“The magnanimous Arthur, with all the kings and military force of Britain, fought against
the Saxons.
And though there were many more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their
commander, and was as often conqueror.”
This is a quote from the ancient text known as the Historia Brittonum, which was one of
the oldest records of King Arthur’s life story.
We have all grown up watching movies and reading books about the legend of King Arthur.
A young man pulls the magic sword Excalibur from the stone, and a wizard named Merlin
guides him into manhood.
As an adult, he established the legendary knights of the round table, and ruled over
Camelot.
Future generations would look to him as the first king of the British Empire.
However, while everyone knows him by name, few people know the whole story behind the
man who made the legend.
Here on Biographics, we will uncover truth behind King Arthur of Camelot.
The Dark Ages, and Arthur’s Early Life During the 5th Century, the modern-day United
Kingdom was called Britannia.
The Roman conquerors had been driven out of the land, and the ancient Britons were left
to govern themselves.
Without a central government, the country was plunged into a time known as the Dark
Ages.
Several Celtic tribal leaders declared themselves the “King”, but there was never one ruler
who governed them all.
If this reminds you of Game of Thrones, that’s because George R.R. Martin got a lot of his
inspiration from these ancient stories of early middle age war and conquest.
As you can imagine, many of these kingdoms of the British isles were at war with one
another, and this made it impossible for anyone to settle down and establish any new art or
culture.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding that time, because very few people were bothering
to keep a historic record of daily life.
Almost everyone was illiterate, from the peasants all the way up to the nobility.
Christian clergymen were the only ones who knew how to read and write, but they often
isolated themselves from the rest of society in favor of devoting their life to theological
studies.
Without a central economy, citizens of Britannia did not have money in the form of coins or
bills.
So people were using a barter system to trade goods and services.
Most peasants were farmers, and they grew enough food to feed themselves.
But even within this barter system, people were still expected to pay taxes to their
Feudal Lords in the form of goods and labor.
Often times, if two Kings were fighting over control of the land, peasants had to pay taxes
twice in one year.
Without a proper education system, people believed in magic, and were incredibly superstitious.
While Christianity existed, many were still practicing ancient Pagan traditions.
It was during this unstable time when Arthur was born.
Without any written records, we do not know his exact date of birth, but we do know that
he was conceived in Tintagel, which is on the coast of Cornwall.
In 2016, an archeological dig at Tintagel revealed that the city held many of the lavish
imported luxury goods along the coast of Cornwall.
At the time, it would have been a town that was bustling with activity as boats sailed
in and out of the harbor.
Arthur’s father was a man named King Uther Pendragon.
He lusted after a beautiful woman named Lady Igraine, but she was married to his rival,
Lord Gorlois.
According to legend, Pendragon asked his in-house wizard, Merlin, to cast a magic spell.
He wanted to look like Gorlois, so that he could trick Igraine into having sex with him.
Of course, modern historians believe that Merlin was not a wizard at all, but actually
one of the last remaining Celtic druids.
At the time, druids were thought to have magic powers, and a connection to the spiritual
world.
The druids lived their lives being one with nature, and practicing herbal medicine.
They were known to be incredibly wise, and were some of the most intelligent people of
the time.
King Pendragon waited until Lord Gorlois left on a business trip, when he appeared before
Lady Igraine, disguised as her husband.
Considering that we know that magic isn’t real, we know that Merlin could not have cast
a spell to cloak his appearance.
It is far more likely that Uther Pendragon took an herbal “potion” from Merlin to
help him violate Lady Igraine.
Later, Lord Gorlois was horrified to learn that his wife had been raped by an imposter.
She became pregnant with Pendragon’s baby.
This illegitimate child was a boy named Arthur.
Lady Igraine did not want to raise the baby, and no one wanted to claim responsibility.
Merlin felt incredibly guilty for his part in all of this, and knew that this boy was
actually a prince.
He took pity on Arthur, and chose to raise him as his son.
