The Reign of Arthur : from history to legend.

257 Pages·2013·1.76 MB·English

by  King. Arthur

To The Oxford Arthurian Society, without which . . .

First published in 2004 by Sutton Publishing This paperback edition first published in 2005
Reprinted in 2010 by The History Press
The Mill, Brimscombe Port Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG
www.thehistorypress.co.uk
This ebook edition first published in 2013
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© Christopher Gidlow, 2010, 2013
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EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 9515 6
Original typesetting by The History Press
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Who was King Arthur?
PART ONE: From History
1. In the Reign of King Arthur . . .
2. Arthur Fought against Them in Those Days
3. The Strife of Camlann
4. The Destruction of Britain
5. Tyrants and Kings
6. The Kings of the Britons
PART TWO: Into Legend
7. Arthur’s Brave Men
8. Lives of the Saints
9. Geoffrey of Monmouth
10. Arthur, King of Britain
Epilogue: Digging up Arthur – Glastonbury 1190
Conclusion: The Reign of Arthur?
Bibliography
MAPS
1. ‘Arthur’s Britain’
2. Searching for Mount Badon
3. Gildas’s Britain
4. Late Roman Britain
5. Britons vs Saxons
6. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Arthur – The last campaigns
M
any thanks to all those who helped me on the long route to The Reign of
Arthur. Special thanks must go to Andrew Smith, for his persuasive
suggestions, eye for detail and help with tricky translations, and also for
permission to use his research on the press coverage of the Artognou stone.
Thanks, too, to the numerous members of the Oxford Arthurian Society,
especially Peter Ewing, whose thought-provoking talks raised many of the ideas
tackled here. Dr Jeremy Catto, Dr Nick Higham and Charles Evans-Günther
gave help and support when this book was still in its infancy. I should also like
to thank my wife Julie, our son Geheris and my parents Alan and Valerie for,
among other things, our intrepid expeditions to most of the obscure Arthurian
locations mentioned in this book. Lastly, I should mention my primary school
teacher Keith Moxon, who first introduced me to the dark-age historical context
of the Arthurian Legends of which I was so fond. It was that encouragement
which, ultimately, led to this book being written.
Unless otherwise stated, the images in this book are © Julie Hudson, and are
used with permission. The extract on p. 238 is reprinted by permission of
Boydell & Brewer Ltd from King Arthur, Hero and Legend by Richard Barber
(Boydell Press, 1986) p. 135. Extracts from Thorpe, L. (ed. and trans), Geoffrey
of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain (Harmondsworth, 1966), ©
Lewis Thorpe 1966 and Thorpe, L. (ed. and trans), Gerald of Wales: Description
of Wales (Harmondsworth, 1978), pp. 281–8, © the estate of Lewis Thorpe
1978, are reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.
The quotation from Malory’s Le Morte Darthur is taken from Vinaver, A.,
Malory Works (OUP, 1971). It is reprinted by permission of Oxford University
Press. The quotation from Myres, J.N.L., The English Settlements (OUP, 1986),
is also reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press.
Unless otherwise noted, extracts from Historia Brittonum are reproduced by
kind permission from Arthurian Period Sources volume 8, Nennius (ed. and
trans. by Dr John Morris) published in 1980 by Phillimore, Shopwyke Manor
Barn, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2BG.
Quotations from Gildas are reproduced by kind permission from Arthurian
Period Sources, volume 7, Gildas (ed. and trans. by Michael Winterbottom),
published in 1978 by Phillimore, as above.