1. Sir Thomas Malory

2. Life Soldier Loyalist Rebel Criminal Fugitive

3. Life Born ~1403-1413 1445 Member of Parliament in Warwickshire 1462 Campaigned in Northumbria w/ Earl of Warwick

4. 15th Century Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) –York (white rose) –Lancaster (red rose) –Over throne of England Earl of Warwick sided with Lancaster –Malory probably went with him

5. Imprisonment 1450-51 charged with –ambushing and attempted murder of Duke of Buckingham –stealing from abbey of Blessed Mary of Coombe –insulting the abbot –stole property and raped wife of Hugh Smyth –cattle raiding –extortion

6. Imprisonment Imprisoned 8 times –escaped on 27 July 1451 –escaped in October, 1454 Probably died in prison –14 March 1471 –wrote Le Morte Darthur in prison

7. Le Morte Darthur Printed by William Caxton in 1485 Was only edition known until 20th century Winchester Manuscript discovered in 1934 –seems to be closer to Malory’s text –illustrates Caxton’s edits

8. Winchester Manuscript IN Arthurs dayes whan he helde þe Rounde table moste plenou re hit fortuned the kynge commaunded that þe hy3e feste of Pen tecoste sholde be holden at a cite and a castell In tho dayes that was called Kynke Kenadonne vppon þe sondys þat marched ny3e wa lys Caxton Whan Arthur held his round table moost ple// nour/ it fortuned that he commaunded that the hyhe feest of Pentecost shold be holden at a cy te and a Castel the whiche in tho dayes was called kynke kenadonne vpon the sondes that marched nyghe walys

9. Sources Alliterative Morte Arthur (14th c) –Tale of King Arthur Various French works –prose Arthurian cycle (including Lancelot) Stanzaic Morte Arthur