Lord Gorlois and Lady Igraine would go on to have their own daughter and Arthur’s
half-sister, Morgan.
The Lady of the Lake The druids were not the only ones who were
thought to be magical.
In most cultures around the world, women who lived alone were often accused of practicing
witchcraft.
A young woman named Vivian was known as “The Lady of the Lake”.
But instead of being a frightening old witch, she was described as a beautiful “faerie”
who lived underwater.
We now know that she was not a faerie at all, of course, and she was a woman who was living
alone in a cottage near a lake.
For years, the lands were filled with watery lakes and marshes.
Christian clergymen built their monasteries on small islands, and the only way that people
could travel was either by boat, or walking on long causeways that were built over the
water.
In the 1700’s, this land was drained of water in order to utilize the farmlands, but
it wasn’t until recently that modern archaeological digs have uncovered a huge amount of Iron
Age swords, axes, shields, armor and tools that had been thrown into the water.
Ancient Britons had a tradition of making an offering to the Lord of the land by tossing
their weapons into the lakes and marshes.
Because of her reputation as a magical faerie, Vivian’s lake was also a spot where people
would throw their swords and weapons in exchange for her blessing.
One day, Vivian discovered that someone had left a very different kind of offering on
her doorstep.
It was a newborn baby boy who had been abandoned by his mother.
She decided to raise the orphaned child as her own, and named him Lancelot.
Merlin was wise enough to know that The Lady of the Lake wasn’t a faerie at all, and
he was entranced by Vivian’s beauty and strength.
He fell in love with her, and pleaded for her to give him a chance.
Vivian said that she would consider Merlin’s proposal, if he taught her everything he knew.
In the more mystical versions of the story, Merlin taught Vivian how to practice magic,
but it is more likely that he was actually showing her how to become a druid.
In the end, they say that the Lady of the Lake “traps Merlin forever”.
Of course, we know that if she trapped anything, it was his heart.
They fell in love, and lived together in that cottage on the lake.
Since Vivian was raising Lancelot, and Merlin adopted Arthur, the two boys would have grown
up together as brothers.
Excalibur You have all heard the epic tale of how young
Arthur was able to pull the sword Excalibur out of the stone, and people dropped to their
knees.
This ended all of their ongoing battles in order to recognize him as their one true king....
Sorry to say that this version of the story is total fantasy.
The warring kingdoms continued to fight one another for control of the land during Arthur’s
youth.
Lancelot and Arthur practiced dueling one another from an early age.
Arthur’s sword was called many names, including “Caliburn” and “Excalibur”.
Other versions of the story leave out the stone completely, and say that the “Lady
of the Lake” gave Excalibur to Arthur.
According to a scholar from the University of Wales named Rachel Bromwich, the name Excalibur
"may have similarly arisen at a very early date as generic names for a sword".
After all, Vivian had an endless supply of weapons thrown into her lake.
Since everyone bartered for supplies during the Dark Ages, it would only make sense that
Vivian would dive into the lake to retrieve as many valuable weapons as she could.
Arthur and Lancelot had the rare luxury of practicing with these expensive swords from
an early age, and they were already skilled at fighting years before they became knights.
When she was a teenager, Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan, wanted to become a druid, as well.
So she began to study under Merlin.
She earned the nickname “Morgan le Fay”, or “Morgan the Faerie”.
At the time, Arthur had no idea that Morgan was actually his half-sister.
The two teenagers fell deeply in love.
Merlin forbid the two of them from being together, of course, but he never revealed the secret
that they were actually siblings.
But just like any rebellious teenagers in love, trying to keep them apart only made
their passion grow stronger.
Merlin realized that he needed to reveal the truth before it was too late.
Invasion of The Saxons By the time he was in his late teens, Arthur
became one of the most skilled warriors in the land, and he gained a massive amount of
respect from other knights.
King Pendragon and his wife never had another male heir to the throne.
