1. The Legend of King Arthur
How a Simple Knight Rode Into History

2. The Legend of King Arthur

3. In The Beginning…
Venerable Bede
“The survivors collected their strength under the leadership of Ambrosius Aurelianus…he and his men challenged their previous conquerors to battle…and victory was theirs.”
~ Gildas
Ambrosius Aurelianus

4. History of the Britons
Another important detail comes in the description of the 12th battle, the Battle of Mount Badon:
“…nine hundred and sixty men fell from a single attack of Arthur, and nobody put them down except him alone…” ~ Nennius

5. Culhwch and Olwen
This is the first Arthurian tale not penned as a stand-alone story, as it is part of the compilation text Red Book of Hergest published around 1400 AD…also, it contains the first mention of Caledfwlch

6. Geoffrey of Monmouth
History of the Kings of Britain combines history with legend in a highly imaginative form
Geoffrey places Arthur’s birth and death in Cornwall, his cosmopolitan court at Caerleon, and his victory at Mount Badon on a hill in Bath

7. Uther Pendragon
Historically, adultery was rigorously condemned and punished but usually only as a violation of the husband's rights
It is only in modern times that Uther has been used as a symbol of unbridled male lust

8. Merlin

9. Wace & the Arthurian Legend
First Arthurian story in Old North French
Celebrated for his historical accuracy
First to mention the Round Table
Storytellers and minstrels as a cultural link

10. Arthur & the Holy Grail
The Arthurian legend was very useful to the growing Christian religion, because it allowed followers to connect their faith to an already established popular tradition through the story of Joseph and the Grail

11. The Knight of the Cart
Chrétien de Troyes does not even name the title characters until halfway through the story
The end of the story is also odd, in that Lancelot finds Guinevere and then begins an adulterous relationship with her

12. Tristan & Isolde
Chrétien’s original work revolved around King Mark and Iseult, where Tristan is a character but is not named…Béroul gives the legend its angle of unrequited love

13. Gawain & the Green Knight
The Green Knight angle is not introduced until the 14th century by an un-named author
This story is also a turning point for the Arthurian legend because it is told from the perspective of one of the characters, Morgan the Fay

14. Mordred & Morgana
Initially an ally, Medraut would eventually evolve into Modred or Mordred and become an adversary
Morgan the Fay makes her first appearance 700 years later courtesy of Nordic writer Giraldus Cambrensis

15. Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur
“Hic jacet sepultus inclitus rex Arthurus in insula Avalonia…” ~ Grave Inscription