BIOGRAPHY OF THE KING ARTHUR,King Arthur: The Life and Legend

                                                  

                                           BIOGRAPHY OF THE KING ARTHUR

“The magnanimous Arthur, with all the kingsand military force of Britain, fought against the Saxons. And though there were many more noble thanhimself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was as often conqueror.” This is a quote from the ancient text knownas the Historia Brittonum, which was one of the oldest records of King Arthur’s lifestory. We have all grown up watching movies and readingbooks about the legend of King Arthur. A young man pulls the magic sword Excaliburfrom the stone, and a wizard named Merlin guides him into manhood. As an adult, he established the legendaryknights of the round table, and ruled over Camelot. Future generations would look to him as thefirst king of the British Empire. However, while everyone knows him by name,few people know the whole story behind the man who made the legend. Here on Biographics, we will uncover truthbehind King Arthur of Camelot.
                                                    
The Dark Ages, and Arthur’s Early LifeDuring the 5th Century, the modern-day United Kingdom was called Britannia. The Roman conquerors had been driven out ofthe land, and the ancient Britons were left to govern themselves. Without a central government, the countrywas plunged into a time known as the Dark Ages. Several Celtic tribal leaders declared themselvesthe “King”, but there was never one ruler who governed them all. If this reminds you of Game of Thrones, that’sbecause George R.R. Martin got a lot of his inspiration from these ancient stories ofearly middle age war and conquest. As you can imagine, many of these kingdomsof the British isles were at war with one another, and this made it impossible for anyoneto settle down and establish any new art or culture. There is a lot of mystery surrounding thattime, because very few people were bothering to keep a historic record of daily life. Almost everyone was illiterate, from the peasantsall the way up to the nobility. Christian clergymen were the only ones whoknew how to read and write, but they often isolated themselves from the rest of societyin favor of devoting their life to theological studies. Without a central economy, citizens of Britanniadid not have money in the form of coins or bills. So people were using a barter system to tradegoods and services. Most peasants were farmers, and they grewenough food to feed themselves. But even within this barter system, peoplewere still expected to pay taxes to their Feudal Lords in the form of goods and labor. Often times, if two Kings were fighting overcontrol of the land, peasants had to pay taxes twice in one year.
                                                           
 Without a proper education system, peoplebelieved in magic, and were incredibly superstitious. While Christianity existed, many were stillpracticing ancient Pagan traditions. It was during this unstable time when Arthurwas born. Without any written records, we do not knowhis exact date of birth, but we do know that he was conceived in Tintagel, which is onthe coast of Cornwall. In 2016, an archeological dig at Tintagelrevealed that the city held many of the lavish imported luxury goods along the coast of Cornwall. At the time, it would have been a town thatwas bustling with activity as boats sailed in and out of the harbor. Arthur’s father was a man named King UtherPendragon. He lusted after a beautiful woman named LadyIgraine, but she was married to his rival, Lord Gorlois.

According to legend, Pendragon asked his in-housewizard, Merlin, to cast a magic spell. He wanted to look like Gorlois, so that hecould trick Igraine into having sex with him. Of course, modern historians believe thatMerlin was not a wizard at all, but actually one of the last remaining Celtic druids. At the time, druids were thought to have magicpowers, and a connection to the spiritual world. The druids lived their lives being one withnature, and practicing herbal medicine. They were known to be incredibly wise, andwere some of the most intelligent people of the time. King Pendragon waited until Lord Gorlois lefton a business trip, when he appeared before Lady Igraine, disguised as her husband. Considering that we know that magic isn’treal, we know that Merlin could not have cast a spell to cloak his appearance. It is far more likely that Uther Pendragontook an herbal “potion” from Merlin to help him violate Lady Igraine. Later, Lord Gorlois was horrified to learnthat his wife had been raped by an imposter. She became pregnant with Pendragon’s baby. This illegitimate child was a boy named Arthur. Lady Igraine did not want to raise the baby,and no one wanted to claim responsibility. Merlin felt incredibly guilty for his partin all of this, and knew that this boy was actually a prince. He took pity on Arthur, and chose to raisehim as his son. Lord Gorlois and Lady Igraine would go onto have their own daughter and Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan. The Lady of the LakeThe druids were not the only ones who were thought to be magical. In most cultures around the world, women wholived alone were often accused of practicing witchcraft.
                                                                    
