The Britons are the inhabitants of the island of Britain. As such, they make up the primary characters involved in the legends of King Arthur. This makes them very interesting to us, so in this article we will examine their origins, their history, and their culture. Origins At least as early as the ninth century, the Britons had a very
King Arthur’s greatest enemy was not a Saxon leader. After all, Arthur defeated the Saxons. Rather, his greatest enemy was the person who actually caused the downfall of his kingdom – Mordred. Let’s find out who this Mordred was, what he did, and what we can say about him historically. Earliest Appearance Mordred appears
Something that many Arthurian researchers are interested in is discovering where it was that Arthur fought his battles. Normally, his twelve battles against the Saxons (as recorded in the Historia Brittonum) are the subject of investigation, but there is another major battle that Arthur is recorded as having. This is
There are several characters from the Arthurian legends who can be identified as real individuals of the fifth and sixth centuries. Owain is one of these individuals. He appears in the legends as one of Arthur’s allies, generally known as ‘Sir Ywain’ in the later romances. Let us now take a look
Some of the characters from the Arthurian legends can be identified as definitely historical figures. One of Arthur’s most famous knights, Sir Uriens of Gorre, is one of them. Let us take a look at some of the historical facts about this character, as well as the way he is
Most nations have a legendary founding figure, and Britain is no different. According to the earliest legendary account of the origins of the island, the man who led his nation to ancient Britain and founded the first kingdoms there was named Brutus. Family Let’s first take a look at the
One of the most exciting things about any historical figure is finding out where their body is now located. And there is good reason for believing that King Arthur was historical (see the article ‘Was King Arthur Real?’). That being the case, his body must be somewhere. Of course, it
Relatively few characters from the Arthurian legends can be definitely confirmed as historical. Aurelius Ambrosius is one of them. He was Arthur’s legendary uncle and he had a large part to play in the founding of Arthur’s dynasty and also in the war against the Saxons. Family The earliest account which gives
The Code of Chivalry in the Arthurian legends is not something that explicitly appears in the earliest records of Arthur, but it is a key aspect of the medieval romances. It was essentially the moral code of conduct by which Arthur and his men had resolved to live by. These
The Romans had an enormous impact on the Arthurian legends. Not only do they appear in the legends themselves, but their historical actions are intimately connected to what occurred in Arthur’s time. For that reason, it is certainly worth examining this nation in closer detail. Their Origin The Romans were
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