King Arthur History and Legend

King Arthur in the Movies What movies can you name that are about King Arthur? What characters can you remember? What was the relationship between Arthur and each character?

King Arthur: Man or Myth? No one really knows who the real King Arthur was. In the earliest records of Arthur, written during the 9th century, he is spoken of as a soldier, more like a chieftain than a king, who lived a simple life and led twelve victorious battles against the Saxons ( a Germanic tribe who invaded and settled in Britain).

Will the real King Arthur Please Stand Up! Arthur, it seems, is claimed as the King of nearly every Celtic Kingdom known. The 6th century certainly saw many men named Arthur born into the Celtic Royal families of Britain but, despite attempts to identify the great man himself amongst them, there can be little doubt that most of these people were only named in his honor.

“Arturus, Dux Bellorum” Arthur, Leader of Battles The Arthur story originated in England. It was later carried over to France but was brought back to England with William the Conqueror in 1066.

Sir Thomas Malory The Arthur stories went through various versions until about 1475 when it was finally written down by Sir Thomas Malory. Malory’s version is considered the “classic” story and is the version we will be reading.

Background of Sir Thomas Malory Sir Thomas Malory spent most of his time in prison for crimes such as slugging an archbishop, stealing sheep, and robbing his neighbors. It was in prison that Malory wrote the story of King Arthur

Why Should We Read This? The Arthur stories are GREAT stories! You cannot help but want to know how they will turn out. Will Arthur win his kingdom? Why is Launcelot doomed to failure? Will Arthur’s kingdom survive the hatred of Mordred and the love affair of Launcelot and Guenever? Read the stories to find out these answers!

Arthur Stories: Stories of Truth Along with all the magic and knights and maidens and impossible adventures, these stories have something else that has appealed to people in all times: truth. These stories tell the truth- about the rise and fall of empires and nations, love and hate, and about human ideals. Readers of all time periods can relate to these universal truths.

Genealogy Activity Genealogy- A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree. You are going to be creating a genealogy chart of Arthur’s family. Use the information given to plot the relationship between each person by using lines. Hint- Start with Arthur’s parents first and then work from there.

Genealogy of Arthur According to Malory Igraine was Arthur’s mother Uther Pendragon was Arthur’s father Igraine was first married to the Duke of Tintagel Igraine and the Duke had three daughters: Morgan le Fay, Elayne and Morgause. Igraine’s second husband was Uther Pendragon Arthur married Guenever Guenever and Arthur had no children Arthur was the father of Mordred Morgause was married to Lot, King of Orkney Morgause and Lot had four children: Gawain, Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravaine Morgause was the mother of Mordred

Example of Genealogy Chart