Merlin finally revealed the truth to Arthur that he was actually the prince, and the true
successor to the crown.
But this family drama had to be put on the back burner, because the Saxons began to invade
Britannia.
The Saxons were the ancient German people, and they couldn’t help but notice all of
the chaos going on over in England.
They decided that now that the Roman Empire was gone, this just might be their chance
to take over the land for themselves.
According to a 9th Century writer, Nennius, “Then in those days Arthur fought against
(The Saxons) with the kings of the Britons, but he was commander in those battles.”
Nennius goes on to list 12 different battles across all of Britannia where Arthur was said
to have fought and conquered the invaders.
This would have taken years of dedication, moving from place to place until all of the
Saxons were driven out of British Isles.
Soon enough, Arthur’s name spread across the land.
After gaining a loyal fan base, Arthur revealed that he was the illegitimate son of King Pendragon.
The people of all of these Celtic kingdoms chose to bend the knee to Arthur, and he was
crowned as “the once and future king.”
The Knights of the Round Table Arthur built his own castle in Camelot, which
is said to be located in modern-day Wales.
After becoming King, everyone now knew who Arthur’s parents were, and he could never
marry his half-sister, Morgan.
So, he married a woman named Lady Guinevere instead, and she became his Queen.
It was said that she was one of the most beautiful women in the land, but like many royal marriages,
theirs was one of duty, rather than love.
Morgan got married to a man called King Lot of Orkney, ruler of Norway.
So, she became Queen, and went on to have a son named Gawain.
Despite the fact that they now knew that they were siblings, Arthur and Morgan were still
in love with one another.
They could not contain their passion, and continued this forbidden romance behind closed
doors.
She became pregnant and gave birth to their son, Mordred.
Lancelot had fought alongside Arthur during the war, and he was celebrated as being one
of the most skilled knights in the land.
He continued to stay by Arthur’s side as a Lord in Arthur’s court, and married a
beautiful young woman named Lady Elaine.
Lancelot would participate in jousting tournaments, and became an undefeated champion.
Queen Guinevere could sense that King Arthur was not loyal to her, so she and Lancelot
began having a secret love affair together.
During his battles against the Saxons, Arthur gathered his knights that he knew he could
trust.
He built a large round table in the great hall of his castle.
He chose this circular shape so that no man would be in a seat that was more important
than the other.
Dozens of men would gather to discuss politics and plan for future quests.
Arthur and his knights went on countless adventures together.
One of the most famous quests was the search for the Holy Grail, which was said to have
been the cup that Jesus Christ drank from during the Last Supper.
According to the 12th Century writer, Chrétien de Troyes, “The grail was made of the finest
pure gold, and in it were set precious stones of many kinds, the richest and most precious
in the earth or the sea.”
Legend has it that one drink from this cup would heal all wounds, and guarantee that
its owner would be granted eternal life.
Many historians believe that the legend of the Holy Grail was simply putting a Christian
twist on the Pagan myth of the “cauldrons of plenty”, but that did not stop these
men from attempting to find this mythical item.
Lancelot and Lady Elaine went on to have a son named Galahad, who was said to have one
of the purest hearts of all of the knights in Britannia.
As the story goes, Galahad was the only knight who had a true enough heart to touch the Grail,
but he died attempting to find it.
Most scholars believe that the Holy Grail is a myth, while others say that it is a real
artifact waiting to be discovered.
Morgan le Fay found out about Lancelot and Guinevere’s love affair, and she revealed
the truth to Arthur.
Despite the fact that everyone was cheating on one another, this revelation still outraged
Arthur, and he felt completely betrayed by his best friend.
Arthur’s knights stormed Lancelot’s chamber, and he was tortured and killed.
Queen Guinevere was allowed to live, but she had to witness her true love die as a result
of their affair.
The Death of Arthur Arthur’s son and nephew, Mordred, knew from
an early age that he was the child of incest, but would never be able to reveal to the public
that he was the true heir to the throne.
