gaulle during years 468 and 469 to lend strong hand to the Romans against the Visigoths.

More recently, C. Scott Littleton and Linda A. Malcor took again these two last assumptions and affirm that Arthur de Camelot is the synthesis of the Roman Lucius Artorius Castus and of the British Riothamus. For these two researchers, the name of Arthur is the “celticisation” of Artorius.

Others think that Arthur would be a demigod incarnated Celte, such as the god of the sea Lir (presumedly incarnated by the King Lear), or even a fictitious character like Beowulf. This theory would be reinforced by the fact that other British of this period, like Ambrosius Aurelianus, fought the Saxons with the Bataille of the Mount Badonicus.

According to the legend, the Empire arthurien would have included with its apogee England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Gaulle. Certain authors report even the victory gained by Arthur over the Roman legions in Burgondie (Burgundy), during a forwarding which would have carried out it to Rome…

It will have to be noted finally that this name could be common at the time Celtic and could have appointed several chiefs, whose lives would have been used to constitute that of the mythological character. The Arthur patronym could then correspond to a statute of war leader whom can be carried by various characters at the same time. It is interesting to note that this name knows a very important vogue in the Celtic aristocracy in the years which follow the Bataille of Camlann, where Arthur would have died, between 537 and 542. In 1191, monks of the abbey of Glastonbury announced to have discovered fall it from Arthur and Guenièvre. These tombs were visited per many people, and were moved towards a new burial in 1278. This one was destroyed during the English Réforme 16th century. The antique dealer John Leland reports that it found the cross among the remains, and translated his inscription of them:

“ Difficulty jacet sepultus inclutvs rex arturius in insulis avalonia , to lie Here celebrates it king Arthur in his island of Avalon. ”

Approximate chronology

425 (or 446): Advent of Vortigern.
428 (or 449): Vortigern calls upon Saxon mercenaries to fight against the Gaëls and the Pictes.
Towards 468: Died or departure in exile of Vortigern (variable dates between 456 and 488).
Towards 470: Birth of Arthur (variable dates between 456 and 492).
Towards 480: Died of Ambrosius Aurelianus (variable dates between 469 and 530).
Towards 485: Died of Uther Pendragon (variable dates between 472 and 495).
Towards 500: Advent of Arthur (variable dates between 473 and 510).
516 (or 518): Victoire of the Breton on the Saxon with the Mount Badon (variable dates between 480 and 540).
537 (or 542): Arthur finds death with the Bataille of Camlann (variable dates between 532 and 565) .a to check

First legends of king Arthur

King Arthur appears for the first time in the Welsh literature. In the first found Welsh poem, the Gododdin , Aneirin (towards 575 - 600) written about one of its characters that “it nourished corbel X black on the ramparts, whereas it was not Arthur” (“ He EDF black ravens one the ramparts, although He was not Arthur ”, in Welsh: “ Gochorai brain of the fur caer/Cyn nor bai EFF Arthur. ”). But this poem can be interpreted of many manners.

Another old reference to king Arthur is in the Historia Brittonum allotted to the Moine Welsh Nennius, which would have written this Welsh Histoire towards 830. King Arthur is described like a “war leader” rather than like a king.

King Arthur also appears in the Welsh history Culhwch and Olwen , usually associated with the Mabinogion.

The last parts of Trioedd Ynys Prydein mention Arthur and locate its court at Celliwig in Cornouailles. Celliwig would be current Callington or Kelly Rounds, a hill strengthened close to Egloshayle.

King Arthur is also sometimes described like the chief of the Wild Hunt (a group of mythical hunters), not only in British Isles, but also in Brittany, France, Germany and Greece.

The Lovesong of king Arthur

In 1133, Geoffroy de Monmouth wrote his Historia Regum Britanniae . This book was the equivalent of a medieval best seller , and drew the attention of other writers, such as Robert Wace and Layamon, to these stories. These writers benefitted from it to improve the stories of king Arthur.

Even if many scholars agree on the fact that Geoffroy aroused the medieval interest for King Arthur, another assumption exists. The stories relating to Arthur could come from the Breton oral traditions, disseminated in the courses royal and of the nobility of Europe thanks to the Jongleur S professionals. The medieval writer French Chrétien of Troyes told stories coming from this mythology to half of the 12th century, just as Marie de France in his alluvium , of the narrative poems. The stories coming from these writers and much from others would be independent of Geoffroy de Monmouth.

These stories, joined together under the term of Matter of Brittany, became popular as from the 12th century. In these stories, Arthur gathered the Chevaliers of the Roundtable (in particular Lancelot, Gauvain and Galaad). This assembly was in general located at Camelot in the last accounts. The magician Merlin, known as “the Enchanter”, took part in it from time to time. These Knights took part in mythical searches, like that of the Saint Graal. Other stories of the Celtic world joined the legend of Arthur, such as the legend of Tristan and Iseut. In the last legends, the lovesong between the champion of Arthur, Lancelot, and the queen Guenièvre became the main cause of the fall of the world arthurien.

