KING ARTHUR THE LEGEND & HISTORY

The Legend – Who ? the name of King Arthur - no appearance in the Middle ages. The timeline: - documented records on all the Kings of England (William the Conqueror [1066] to the end of the Middle Ages [1485]) the Dark Ages ( 410 AD - 1066 AD ) - no appearance in records either #1 impossible to provide an accurate biography of his life and history # 2 his biography is only based on a legend # 3 documented records of the Middle Ages were scarce.

The History - The One, True King of the Britons not based on real historical evidence cannot it be verified with hard and fast facts the legend was based on the books by the clerics of the Medieval era/the Middles Ages many Welsh legends & Celtic myths about King Arthur and the Arthurian Legend the Welsh claim the sovereignty of all the kingdom of Britain based on the legends & myths King Arthur = "the one, true King of the Britons”

How did the Legend Start? the main source of information: Geoffrey of Monmouth - Historia Regum Britanniae (1136) - fictional Others: the 'Black Book of Caernarvon' (Welsh: Llyfr du Caerfyrddin) (1250) - stories and poems about the heroes of Britain in the Dark Ages + those to do with the legend of King Arthur & Merlin Historia Brittonum - Nennius the Annales Cambriae the Chronicon Anglicanum the Mabinogion (Welsh) Fiction >> fact!

fuelled by the Medieval troubadours, jongleurs & minstrels The Romantic Legend fuelled by the Medieval troubadours, jongleurs & minstrels the stories of the brave King Arthur, great knights, Camelot, chivalrous deeds, great battles and fair ladies circulated from court to court all over Europe The heroic images took on the Medieval clothes & fashion Jousting in tournaments were also incorporated.

Making a Legend - The One, True King of the Britons the Medieval Kings of England turned these myths and legends to their advantage King Edward I (Longshanks) - political purposes – the Arthurian legends & myths to authenticate his claims to the both the Welsh & English thrones Connections b/n Caernarvon, Arthurian Legend, Merlin, Prophecies & even Stonehenge = his 'legitimate claim' to the Welsh throne The Tudors - credibility

Merging the History with the Legend Medieval politicians strengthen the claims to both the English & Welsh thrones much influence, advantage and credibility gained to connect their lineage to King Arthur "the one, true King of the Britons", his realm of Camelot and the prophecies of Merlin the Wizard

The Arthurian legends & myths vs. the Medieval people: Ancient Arthurian Prophecies (the king of era arranged them to be seen fulfilling) The English liked connections to the old religions & life before the Norman Conquest (the magicians, wizards & the druids) The connection to King Arthur – his rule of honour, honesty, loyalty, chivalry & valour The 'one, true King of the Britons' prophecy = the Medieval Kings’ credibility, esp. in Wales A romantic story of love, fair ladies, brave knights and triumphant battles = good publicity for any Medieval king A link to Christianity, the crusades & the search for the Holy Grail Any 'proof' of their lineage to ancient Kings = Medieval kings’ justification for their sovereignty

KING ARTHUR (2004) – CLIVE OWEN, KEIRA NIGHTLY TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- N6pZX0sDAk FULL MOVIE: http://ffilms.org/king-arthur-2004/