A young woman named Vivian was known as “TheLady of the Lake”. But instead of being a frightening old witch,she was described as a beautiful “faerie” who lived underwater. We now know that she was not a faerie at all,of course, and she was a woman who was living alone in a cottage near a lake. For years, the lands were filled with waterylakes and marshes. Christian clergymen built their monasterieson small islands, and the only way that people could travel was either by boat, or walkingon long causeways that were built over the water. In the 1700’s, this land was drained ofwater in order to utilize the farmlands, but it wasn’t until recently that modern archaeologicaldigs have uncovered a huge amount of Iron Age swords, axes, shields, armor and toolsthat had been thrown into the water. Ancient Britons had a tradition of makingan offering to the Lord of the land by tossing their weapons into the lakes and marshes. Because of her reputation as a magical faerie,Vivian’s lake was also a spot where people would throw their swords and weapons in exchangefor her blessing. One day, Vivian discovered that someone hadleft a very different kind of offering on her doorstep. It was a newborn baby boy who had been abandonedby his mother. She decided to raise the orphaned child asher own, and named him Lancelot. Merlin was wise enough to know that The Ladyof the Lake wasn’t a faerie at all, and he was entranced by Vivian’s beauty andstrength. He fell in love with her, and pleaded forher to give him a chance. Vivian said that she would consider Merlin’sproposal, if he taught her everything he knew. In the more mystical versions of the story,Merlin taught Vivian how to practice magic, but it is more likely that he was actuallyshowing her how to become a druid.
                                                              
In the end, they say that the Lady of theLake “traps Merlin forever”. Of course, we know that if she trapped anything,it was his heart. They fell in love, and lived together in thatcottage on the lake. Since Vivian was raising Lancelot, and Merlinadopted Arthur, the two boys would have grown up together as brothers. ExcaliburYou have all heard the epic tale of how young Arthur was able to pull the sword Excaliburout of the stone, and people dropped to their knees. This ended all of their ongoing battles inorder to recognize him as their one true king.... Sorry to say that this version of the storyis total fantasy. The warring kingdoms continued to fight oneanother for control of the land during Arthur’s youth. Lancelot and Arthur practiced dueling oneanother from an early age. Arthur’s sword was called many names, including“Caliburn” and “Excalibur”. Other versions of the story leave out thestone completely, and say that the “Lady of the Lake” gave Excalibur to Arthur. According to a scholar from the Universityof Wales named Rachel Bromwich, the name Excalibur "may have similarly arisen at a very earlydate as generic names for a sword". After all, Vivian had an endless supply ofweapons thrown into her lake. Since everyone bartered for supplies duringthe Dark Ages, it would only make sense that Vivian would dive into the lake to retrieveas many valuable weapons as she could. Arthur and Lancelot had the rare luxury ofpracticing with these expensive swords from an early age, and they were already skilledat fighting years before they became knights. When she was a teenager, Arthur’s half-sister,Morgan, wanted to become a druid, as well. So she began to study under Merlin. She earned the nickname “Morgan le Fay”,or “Morgan the Faerie”.