Robert de Boron wrote in its Merlin that Arthur obtained its throne by firing a sword from a rock and an anvil. This act could be carried out only by the True King, which means the king chosen by (them) God (X), or the heir to Uther Pendragon. This sword is in certain versions celebrates it Excalibur. In other accounts, Excalibur leaves a lake carried by a hand, and is given to Arthur little time after the beginning of its reign by Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, a young lady witch. The sword could slice anything, and its sheath made its carrier invincible.

End of king Arthur

The last combat of Arthur, the Battle of Camlann, against the forces of Mordred saw its loss. Stories show that Mordred was a Knight of the Roundtable and the son incestueux of Arthur and its sister Morgane or of his/her half-sister Morgause. the King Arthur mortally was wounded at the time of this battle, and was taken along to Avalon. There, its hands were looked after or its body buried in a Chapelle. Other texts say that he did not die, but that he withdrew himself in Avalon, magic underground world created by Merlin; the king Arthur is in dormition and will return one day. Many places are asserted as being Avalon about which the legend speaks: Glastonbury (in the Somerset, in England), the island of Downstream (a small island on the commune of Pleumeur-Bodou in the Coast-with Armor)… But it should be specified that the Celtic people transport their Légendes and progressively transpose them of their emigrations. This thus explains that there are several forests of Brocéliande, several Cornouailles…

the legend of the king Arthur was spread in all the Europe. Images D' Arthur were found at many places. In particular, in the cathedral of Modena in Italy, an engraving dated between 1099 and 1120 represents Arthur and its knights attacking a castle. A mosaic of 1165 in the cathedral of Otranto, close to Bari, in Italy contains the representation curious about Arturus Rex carrying a Sceptre and overlapping a Chèvre. Merchants of the 15th century baptized a Hall arthurien with Gdańsk, in Poland. Many places evoke king Arthur in Brittany, in particular the forest of Brocéliande or the Cave Artus in forest of Huelgoat.

The symbolism of king Arthur

The single and uncontested king forever existed in Celtic civilization. One remembers tribal divisions (chiefs of vassal clans vassal kings of the provinces themselves of a supreme king) which made it possible Jules César to take the control of the Gaulle. N the other hand, the imaginary popular one seized a king, more or less attested, avoided the noblest assets of its load: a strong, good man warlike but wise, federator and advised well. Even after its disappearance, it still carries the hopes of people: its dormition is only temporary, and it will return to link “both Bretagnes” and to save the Breton ones. Of which dangers? One thinks of the invasions of the Angles and Saxon, then with the domination Norman in Great Britain.

Myth and policy

In 1066, Guillaume the Bastard one becomes William the Conqueror and asserts himself as a Master of England… But how to make accept Norman as king, whereas it is resulting from minority people? While being pressed on the legend arthurienne and Arthur, its figurehead, unifier of the United Kingdom and the Breton people. Because on the continent the descendants of Breton parties of the island are a few centuries earlier. To assemble his army, Guillaume used the services of a certain number of noble descendants of these Breton emigrants. While supporting the diffusion of the myth of the survival of Arthur, of his dormition in the island of Avalon and his nearest return, Guillaume made popular his fight against the Angles and the Saxon ones and hoped well to join the Welsh. It was the beginning of “the Breton hope”.

In the same way, Henri II Plantagenêt made use of the myth arthurien to sit its capacity, to maintain its authority and to unify the island of Brittany. Crowned in 1154 after grinds difficulties (small son of Henri I {{er}}, indicated like successor but isolated of the throne by the nephew of the late king), it confiscates the legend with its profit. In order to blur the not-English origins of the dynasty of the Plantagenêt, Henri II will prefer to be based on Breton civilization while being presented in the form of a worthy successor of Arthur, indeed died at the time of the ultimate battle. Because the monarch must affirm his authority: vassal of king de France for the duchy of Normandy, it needs the Breton support against the claims saxonnes which have evil to accept the domination Norman on England. In order to reinforce this analogy, it tries even without success to conquer Ireland and Scotland in order to join together under its banner the whole of the supposed kingdom of Arthur.

Arthur was useful also much during the Second world war among British to vitalize the efforts of the population vis-a-vis the risk of invasion of the Nazi Germany.

In the imaginary one in continental Brittany, it represents the unit of the Breton people, since he was king of both Bretagnes. The authors of the Middle Ages brought up to date it according to the courteous guns of their time by making some a model of nobility and Christian virtue.

Family and descent

Arthur is the son of Uther Pendragon, king of Breton and Ygraine (or Ygerne), widow of Gorlois, duke of Cornouailles. He is the brother of Anna, wife of the king Lot of Orcanie. He marries Guenièvre, queen of Ireland and girl of Léodagan, king of Carmélide.

Works in which Arthur holds a crucial role

See also: List of works concerning the cycle arthurien

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