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King Arthur
King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship in both war and peace. He is the central character in the cycle of legends known as the "Matter of Britain." There is disagreement about whether Arthur, or a model for him, ever actually existed: in the earliest mentions and Welsh texts he is never given the title "King." Early texts refer to him as dux bellorum ("war leader") and High Medieval Welsh texts often call him amerauder ("emperor"). The King Arthur of HistoryThe possible historicity of the King Arthur of legend has long been debated by scholars. One school of thought believes Arthur to have lived sometime in the late 5th century to early 6th century, to have been of Romano-British origin, and to have fought against the pagan Saxons. His power base was probably in either Wales, Cornwall, or the west of what would become England, but controversy over the centre of his power and the extent and kind of power he wielded continues to rage. Some members of this school, most notably Geoffrey Ashe and Leon Fleuriot, have argued for identifying Arthur with a certain Riothamus, "King of the Brettones," who was active during the reign of the Roman Emperor Anthemius. Unfortunately, Riothamus is a shadowy figure of whom we know little, and scholars are not certain whether the "Brettones" he led were Britons or Bretons. Other writers suggest that Arthur should be identified as one Lucius Artorius Castus, a historical Roman of the 2nd century, whose military exploits in Britain may have been remembered for centuries afterwards. Yet the obscurity surrounding the historical career of Artorius makes this identification unlikely, as there seems to be little reason for him to have become a major legendary figure. Another school of thought believes that Arthur is a half-forgotten Celtic deity devolved into a personage (citing sometimes a supposed change of the sea-god Lir into King Lear) or a possibly fictive person like Beowulf. Subscribers to this school of thought argue that another Roman Briton of the period, for example Ambrosius Aurelianus, led the forces battling the Saxons at the battle of Mons Badonicus. Further, historical persons may have influenced the later legends, like the Scots king Aedan mac Gabran, who had a son called Artuir and whose life was somewhat similar to Arthur's. King Arthur External LinksKing Arthur: A Man for the Ages King Arthur History Arturius : A Quest For Camelot King Arthur's Knights The Mystic Realm of King Arthur King Arthur Uther Pendragon - King Arthur Uther Pendragon : The Once and Future King. The Ultimate King Arthur Web Guide King Arthur and his Associates, both in History and Literature |
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King Arthur & the Matter of Britain - Exploring Legends in History, Folklore, Literature, Fiction, and the Arts. King Arthur Fact, Semi-legend or Myth? - The existence of Arthur as an historical figure can be traced back to only three written texts/books... |
The Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur - Many different theories are available as to the 'identity' of Arthur and some brief methodological notes will be found here regarding the making of such identifications. While these theories are interesting, they fail to address fully one important question -- was there a historical post-Roman Arthur? |
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