Lucius Artorius Castus

Lucius Artorius Castus was a Roman Préfet second half of IIe century of our era, which would have inspired the legendary character of Arthur to the Middle Ages.

The career of Lucius Artorius Castus

It is supposed that it is originating in Campanie or Dalmatie, and that it would have been born into 140 or 141, under the reign of Antonin Piles. Two inscriptions discovered close to Split (Croatia) develop the long one and remarkable military career of Castus. Enlisted in the army around 158, it occupied the station of Centurion in Syria, then in Judaea, Pannonia and Dacie. Then, it followed the typical course honorum of a Roman Chevalier. Castus was promoted like praepositus class Misenatium , i.e. it was Co-to order the Roman fleet based with Misène (close to Naples). Under the reign of Convenient, it was named prefect in Brittany, current England (181). With the head of the Life Legion Victrix , it would have fought between 183 and the 185 tribes Pictes and calédoniennes which lived beyond the Hadrian's Wall. In 185 or 186, the emperor sent it, with the title of dux , MATER a revolt in Armorique.

A few years later, after being posted in Dalmatie as a procurator centenarius of Liburnia, it probably accompanied the emperor Septime Sévère in Gaulle into 196-197 to fight Clodius Albinus, claiming with the imperial throne. The inscriptions found in Croatia do not inform us about this Gallic episode. It probably was killed or mortally wounded with the battle of Lyon, which marked the defeat of Clodius Albinus into 197. One brought back his body to Liburnia where it was buried.

Historical king Arthur?

Kemp Malone proposed as of 1925 to identify legendary the King Arthur with Lucius Artorius Castus. The assumption was dared enough because it called into question the traditional sources: the Historia Regum Britanniae (history of kings de Bretagne) of Geoffroy de Monmouth (finished about 1136) which saw Arthur like a Breton king died into 542 or the Historia Brittonum (History of Breton written by Nennius towards 800) or the Annales Welsh ( Annales Cambriae ) for which Arthur gained 12 battles against the Saxon ones. However Lucius Artorius Castus forever fought the Saxon .

These sources have however the disadvantage of being largely written after the events. It is in any case disconcerting to note the resemblance between the name of the Roman officer Artorius and the name of Arthur.

More recently, Linda Ann Malcor supported the thesis of Kemp Malone. For it, there is not a doubt that the bases of the legend arthurienne come from the borders eurasiatic and were partly brought to England by the people of the Sarmates. However several of these “Barbarians” precisely were enlisted in the Roman army and were established in the north of England whereas Lucius Artorius Castus ordered the area. Helped of riders sarmates, Castus would have gained towards 184 several victories against the Calédoniens and the Pictes which invaded Great Britain (Geoffroy de Monmouth tells besides that Arthur overcame not only the Saxons but also the Pictes and the Scots) It would have thus become a kind of hero at the Sarmates.

If the military campaigns of Artorius perhaps inspired the adventures of legendary the Arthur, one cannot however not affirm that the Roman officer was the only source of inspiration of the medieval hero. The film the King Arthur will start from this assumption to make the bases of its scenario.

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