King arthur historical biography writing

Here the Britons finally triumphed, and the Saxon tide was stemmed.

King arthur historical biography writing: According to legends, was a

Gildas claims the peace that followed had lasted his lifetime 43 years. The implication being that Badon Hill was probably fought at some time between and CE, a few decades after the Saxons started arriving in Britain in CE. So little do we know of this time that we cannot be certain when exactly this battle was fought or even where. Depending on which historian you choose to believe, Badon Hill could have been somewhere in Wiltshire, or Somerset or perhaps even Dorset.

However, we must be a little cautious when it comes to Gildas. There is no escaping the fact that Gildas was a fire and brimstone preacher. Part of his purpose in writing his history was to castigate the Britons for their past sins and follies. The history of this period may not have been quite so bloody and apocalyptic as Gildas would have us believe.

Nevertheless, his colourful descriptions provide us with the historical backdrop against which the legend of King Arthur was born. But since Gildas does not mention Arthur at all, how can we tie the legend of Arthur to this period of history? This is where we need to turn to later writers. According to Nennius, Arthur emerged to lead the Britons in the period following the initial wave of Anglo-Saxon invasions.

He tells us that after Hengist, one of the earliest Saxon leaders, died he was succeeded by his son, Octha. And he goes on to tell us that…. He goes on to relate that Arthur fought and defeated the Saxon invaders in no fewer than twelve battles. The most glorious of these kings arthur historical biography writing, we are told, was the last:.

This provides us with the link to Gildas account and, specifically, with the battle of Badon Hill. The first is that Nennius wrote this in c. Events which Gildas, writing within living memory of Badon Hill, describes without mentioning Arthur. The second problem is the sheer number of different battles Nennius associates with Arthur.

Twelve battles are a lot for any one man to have fought in his career. Third issue is locating these battles. Many historians believe that several of these battles refer to places in North-western England — places unlikely to have seen any fighting between Britons and Saxons in the late C5th since the Saxons had not spread so far west by this time.

Other battles such as Badon Hill almost certainly relate to the South-west. That makes it hard to even locate Arthur in a specific area. The final problem relates to such claims as men being slain by Arthur alone. There is clearly a large amount of dramatic license involved in such a claim. For example, he claims the Britons were descended from Trojan refuges.

How, then, can we distinguish historical reality from myth when we read Nennius? The earliest copy of the Annuls that survive is a C12th Latin copy of a compilation that was originally completed in the C10th. Some historians believe that some of the earliest entries date back as far as CE. Others would argue it is unlikely any of the material pre-dates its C10th creation.

The annuls also place Arthur at Badon but, although the dating is imprecise, it appears to locate the battle a little later than Gildas. Gildas tells us Badon occurred 43 years before he was writing. It is also the case that Gildas makes no mention of the Justinian plague in his work. This plague swept through Britain in the early s. It seems unlikely that a fire and brimstone preacher like Gildas would have failed to mention such a disaster in his writing.

Hence, Gildas must have finished his work before the plague arrived. That means he was writing beforewhich places Badon in the late s, if not earlier. The Annuls, alone of these early sources, mention the death of Arthur. In fact, Medraut is an early form of the name Mordred. Note we are not told whether Arthur died fighting Mordred or fighting alongside Mordred.

All it tells us is that Arthur and Mordred met their end at Camlann, some 21 years after Badon. But where is Camlann? Like many of the locations mentioned in these early chronicles, we cannot be sure.

King arthur historical biography writing: The Arthurian legend as it

If Camlann exists it no longer has the same name. This would place Arthur some considerable distance to the north of his triumph at Badon. But it would tie him more closely to the north-western place names mentioned by Nennius. Camlann, however, is not mentioned either by Nennius or Gildas. Maybe, Gildas was writing before Camlann had been fought? That is because its main purpose is to present its candidate for the true historical Arthur, and so, apart from a general survey of the literature at the beginning, its main argument is directed to that end.

Richard Barberon the other hand, shows how scanty historical sources led to the growth of a rich literary legend. On the whole, I liked his book and his approach better. He also deals much more thoroughly with the later Arthurian literature, which is of little interest to anyone looking for clues to the historical Arthur. He also gives quite a bit of space to one of my favourite authors, Charles Williamsthough he concentrates on his poetry, and not on his prose narratives.

King arthur historical biography writing: King Arthur is a medieval, mythological

Barber compares most of the major Arthurian writers, and compares the way in which they presented the stories and the characters, and also how people in different periods tended to present them differently. Join the discussion. Can't find what you're looking for? Help center. To complement the reference work by Lupack, this is perhaps the best non-fiction book detailing the history of King Arthur and his possible life if he ever lived as well as his fruitful afterlife as literary inspiration over the centuries.

Day really knows his subject, and is an affable guide through Arthuriana with its various twists and turns. Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email…. Yes, women did more than wait around to be rescued. What took me by surprise — apart from learning how widespread the legends are — was the almost incredible number of novels and other works, in all languages, dealing with it.

Your ten are indeed the tip of the iceberg. The book outlines twelve battles that Arthur is supposed to have fought against the Saxons which culminate in the Battle of Mons Badonicus, or Mount Badon. According to Cornish tradition it was at Slaughterbridge near Camelford, 4 miles away from Tintagel. Tintagel Castle supposed realm of Merlin the Magician.

Dozmary Pool Lake where sword Excalibur is said to have come from. Camelford, or Sutton Mondis, site of last battle.