King+Arthur

= King Arthur =

__**The Legend of King Arthur**__
Arthur was the son of King Uther and Lady Igraine. When his father’s kingdom went under attack, his parent decided that it was too dangerous for Arthur to be raised there so they gave him away to a wizard named Merlin. Merlin gave the child to Sir Ector to be raised in the country-side alongside his own son, Kay. Arthur did not know he was born into royalty and he supposedly became king by accidentally pulling the Sword out of the Stone. He did not learn of his true parents until much later in his life. Arthur married Queen Guinevere, who ended up having an affair with Arthur's best knight, Lancelot. This affair helped contribute to the downfall of his kingdom. Another supposed factor is his unholy and evil son Mordred, who was conceived by Arthur and Arthur's own half sister, Morgause (this was unknown at the time). Arthur also had a magical sword called Excalibur and with it a powerful bond is created. Arthur, Merlin, and the sword are all connected so when Merlin leaves the bond is broken, causing another problem in the downfall of his kingdom. In the end Mordred becomes power hungry and wants the throne so Arthur and the remaining knights battle him. Almost everyone is killed except Arthur and Percival. Percival, another loyal knight, throws Arthur's sword, Excalibur, into a lake and Arthur is carried away across the lake to one day return.

__Historical King Arthur__
In historical accounts of King Arthur, he is said to be the son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine of Cornwall. The historical King Arthur was claimed to be the King of the entire Celtic Kingdom in the 6th century. He was born into royalty. His Brother Constantine was the self-proclaimed emperor of Britain. In early Latin chronicles he is presented as a military leader, the //dux bellorum//, but in later romance he is presented as a king and emperor. Arthur would have gained fame as a warrior battling the Germanic invaders of the late fifth and early sixth centuries. In historical takes, there is debate on the downfall of his kingdom. In chronicle traditions, it is caused by the treachery of Mordred, Arthur's son. In the romance tradition that treachery is made possible because of the love of Lancelot and Guinevere.

**__Legendary King Arthur__**
King Arthur is believed by many to be a fictional character that was a representation of the real Celtic Emperor during the 6th century. In the stories of King Arthur people have superhuman strength and mythological things occur. King Arthur supposedly was immortal like the Gods. King Arthur was the son of Uther and defeated the barbarians in a dozen battles. Subsequently, he conquered a wide empire and eventually went to war with the Romans. He returned home on learning that his nephew Mordred had raised the standard of rebellion and taken Guinevere, the queen. After landing, his final battle took place. After Uther's death there was no king ruling all England. Merlin had placed a sword in a stone, saying that whoever drew it out would be king.

Arthur did so and Merlin had him crowned. He married Guinevere whose father gave him the Round Table as a dowry; it became the place where his knights sat, to avoid quarrels over precedence. Arthur's court becoming the focus for many heroes. In the war against the Romans, Arthur defeated the Emperor Lucius and became emperor himself. However, his most illustrious knight, Lancelot, became enamored of Guinevere.

Lancelot fled and Guinevere was sentenced to death. Lancelot rescued her and took her to him realm. This led Arthur to crossing the channel and making war on his former knight. While away from Britain, he left Mordred in charge. Mordred rebelled and Arthur returned to quell him. This led to Arthur's last battle on Salisbury Plain, where he slew Mordred, but was himself gravely wounded. Arthur was then carried off in a barge, saying he was heading for the vale of Avalon. Some said he never died, but would one day return. However, his grave was supposedly discovered at Glastonbury during the reign of Henry II.

**__Background on Excalibur__**
Excalibur is the name of King Arthur’s sword. The sword Arthur pulled from the stone broke during battle so Merlin took the King to a lake where a mysterious hand came out of the water and gave him a new unbreakable sword named Excalibur. Arthur’s evil half-sister stole the sword. Although the sword was retrieved, the scabbard was lost forever and caused Arthur to get wounds while fighting. Arthur was instructed to return the sword to the lake. He threw the sword and the same hand that had given him the sword appeared and pulled the sword back into the lake.

__**Video**__
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 * __Arthur's Final Battle: Father vs. Son__**

**__Citations__**
[] [] [] [] [] [] [|http://www.uhigh.ilstu.edu/english/arthur/book1/Chapter%2021/king_arthur_3.jpg] [] [|http://trunks62590.tripod.com/arthur.html] [|http://www.kingarthursknights.com/others/mordred.asp] [|http://www.uhigh.ilstu.edu/english/arthur/book21/chapter2/camlann.gif] [|http://www.kingarthursknights.com/arthur/legendary.asp] [|http://www.kingarthursknights.com/arthur/historical.asp] [] []