King Arthur
fl. 475-537 CE

Legendary king of Britain; one of the last kings of the Britons of the whole isle according to Geoffrey of Monmouth.


The Common Legend
Arthur was born of a liason between Uther Pendragon and Igraine wife of Gorlois, duke of Cornwall, situated at Tintagel. The magician Merlin disguised Uther with a potion, transforming Uther and his companions into the form of Gorlois and his companions, while Gorlois himself was slain in battle. Upon hearing of the duke's death, Uther married Igraine, and Arthur was born legitimately. Merlin then takes Arthur and has him raised away from the dangers of the court, leaving the child as a foundling with Sir Ector. Ector raises Arthur as his own, until the boy reaches squirehood, when he pulls the magical sword from the stone, proving his rightful place as the new king of Britain.

Arthur's early reign is marked with rebellions, with many rulers seeing him as a childish no-one easily defied. Arthur dominates them in battle, however, and succeeds in uniting most of Britain behind him, the exception being his brother-in-law Lot of Lothain. Lot is married to Arthur's sister (the identity shifts, but is usually Morgause), and father to his nephews Gawain, Agravain, Gareth, and Gaheris. Arthur meanwhile is lured under a spell to sleep with Morgause and beget Mordred upon her.

During this time, Arthur loses his sword, and is directed by Merlin to the Lady of the Lake, who gives him Excalibur. He also marries Guenevere, who brings with her the famous Round Table.

After subduing Britain, Arthur turns towards the continent, and proceeds to attack Rome (the reasons are varied). After winning, he returns to Britain, where he takes a backseat to the adventures of his knights: Gawain and Gareth, sons of his sister Morgause; Ywain, son of his sister Morgan; Perceval, Tristain, and most famously Lancelot, who begins an affair with Guenevere. The climax of these adventures is the quest for the Holy Grail, which decimates the Round Table, and puts an end to the enchantments of the realm.

Guenevere is accused of adultery but aquitted though combat. She is then abducted by Melegant of Gorre, and Lancelot is charged with rescuing her. The adultery charge is made again, this time by the sons of Lot, who convince Arthur to arrest Lancelot. Lancelot escapes, while Guenevere is set to burn at the stake. Lancelot rescues Guenevere, and escape together. After combat, Lancelot returns Guenevere to Arthur, and escapes to France. Arthur goes to pursue Lancelot, leaving Mordred as regent; Mordred usurps the throne, and attempts to force Guenevere to marry him. Arthur returns to Britain, where he goes to war with Mordred. They slay each other at the Battle of Camlann, and Arthur is borne away to the isle of Avalon, while his seneschal Bedevere returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.

The legend says then that Arthur did not in fact die, but has lain sleeping on the isle of Avalon, awaiting the time to return to Britain during its greatest need.

Arthur as History

Earliest References
Leaving aside the disputed "Arthur stone" and "Arthur cross", the earliest references to Athur are Welsh and Latin:

Lack of References

Possible Historical Figures
If Arthur is not the figure known from romance and pseudohistory, could he have his origins in one or more historical figures? Could one of them be the real Arthur, and "Arthur" a nickname? It's possible; and there are several candidates for the historical Arthur:

Arthur as Myth & Legend
With the introduction of the Normans to England, Arthur became a figure of romance and a useful tool of propaganda, for Arthur, like the Normans, was an enemy of the Saxons. Arthur and his court as a subject for romance was introduced by the Bretons, whose minstrels were popular at the courts of France and its neighbors.

The most famous and arguably greatest romancer was Chretien de Troyes, a Frenchman attached to both the Countess of Champagne and the Duke of Flanders, both of whom were close kin of the Plantagenet kings of England. In Chretien, Arthur presides over a court of adventure; Lancelot and Perceval first take shape here, inspiring future writers. More importantly, Arthur himself takes a backseat to the adventures of his knights, unlike in Welsh legend where he was usually an important player. Similar in effect was Marie de France, whose lais, inspired by Breton lais, also put Arthur in the background, overseeing a fairytale court.

The second important writer, a contemporary of Chretien and Marie, was Robert de Boron, a Burgundian knight who first combined the story of Arthur and the Grail with Avalon, and with that of Joseph of Arimathea and the Last Supper, making it an explicitly Christian story. De Boron's "Merlin" follows Geoffrey closely in detailing the conception of Arthur; he also introduces the Round Table and the Sword in the Stone.

The so-called "Vulgate" version--a five romance epic--finalized the various French and Latin versions of Arthur's story, combining elements of Geoffrey, Chretien, and de Boron, while introducing new characters such as Galahad, the pure knight who wins the Grail. It may have been the work of Cicstercian monks, which would account for the invention of Galahad.

For a fuller treatment, see Arthurian Mythology.

Arthur and Other Saviors
One of the distinctive features of Arthur's character is that he is prophecied to come back from Avalon and restore Britain to the Britons; this sort of messianic hope is not unusual for an oppressed people to indulge in, and the Welsh were no different. Arthur, however, is not the only messianic figure in Welsh literature; the "Armes Prydein" in the Llyfr Taliesin prophecies that Cadwalladr will return with his armies to drive out the Saxons. It also names a Cynan as coming with Cadwalladr; whether this Cynan is meant to be Conan Meriadoc, the mythical founder of Brittany, is not known.

Did Arthur Exist?
Ultimately we have no concrete evidence for Arthur's existence: no artifacts, no contemporary accounts mentioning an "Arthur", nothing written until Nennius' history written at least three hundred years after Arthur's believed time.