The Quest for Arthur's Britain by Geoffrey Ashe

But the Annals are long removed from the events they describe. David’s, provides additional tantalizing references to the Battle of Badon, as well as to Arthur’s death in battle at Camlann in 537. The Annals of Wales, compiled by the scholarly community of St. The History of the Britons, attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius, details Arthur’s many battles against the Saxons but it was not composed until around 828, and the oldest surviving copies date from 300 years after that. This issue recurs with all ostensible primary sources. We cannot know whether the relevant stanza is part of the original poem or a later insertion. The only surviving copy, though, is a transcription made six centuries later. For instance, the Welsh poem Y Gododdin, which contains a passing allusion to King Arthur - possibly the earliest such written reference - was probably composed around the year 638, scarcely a hundred years after Arthur’s putative death. Medieval manuscripts were periodically recopied by hand, and it was not uncommon for later scribes to revise and update the material, making no distinction between the original content and later additions. Tales and poems about Arthur date back as far as the 9th century A.D.

But sorting out fact from fiction is tricky, because of both the manner in which these texts were preserved and the medieval frame of mind in which they were composed.

These deeds are attested in a number of ancient manuscripts. Roman occupation had brought peace and prosperity to Britannia their departure created a power vacuum that homegrown warlords scrambled to fill, while leaving the island newly vulnerable to conquest by the seafaring Saxons.Īlthough the details vary across accounts, Arthur is always portrayed as a fierce combatant who rose to power while fighting off invaders, as in the Battle of Badon in the year 500, where he is credited with personally slaying as many as 960 Saxons. , within a generation or two of the Roman withdrawal in A.D. And despite their fantastical elements, Arthurian legends position him in a real historical and political milieu: southern Britain, around Wales and Cornwall, in the 5th century A.D. For a millennium, tales of Arthur and his knights have inspired remarkable works of literature, visual art, opera, film, and comics - and not just in the English-speaking world, but everywhere.Įven the wildest legend may be rooted in historical fact. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords may be no basis for a system of government, but the legends surrounding Arthur, king of the Britons, are the foundation for a grand artistic tradition.

The Quest for Arthur's Britain by Geoffrey Ashe