King Arthur 5th period - Maggie Dykshorn, Mitchell Hooyer, Jackie Scott, BJ O’Donnell

History of King Arthur Mixture of Fantasy vs. Fact 5th Century King Riothamus – Geoffrey Asche 6th Century Monk, Gildas, writes De Excidio Britanniae (Concerning the Ruin of Britain) British rally behind Ambrosius Aurelianus against the Saxons 8th Century Monk, Nennius, writes of Arthur in 12 victories over the Saxons Paramount battle: Mount Badon

History of King Arthur Geoffrey of Monmouth – Historia Regum Britanniae Includes story of Arthur Based upon mysterious ancient text handed down by Archdeacon of Oxford Not disproved, but very unlikely and much evidence against Some truth, but much of Geoffrey’s romantic fantasy is probable

 Excalibur Legend is that Arthur drew a sword (Excalibur) from a stone proving that he was the true heir to the British throne. The Latin word for stone is saxo; the invaders of Britain were Saxon. The original story had King Arthur killing a Saxon leader and pulling his sword from the dead body. In that day, everything was copied by scribes, and it is possible that when it was written the ‘n’ was left off of the word Saxon, so it appear that Arthur pulled the sword from a saxo.

Excalibur Another legend is that King Arthur receives Excalibur, which was made on the Isle of Avalon. The sword was returned to the Lady of the Lake on the mortal wounding of King Arthur at Camlann.

Merlin (‘s beard its Harry Potter!) -Merlin was a wizard. It is questionable whether this man actually existed. -Legend has it that on the request of Uther Pendragon, Merlin moved giant stones and created Stonehenge.

(actual footage of Merlin during battle)

King Arthur and the Quest for the Holy Grail Suggested in legends written by Chrétien de Troyes Kept in a mysterious castle King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were ordered by God to retrieve the Grail Whoever discovered the Grail would sit at the Siege Perilous 3 different knights have been known to achieve the quest in different legends: Galahad, Lancelot, and Perceval Arthur and his knights traveled across Britain in their pursuit. They went through many perilous tasks that at times resulted in death

Historical Footage

The Round Table 1st described by Norman poet Robert Wace in 1155 To promote equality among knights/barons Said to seat 12, 150, or 1500+ Stood for order/code Created by Merlin for Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s Father Siège Perilous ('danger-seat') left empty, reserved for true Grail-Knight

Camelot – the legend Capital of the Kingdom of Arthur Late 5th or Early 6th Century Cadbury Castle in Somerset Castle Hall in Winchester – round table hangs on wall 13th century 25 nights of Winchester: Galahad, Lancelot, Bedivere, etc.

More Historical Footage

Code of Chivalry according to Giovanni Boccaccio in his "De Casibus Virorum Illustrium” To never lay down arms To seek after wonders When called upon, to defend the rights of the weak with all one's strength To injure no one Not to attack one another To fight for the safety of one's country To give one's life for one's country To seek nothing before honour Never to break faith for any reason To practice religion most diligently To grant hospitality to anyone, each according to his ability Whether in honour or disgrace, to make a report with the greatest fidelity to truth to those who keep the annals

The Emblem of the Knights Given to them by King Arthur when made Knight Love of God, men, and noble deeds Cross – attain the Holy Grail Red Dragon of King Arthur Round Table significance: Equality Unity Chivalry

Modern Adaptations Camelot, musical (1960) The Sword in the Stone, Disney (1963) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) King Arthur (2004) Spamalot, musical (2004) Merlin, BBC TV series (2008-present) Camelot, Starz TV series (2010-present) Spamalot, musical

Arthur’s History It has been speculated as to the ethnic background of King Arthur…

Bibliography http://www.kingarthursknights.com/knights/ http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/FAQ-Arthur.htm http://www.castles.me.uk/knights-round-table.htm http://www.arthurian-legend.com/more-about/more-about-arthur-3.php http://www.camelotintl.com/legend/index.php http://imdb.com http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/mythical/grail.html http://www.britannia.com/history/arthur/grail.html http://www.chivalrynow.net/grail.htm http://www.legendofkingarthur.co.uk/ http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=ii http://badgerbadgerbadger.com/