 At the time, Arthur had no idea that Morganwas actually his half-sister. The two teenagers fell deeply in love. Merlin forbid the two of them from being together,of course, but he never revealed the secret that they were actually siblings. But just like any rebellious teenagers inlove, trying to keep them apart only made their passion grow stronger. Merlin realized that he needed to reveal thetruth before it was too late. Invasion of The SaxonsBy the time he was in his late teens, Arthur became one of the most skilled warriors inthe land, and he gained a massive amount of respect from other knights. King Pendragon and his wife never had anothermale heir to the throne. Merlin finally revealed the truth to Arthurthat he was actually the prince, and the true successor to the crown. But this family drama had to be put on theback burner, because the Saxons began to invade Britannia. The Saxons were the ancient German people,and they couldn’t help but notice all of the chaos going on over in England. They decided that now that the Roman Empirewas gone, this just might be their chance to take over the land for themselves. According to a 9th Century writer, Nennius,“Then in those days Arthur fought against (The Saxons) with the kings of the Britons,but he was commander in those battles.” Nennius goes on to list 12 different battlesacross all of Britannia where Arthur was said to have fought and conquered the invaders. This would have taken years of dedication,moving from place to place until all of the Saxons were driven out of British Isles. Soon enough, Arthur’s name spread acrossthe land. After gaining a loyal fan base, Arthur revealedthat he was the illegitimate son of King Pendragon.                                               
                                                               

 The people of all of these Celtic kingdomschose to bend the knee to Arthur, and he was crowned as “the once and future king.” The Knights of the Round TableArthur built his own castle in Camelot, which is said to be located in modern-day Wales. After becoming King, everyone now knew whoArthur’s parents were, and he could never marry his half-sister, Morgan. So, he married a woman named Lady Guinevereinstead, and she became his Queen. It was said that she was one of the most beautifulwomen in the land, but like many royal marriages, theirs was one of duty, rather than love. Morgan got married to a man called King Lotof Orkney, ruler of Norway. So, she became Queen, and went on to havea son named Gawain. Despite the fact that they now knew that theywere siblings, Arthur and Morgan were still in love with one another. They could not contain their passion, andcontinued this forbidden romance behind closed doors. She became pregnant and gave birth to theirson, Mordred. Lancelot had fought alongside Arthur duringthe war, and he was celebrated as being one of the most skilled knights in the land. He continued to stay by Arthur’s side asa Lord in Arthur’s court, and married a beautiful young woman named Lady Elaine. Lancelot would participate in jousting tournaments,and became an undefeated champion.

 Queen Guinevere could sense that King Arthurwas not loyal to her, so she and Lancelot began having a secret love affair together. During his battles against the Saxons, Arthurgathered his knights that he knew he could trust. He built a large round table in the greathall of his castle. He chose this circular shape so that no manwould be in a seat that was more important than the other. Dozens of men would gather to discuss politicsand plan for future quests. Arthur and his knights went on countless adventurestogether. One of the most famous quests was the searchfor the Holy Grail, which was said to have been the cup that Jesus Christ drank fromduring the Last Supper. According to the 12th Century writer, Chrétiende Troyes, “The grail was made of the finest pure gold, and in it were set precious stonesof many kinds, the richest and most precious in the earth or the sea.” Legend has it that one drink from this cupwould heal all wounds, and guarantee that its owner would be granted eternal life. Many historians believe that the legend ofthe Holy Grail was simply putting a Christian twist on the Pagan myth of the “cauldronsof plenty”, but that did not stop these men from attempting to find this mythicalitem. Lancelot and Lady Elaine went on to have ason named Galahad, who was said to have one of the purest hearts of all of the knightsin Britannia. As the story goes, Galahad was the only knightwho had a true enough heart to touch the Grail, but he died attempting to find it.

