Download

Download Full Text (198 KB)

Description

King Arthur’s historical existence is uncertain, but he may have been a real person, a myth, or based on another figure. The best-known account of his background is from Geoffrey of Monmouth, written around 1136 during the Anglo-Norman dynasty. Arthur is said to have lived in the fifth or sixth century.[1] Reportedly, the son of a British king, he took the throne at age fifteen and married Guinevere. Arthur’s famous sword is Excalibur, and his shield, Pridwen, bears the image of the Virgin Mary. As a king, he conquered Norway, Denmark, and Gaul, and focused on defending his realm and strengthening internal relations. Summoned by the Romans, Arthur left his nephew Mordred in charge, who then seized the crown. Arthur defeated Mordred in three battles but was mortally wounded in the last. Before dying, he named his nephew Constantine as his successor and spent his final days on the Isle of Avalon. For these reasons, he is represented in Dungeons and Dragons as a Paladin and Bard with high strength, reflecting his status as the ideal medieval king and warrior.

[1] Frank Brandsma, ‘Arthur’, in Willem P. Gerritsen and Anthony G. van Melle (eds), A Dictionary of Medieval Heroes, trans. Tanis Guest (Woodbridge, 1998), pp. 32–44, at p. 32.

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Publisher

Providence College

Disciplines

Medieval History

Arthur Pendragon, King of Britain

Share

COinS