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King Arthur is most known for his Kingly leadership,
his loving rule, and even his ruthless judgment of Lancelot and Guinevere.
But often a very important part of Arthur's
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| The Young
Arthur pulls the sword from the stone. |
life is forgotten: his skills as a general and
knight.
The name Arthur may be a form of Artorius, a Roman gens name,
but according to J. D. Bruce, it is possibly of Celtic origin, coming
from artos viros (bear man). Bruce also suggest the possibility
of a connection with Irish art (stone).
King Arthur was the son of Uther Pendragon and defeated the barbarians
in a dozen battles. Subsequently, he conquered a wide empire and eventually
went to war with the Romans. He returned home on learning that his
nephew Mordred had raised the standard of rebellion and taken Guinevere,
the Queen. After landing, his final battle took place.
Tradition has it that after King Uther's death there was no king ruling
all of England. Merlin had placed a sword in a stone, saying that
whoever drew it out would be king. Arthur did not know his true status
but had grown up living with Sir Ector and Sir Kay, his son. The young
Arthur pulled the sword from the stone and Merlin had him crowned
the King of Britain. This led to a rebellion by eleven rulers which
Arthur put down. He married Guinevere, whose father gave him the round
table as a dowry.
In the war against the Romans, Arthur defeated Emperor Lucius and
became emperor himself. The last battle of Arthur took place between
He and the forces of his evil nephew, Mordred. Arthur delivered the
fatal blow to Mordred in the battle, but in the process Arthur was
struck a mortal blow, himself. It was then that he commanded Sir Bedivere
to throw Excalibur back into the Lake.
The date of Arthur's death is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth as AD
542. Malory places his life in the fifth century. Geoffrey Ashe puts
forward the argument that Arthur is, at least to some extent, to be
identified with the historical Celtic king Riothamus. Was Arthur fictitious
or did he really live? Was he really a composite of a number of persons
living at different times in British history? That is for all of us
to decide for ourselves.
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