 Most scholars believe that the Holy Grailis a myth, while others say that it is a real artifact waiting to be discovered. Morgan le Fay found out about Lancelot andGuinevere’s love affair, and she revealed the truth to Arthur. Despite the fact that everyone was cheatingon one another, this revelation still outraged Arthur, and he felt completely betrayed byhis best friend. Arthur’s knights stormed Lancelot’s chamber,and he was tortured and killed. Queen Guinevere was allowed to live, but shehad to witness her true love die as a result of their affair. The Death of ArthurArthur’s son and nephew, Mordred, knew from an early age that he was the child of incest,but would never be able to reveal to the public that he was the true heir to the throne. When he grew up, Mordred was knighted, buthe had to pretend to be only his father’s nephew. Mordred's older brother, Gawain, ascendedthe throne of Norway, but was also a loyal member of King Arthur’s Round Table. Like many royals who were the product of incest,Mordred was known for being more than a little bit crazy. He had an incredibly violent temper duringbattle. Queen Guinevere and Arthur never had any childrentogether, so there was never an heir to the throne of Camelot. Mordred grew up hating his father, and hecame up with a plan on how to take the throne for himself. Heartbroken over the loss of her beloved Lancelot,Queen Guinevere spent most of her days alone in the castle. One day, King Arthur was away on one of hismany quests. Mordred saw this as an opportunity to seduceGuinevere, and it totally worked.

 The Queen saw this as a second chance at happiness,so she ran off to marry this young man who she thought was her husband’s nephew...Atleast they weren’t related by blood. In his father’s absence, Mordred sat onArthur’s throne, and declared to everyone in the kingdom that he was now the new Kingof Camelot. When Arthur returned home, he saw Mordredhad taken the throne. This betrayal is what sparked the Battle ofCamlann, where father and son fought one another in the battlefield. They were both mortally wounded, and killedone another. When Arthur died, his body was taken to anisland called Avalon to be buried. LegacyNow, before we get into the legacy of King Arthur, the last thing we want to mentionis that the day this video went live on YouTube is April 1st of 2019. Happy April Fools Day! Did you think King Arthur was actually real? Sorry to say, but the character of King Arthurwas a complete work of fiction, and so was this entire video. The legend that we know today came from aBritish historian named Geoffrey of Monmouth, who wrote the 11th Century book called TheHistory of the Kings of Britain. According to archeologist Dr. Miles Russell,the legend of King Arthur is really based on five different individual leaders in theancient world. The first was called Ambrosius Aurelianus,and he was actually the one who defeated the Saxons in battle.
                                                             
 There are also elements of the true storiesof Roman rulers like Constantine the Great and Magnus Maximus. Dr. Russell says, “Arthur’s birth, marriage,mid-life-crisis, and dramatic death...These are elements that have already happened. When you take them away from Arthur’s story,there is nothing left for Arthur...The character Geoffrey gives us is an echo of other people...Isuspect he’s trying to create a Celtic superhero.” The legend of King Arthur became even moreelaborate during the 12th Century, when a French poet named Chrétien de Troyes addedall of the romantic elements to the story. He is the one who added details about Merlin,the Lady in the Lake, and the romance between Lady Guinevere and Lancelot. Despite the fact that these texts were nothistorically accurate, the fact that they contained half truth and half fiction wasenough to confuse future generations. Kings and Queens in Great Britain spent overa thousand years believing that King Arthur was real. They saw this as the original establishmentof the British Empire. Even King Henry VII named his first born sonPrince Arthur, and declared that he would bring on a new “Arthurian Age”. He set out to legitimize the legends, anddeclared that the stories were true historic facts. He even commissioned a round table to be builtin his own castle, so that he could live like the legendary king.
                                                             
 The tradition to honor King Arthur continuedwell into the 1800’s, where Queen Victoria commissioned an entire wall of the robingroom of the Parliament building to show the of the story of King Arthur’s life and riseto power. Even well into the 20th Century, the Nazisbelieved that they needed to avenge their Saxon ancestors, and The Nazi’s Thule Societyset out on their own quest for the Holy Grail in the 1930’s. It wasn’t until very recently that archeologistsand historians have questioned the existence of King Arthur, and have chosen to write offthe story as a legend. Despite the fact that it is a work of purefiction, King Arthur continues to capture the imagination of people around the world,and will continue to do so for years to come. Let us know in the comments below if you werefooled by this video, or if you were just too clever to fall for it. Maybe consider sending this to your familyand friends as an April Fool’s Day prank to see if they believed it, as well. Thanks for watching.