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King Arthur

From Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained
Semi-legendary 6th-century king of the Britons. Enduring legends have ensured a place in British tradition for King Arthur, but was there ever such a person in reality, and how much of the legend is true? If a historical Arthur existed, he was probably a war leader (not necessarily a king) of the British people who, both Romanized and Christian, resisted the encroachments of the pagan Saxons in the 6th century. He is supposed to have won a great victory at Mount Badon (c.518), to have met his death in a further battle at Camlan (c.539) and to have been buried at Glastonbury. In fact the sites of these battles have not been comprehensively identified and there is no firm evidence to connect Arthur with Glastonbury. As far as historical chronicles are concerned, the first appearance of Arthur is in the Historia Britonum ascribed to the Welsh writer Nennius (fl.769). It might have been expected that he would merit a mention in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, which are usually dated to the…
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Full text Article Arthur, King

From The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
A legendary king in England in the Middle Ages . The life of King Arthur has been retold many times over the centuries; hence, most of the incidents in his life have several versions. According to one well-known story, Arthur gained the throne when he withdrew the sword Excalibur from a stone after…
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Full text Article King Arthur

From Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained
Semi-legendary 6th-century king of the Britons. Enduring legends have ensured a place in British tradition for King Arthur, but was there ever such a person in reality, and how much of the legend is true? If a historical Arthur existed, he was probably a war leader (not necessarily a king) of the…
| 535 words
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Full text Article Arthurian legend

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Body of stories and medieval romances centring on the legendary English king Arthur. The stories chronicle Arthur’s life, the adventures of his knights, and the adulterous love between his knight Sir Lancelot and his queen, Guinevere. The legend was popular in Wales before the 11th century, was…
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Full text Article Arthurian legend

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
the mass of legend, popular in medieval lore, concerning King Arthur of Britain and his knights. The battle of Mt. Badon—in which, according to the Annales Cambriae (c.1150), Arthur carried the Cross of Jesus on his shoulders—but not Arthur's name, is mentioned (c.540) by Gildas . The earliest…
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Full text Article An Arthurian Legend (oil on panel)

From Bridgeman Images: Christies Collection
An Arthurian Legend (oil on panel)
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Full text Article Arthurian legend

From Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained
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Full text Article Gawain

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Knight of King Arthur’s Round Table. A nephew of Arthur, he appears in early Arthurian legend as a model of perfection. In later romances, his character is marred by arrogance and by an inability to perceive the significance of the grail . In the 14th-century Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the…
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Full text Article Lancelot

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
One of the greatest knights in Arthurian legend , the lover of Guinevere and the father of Galahad . He first appeared in a 12th-century romance by Chrétien de Troyes , and he is a major character in Sir Thomas Malory ’s Morte Darthur . His full name, Sir Lancelot du Lac, refers to his upbringing by…
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Lancelot and Guinivere, from a manuscript containing the Arthurian Legend, illustration from 'Science and Literature in the Middle Ages and Renaissance', written and engraved by Paul Lacroix, 1878 (engraving) (b/w photo)
Artist: French School, (11th century) (after) Location: Private Collection Credit: Lancelot and Guinivere, from a manuscript containing the Arthurian Legend, illustration from 'Science and Literature in the Middle Ages and Renaissance', written and engraved by Paul Lacroix, 1878 (engraving) (b/w…
| 122 words , 1 image
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