Legend or
history?

Three labels

The earliest writers

History Gildas, a British monk of the 500s, mentions a great British victory at Mons Badonicus (the ‘siege of Bath-hill’) but does not connect it with Arthur. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

History Gildas says the siege of Bath-hill happened in the year he was born, forty-four years and one month after the Saxons landed. Gildas, On the Ruin of Britain (tr. J. A. Giles), Project Gutenberg ↗

History The British leader Gildas does name is Ambrosius Aurelianus. Gildas, On the Ruin of Britain (tr. J. A. Giles), Project Gutenberg ↗

The first Arthur stories in Latin

History The earliest version of the Historia Brittonum (‘History of the Britons’) is dated to about AD 829–830. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗

History It is traditionally credited to a writer called Nennius, and it lists twelve battles that Arthur fought against the Saxons, ending with a victory at Mons Badonicus. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

History Britannica notes that the Arthur section of the Historia Brittonum comes from an unknown source, possibly a poem. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

Literature In the Historia Brittonum, Arthur fights twelve battles; at the last, on the hill of Badon, ‘nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone’. Nennius (attrib.), Historia Brittonum (tr. J. A. Giles), Project Gutenberg ↗

Literature The ninth battle is placed at the ‘City of Legion’, which the text calls Cair Lion. Nennius (attrib.), Historia Brittonum (tr. J. A. Giles), Project Gutenberg ↗

The Welsh annals and poems

History The Annales Cambriae (Welsh annals) record the battle of Badon and the battle of Camlann, ‘in which Arthur and Medraut fell’. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

History Britannica gives the Annales dates as 516 for Badon and 537 for Camlann. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

History Museum Wales gives 518 for Badon and 537–9 for Camlann, and says the annals were probably compiled in the mid-900s. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗

History The Welsh poem Y Gododdin mentions Arthur, but Museum Wales says that reference may be no earlier than the 9th century. Even so, it shows how famous Arthur was among the Welsh by then. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗

History Y Gododdin is thought to date from the 6th century, but its earliest surviving written copy is from the 13th century. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗

History An early Welsh poem about graves calls Arthur’s grave a wonder, because nobody knows where it is. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗

History The Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen (12th century) shows Arthur at the head of a band of heroes, which probably led to the idea of Arthur’s court. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

Geoffrey of Monmouth changes everything

Literature Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain was published between 1135 and 1139. Britannica: Geoffrey of Monmouth ↗

History Geoffrey claimed to be translating a ‘very old book’; Britannica says this claim seems a pure fabrication. Britannica: Geoffrey of Monmouth ↗

History Britannica describes the historical value of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History as ‘almost nil’. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

Literature In Geoffrey, Tintagel stands on the sea, so strong that ‘three men shall be able to defend’ it. Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain, in Six Old English Chronicles (ed. J. A. Giles), Project Gutenberg ↗

Literature He sets Arthur’s great crown-wearing feast at Pentecost in the City of Legions (Caerleon). Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain, in Six Old English Chronicles (ed. J. A. Giles), Project Gutenberg ↗

What archaeology found at ‘Arthur’ places

History From about AD 450 until about AD 650, long before the castle, Tintagel was a busy and important place that traded with the Mediterranean world. English Heritage: History of Tintagel Castle ↗

History In about 1138 Geoffrey of Monmouth named Tintagel as the place where Arthur was conceived. English Heritage: History of Tintagel Castle ↗

History In about 1480 the antiquary William Worcestre named Tintagel as Arthur’s birthplace, and the name ‘King Arthur’s Castle’ is first found in 1650. English Heritage: History of Tintagel Castle ↗

History Leslie Alcock’s excavations of 1966–70 looked at about 6% of the inside of the hillfort. They showed it was in use again in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, with bowls imported from the Mediterranean and a timber building 19 m by 10 m, interpreted as an early medieval feasting hall. Historic England: Cadbury Castle, list entry 1011980 ↗

History Historic England says there is no evidence that Cadbury Castle was linked with the name Camelot before the 16th century, when the tradition was probably invented. Historic England: Cadbury Castle, list entry 1011980 ↗

History Tests show the Winchester Round Table was built in the reign of Edward I, probably for a feast after a tournament celebrating plans for his children’s marriages. Winchester Excavations: King Arthur’s Round Table, an archaeological investigation (Biddle, 2000) ↗

See all the places in the atlas ↗

So was Arthur real?

History It is not certain whether the Arthur of the stories was based on a real person. Britannica (Students): Arthur ↗

History Museum Wales concludes that if Arthur was a real person, he probably lived in the 6th century. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗

History Many places in Wales have Arthurian links, though few can be shown to go back to the Middle Ages. Museum Wales: Who was King Arthur? ↗