When he grew up, Mordred was knighted, but he had to pretend to be only his father’s
nephew.
Mordred's older brother, Gawain, ascended the throne of Norway, but was also a loyal
member of King Arthur’s Round Table.
Like many royals who were the product of incest, Mordred was known for being more than a little
bit crazy.
He had an incredibly violent temper during battle.
Queen Guinevere and Arthur never had any children together, so there was never an heir to the
throne of Camelot.
Mordred grew up hating his father, and he came up with a plan on how to take the throne
for himself.
Heartbroken over the loss of her beloved Lancelot, Queen Guinevere spent most of her days alone
in the castle.
One day, King Arthur was away on one of his many quests.
Mordred saw this as an opportunity to seduce Guinevere, and it totally worked.
The Queen saw this as a second chance at happiness, so she ran off to marry this young man who
she thought was her husband’s nephew...At least they weren’t related by blood.
In his father’s absence, Mordred sat on Arthur’s throne, and declared to everyone
in the kingdom that he was now the new King of Camelot.
When Arthur returned home, he saw Mordred had taken the throne.
This betrayal is what sparked the Battle of Camlann, where father and son fought one another
in the battlefield.
They were both mortally wounded, and killed one another.
When Arthur died, his body was taken to an island called Avalon to be buried.
Legacy Now, before we get into the legacy of King
Arthur, the last thing we want to mention is that the day this video went live on YouTube
is April 1st of 2019.
Happy April Fools Day!
Did you think King Arthur was actually real?
Sorry to say, but the character of King Arthur was a complete work of fiction, and so was
this entire video.
The legend that we know today came from a British historian named Geoffrey of Monmouth,
who wrote the 11th Century book called The History of the Kings of Britain.
According to archeologist Dr. Miles Russell, the legend of King Arthur is really based
on five different individual leaders in the ancient world.
The first was called Ambrosius Aurelianus, and he was actually the one who defeated the
Saxons in battle.
There are also elements of the true stories of Roman rulers like Constantine the Great
and Magnus Maximus.
Dr. Russell says, “Arthur’s birth, marriage, mid-life-crisis, and dramatic death...These
are elements that have already happened.
When you take them away from Arthur’s story, there is nothing left for Arthur...The character
Geoffrey gives us is an echo of other people...I suspect he’s trying to create a Celtic superhero.”
The legend of King Arthur became even more elaborate during the 12th Century, when a
French poet named Chrétien de Troyes added all of the romantic elements to the story.
He is the one who added details about Merlin, the Lady in the Lake, and the romance between
Lady Guinevere and Lancelot.
Despite the fact that these texts were not historically accurate, the fact that they
contained half truth and half fiction was enough to confuse future generations.
Kings and Queens in Great Britain spent over a thousand years believing that King Arthur
was real.
They saw this as the original establishment of the British Empire.
Even King Henry VII named his first born son Prince Arthur, and declared that he would
bring on a new “Arthurian Age”.
He set out to legitimize the legends, and declared that the stories were true historic
facts.
He even commissioned a round table to be built in his own castle, so that he could live like
the legendary king.
The tradition to honor King Arthur continued well into the 1800’s, where Queen Victoria
commissioned an entire wall of the robing room of the Parliament building to show the
of the story of King Arthur’s life and rise to power.
Even well into the 20th Century, the Nazis believed that they needed to avenge their
Saxon ancestors, and The Nazi’s Thule Society set out on their own quest for the Holy Grail
in the 1930’s.
It wasn’t until very recently that archeologists and historians have questioned the existence
of King Arthur, and have chosen to write off the story as a legend.
Despite the fact that it is a work of pure fiction, King Arthur continues to capture
the imagination of people around the world, and will continue to do so for years to come.
Let us know in the comments below if you were fooled by this video, or if you were just
too clever to fall for it.
Maybe consider sending this to your family and friends as an April Fool’s Day prank
to see if they believed it, as well.
Thanks for watching.