The development of the legend of king Arthur spans more than one thousand years. From the briefest mentions of a valiant warrior that fended off the Anglo-Saxon invasions of the island, to the elaborate in depth legend of a man destined to rule England with his knights of the round table. The development of this legend is a fascinating insight to how history was written, and more interestingly not written, and who ended up writing the version that stood the test of time. History is often written by the victor and not the defeated. Starting from the controversial battle of Mount Badon and when it happened, and multiple authors describing in great brevity the existence of a heroic figure. To the tale that resembles the present-day story that
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Geoffrey of Monmouth was a English Bishop and author that wrote the Historia regum Britanniæ (History of the Kings of Britain). His works combine the earlier single tales into one grandiose one. Although all the key features of earlier stories are there, the components are sometimes not the same. For instance, Geoffrey states around book VIII chapter one “To your own ruin did you prove a traitor to their father, and invite the Saxons into the island. You invited them for your safeguard; but they came for a punishment to you”. This excerpt from his writing suggest that Geoffrey thought that the Anglo-Saxon invasion wasn’t an invasion at all. It was because Vortigern, then ruler of the land, invited the foreigners to Britain. Per Gildas and Bede in earlier works Aurelius Ambrosius, as Geoffrey calls him, was the mysterious figure that became known as Arthur. But Geoffrey writes in his History of the Kings of Britain that Aurelius Ambrosius was Arthur’s Uncle. Writing about Aurelius Ambrosius, Geoffrey states in book VIII chapter one that Ambrosius and his brother Uther, Arthur’s father, would invade Britain from the continent of Europe to kill Vortigern. Although in his account Ambrosius was a different character altogether, he still did unite the Celtic people against the “invading” Anglo Saxon tribes and was this fearless leader that …show more content…
First the story had the presence of a mysterious figure at the battle of Mount Badon by Gildas and Bede. Then the development of multiple battles told by Nennius. Furthermore, the development of King Arthur through Joseph of Armenia and the development of the Court of Avalon. Then Geoffrey of Monmouth putting all the previous tales together almost getting to the current version of the legend. Finally, the writings of Sir Thomas Malory and his additions to the legend that make it into what we know today being the mythical tale of King Arthur. From the briefest mention of a Roman survivor, to this grandiose tale, the major change of this tale is
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a English Bishop and author that wrote the Historia regum Britanniæ (History of the Kings of Britain). His works combine the earlier single tales into one grandiose one. Although all the key features of earlier stories are there, the components are sometimes not the same. For instance, Geoffrey states around book VIII chapter one “To your own ruin did you prove a traitor to their father, and invite the Saxons into the island. You invited them for your safeguard; but they came for a punishment to you”. This excerpt from his writing suggest that Geoffrey thought that the Anglo-Saxon invasion wasn’t an invasion at all. It was because Vortigern, then ruler of the land, invited the foreigners to Britain. Per Gildas and Bede in earlier works Aurelius Ambrosius, as Geoffrey calls him, was the mysterious figure that became known as Arthur. But Geoffrey writes in his History of the Kings of Britain that Aurelius Ambrosius was Arthur’s Uncle. Writing about Aurelius Ambrosius, Geoffrey states in book VIII chapter one that Ambrosius and his brother Uther, Arthur’s father, would invade Britain from the continent of Europe to kill Vortigern. Although in his account Ambrosius was a different character altogether, he still did unite the Celtic people against the “invading” Anglo Saxon tribes and was this fearless leader that …show more content…
First the story had the presence of a mysterious figure at the battle of Mount Badon by Gildas and Bede. Then the development of multiple battles told by Nennius. Furthermore, the development of King Arthur through Joseph of Armenia and the development of the Court of Avalon. Then Geoffrey of Monmouth putting all the previous tales together almost getting to the current version of the legend. Finally, the writings of Sir Thomas Malory and his additions to the legend that make it into what we know today being the mythical tale of King Arthur. From the briefest mention of a Roman survivor, to this grandiose tale, the major change of this tale is