Illustration for La Morte d'Arthur In 1893 artist Aubrey Beardsley illustrated a wildly popular edition of La Morte D'Arthur, Malory's epic poem of the life and times of King Arthur. In Beardsley's illustrations Arthur and his knights, tall, thin and ethereal, were dressed in 15th Century European plate armor. Malory wrote his poem in 1485, s0 400 years later Beardsley dressed Arthur in the armor of that period and so began the myth that Arthur lived and reigned in England during the high Medieval period, the only time when such armor was worn.
King Arthur in the movie Excalibur Add another eighty eight years of artistic license and we come to the 1981 movie "Excalibur" where Arthur is once again clad in full-plate armor. By the way Arthur in the movie seems to do everything, and I do mean everything, while clad in armor, but in reality knights rarely wore the full plate armor and used it only for jousting. The success of the movie added to the popular perception that Arthur was a 15th century King of England. But if Arthur did exist, and the subject is open to endless debate and interpretation, he could not have existed as King of England in the 15th Century, or any time in the previous three centuries, because we know who those kings were. They were a bloodthirsty bunch of absolute rulers who would never have permitted a man to call himself King Arthur and ride around the countryside in polished armor righting wrongs, rescuing maidens and holding court at Camelot.
Bad King John Who were the Kings of England in the Medieval period? We can start in 1166 with King John, a king so evil that he was known as "Bad" King John, and so bad was he that Britain retired the name. There has never been another King John. Bad King John was the one and only, He would not have welcomed King Arthur and most of his enemies died young.
Memorial to Llywelyn ap Gryfudd King John was followed in 1216 by his son, Henry III. When Simon de Montfort attempted to steal the throne, Henry killed him. He managed to hold onto the throne for 56 years. Enough said.
Henry III was followed by Edward I 1272-1307. When the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gryfudd defied him, Edward beat him in battle and killed him. Llywelyn is still a hero to the Welsh, and many of the Arthurian stories have their roots in Welsh tradition and mythology.
Henry III was followed by Edward I 1272-1307. When the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gryfudd defied him, Edward beat him in battle and killed him. Llywelyn is still a hero to the Welsh, and many of the Arthurian stories have their roots in Welsh tradition and mythology.
Edward III in robes of Knight of the Garter We are reaching the 14th century, but still there is no room for Arthur. Edward II was a weak king who was deposed and possibly murdered by his own son, Edward III in 1327. Now the question of the existence of Arthur becomes relevant, because Edward III was in love with all things chivalric, even attempting to revive the popular myth of the Knights of the Round Table by creating Round Table tournaments, initiating new orders of Chivalry, and possibly constructing a round table at Windsor Castle. . He admired the idea of Arthur, but he was not Arthur and he died in 1377.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/dig-unearths-round-table-evidence-at-windsor-castle-413714.html
Even now the British Royal Family takes part in the Garter Ceremony for Knights of the Garter. This is Britain's oldest order of chivalry and was founded by Edward III as a attempt to revive the chivalry of the days of King Arthur. Here is an account of the ceremony in 2006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1521671/Garter-ceremony-will-be-a-real-family-affair.html
A medieval knight emerges from the mist The fact that Edward III wanted to revive the Arthurian traditions is clear evidence that the stories of Arthur were already wrapped in mythology, and whatever Arthur had ever been, he had already come and gone and he was not a 15h century King of England. We can consign him to the mists of history, or we can consider a true alternative where Arthur and his knights ride into our world from another place and time..
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