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King Arthur is a legendary British king whose stories evolved during the Middle Ages. It is disputed whether he was a real person, but there is evidence of a successful battle leader in the 5th century. The legend tells of Arthur’s rise to kingship, the Knights of the Round Table, the search for the Holy Grail, and his tragic end at the hands of his illegitimate son, Mordred. The story underwent significant changes, with emphasis on adding further knights in tales outside England. Modern versions include works by TH White, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Mary Stewart, and numerous films.
King Arthur is the British king whose legends, especially those concerning the Knights of the Round Table, evolved significantly during the Middle Ages in most European countries, but especially in France, Germany and England. It has long been disputed whether there was an actual King Arthur and there is some evidence that in the 5th century AD there was an Arthur, possibly Roman or Celtic, who was capable of leading a successful battle or a succession of battles to repel the Saxon invaders. The Arthur we know from myths and legends is much more imaginatively rendered, and the first mention of the fictional character is found in the History of the Kings of Great Britain by the 11th and 12th century clergyman, Geoffrey of Monmouth.
The basic legend is that this British king is the son of Uther Pandraeg and Igraine, the wife of Gorlois. Uther falls in love with Igraine and, with the advice of the wizard Merlin, comes to her disguised as her husband. Because of Arthur’s kinship, he is raised as a protégé of another knight and learns of his kinship only after Uther’s death. It’s like this point that many accounts have the young and presumably illegitimate child claiming kingship over him by removing Excalibur, the great enchanted sword, from a stone, a feat that can only be achieved by the true king.
As king, Arthur assembles a group of knights fighting for justice and founds the Knights of the Round Table. Among the missions, depending on each story, is the search for the Holy Grail. Additionally, knights are required to protect women and the helpless, a significant change from some of the abuses of lords and knights to vassals in the feudal system. Another key element of the legends is Arthur’s establishment of Camelot, the beautiful kingdom he builds.
Arthur is married to the childless Guinevere, though various accounts give him illegitimate children, including a son, Mordred, who eventually murders his father (and is killed by him) and overthrows his kingdom. Mordred’s story and his relationship with his father are exceptionally sad in some accounts, since Mordred is the product of an incestuous relationship between the king and his half-sister. The kinder tales either fail to mention this, or defend the king by suggesting that he is unaware of Morgase’s relationship to himself, and in the earliest accounts, Mordred is not Arthur’s son.
The stories of the king and Camelot are told numerous times and underwent significant changes as the Middle Ages progressed. The emphasis in tales outside England was often on adding further knights, such as Lancelot, Parzival and Gawain. The best interpretation of the whole story is considered by some to be Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, published in the late 15th century.
Others prefer modern versions of Arthurian tales, including works such as TH White’s The Once and Future King, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, and Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy. Numerous films have also dealt with the king. The most recent of these, King Arthur made in 2004, attempts to restore some historical accuracy to the tale by dating the time as not during the Middle Ages, but instead taking place during the 5th century AD, when the real Arthur may have actually reigned.
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