What is known about the possibility of a “real King Arthur”?

Question

I once saw a documentary that discussed a discovered possible "round table" but wondered how "pie in the sky" this possibility was as well as just how much/how little evidence is there for any possibility of truth in the leged.

My daughter is just beginning a study of the middle ages and we will be studying some of the legends in her related literature. I have done some research but feel as though I'm drowning in articles that seem too similar to each-other that are vague at best. I hoped for either a somewhat more knowledgeable answer to the question or a couple of ideas for good resources (or both).

I know there isn't a lot of evidence, and if there is any truth to it, it is most likely that King Arther is actually an amalgam of multiple men. If pure myth, how is that this character became such a symbolic force in history to be touted as something more?

Answer 1

The basic historic entries on King Arthur tend to agree on one thing: He participated in the battle of Mount Badon, which (assuming it occurred as well) would have happened sometime around 500 AD.

So let's go chronologically through the works of history we have:

• 540 AD - Gildas' Ruin and Conquest of Britian mentions the battle (which occurred in living memory), but does not mention any Arthur.
• 731 AD - Beede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People mentions the battle, but does not mention any Arthur.
• 9th Century AD - The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle covering all English history back to 6BC does not mention Arthur.

• 828 AD - The History of the Britons provides the first known mention of Arthur. This work was apparently written by a Welshman, and portrays events from their viewpoint. Arthur's depicted as the supreme military commander (not a king) against the Saxons, and winning so many battles that one wonders how his side ended up losing. In fact, rather a lot of it is hard to believe.

  The historical accuracy of the Historia Brittonum is at best questionable and serves more as historical fiction rather than a legitimate history of the Britons. Although, some historians argue that the Historia Brittonum gives good insight into the way 9th century Britons viewed themselves and their past

• 10th Century AD - The Annals of Wales mention Arthur in three battles, as well as Mordred and Merlin. This was also written in Wales.

• 1136 - Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britian, nowdays considered more of a work of literature than history, depicts Arthur as a king ruling an empire covering France, the British Isles, and Iceland. Guinevere and Avalon make appearances here.
• 1160-1180 - Chrétien de Troyes, A french poet and story-teller working in France takes up the story of Arthur, adds in such staples as Lancelot and The Holy Grail quest (and of course the love triangle with Guinevere), and kicked off a whole new genre of literature, the Artherian Romance.

Back when I was a kid, many historians took some of the latter histories at face value. Nowdays it looks like there are two camps: those who think that there probably was some kind of historial Celtic cheiftan Arthur fighting at Mount Badon against the Saxons, but most of the rest is probably made up, and those who feel the whole shebang was made up.

Given that there was no mention of the guy until he'd been dead for 300 years, I'm going to apply Occam's Razor and side with the folks who say he never existed at all.

Answer 2

There is no historical or archaelogical evidence to support the existence of a King Arthur.

What there is, are plenty of theories regarding the existence of such a person.

Your last sentence is probably (in my opinion at least) the closest to the truth.

There was or may have been a 'legendary' warrior existent at that time whose prowess, bravery and military strategy ensured his success on the battlefield whilst fighting the invading saxons became the stuff of legend and folklore.

There's plenty of historical anecdotal evidence that supports the view that the people of that time were highly superstitious and held great belief in 'omens' and 'signs' from the gods that they may well have elevated a successful warrior to kingly or evenly god like status.

Based on a factual person, this kind of character could quite easily have morphed and evolved over the many years since it's happening into the legend we like to believe in today.

Given that Arthur comes from the latin name 'Artorious' and that the Romans themselves were renowned for their military prowess, it's highly likely that the figure we know of as Arthur had some connection to the Romans, and was probably skilled or trained in their fighting methods.

Bernard Cornwell wrote an excellent trilogy of books on the King Arthur legend and I would highly recommend them as fascinating reading for anyone interested in understanding who King Arthur may have been.