The Historic King Arthur: Authenticating the Celtic Hero of Post-Roman Britain
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Who was King Arthur? How did the story originate? Through careful research of the many primary documents, a picture of the true Arthur can in fact be set down. He reached power shortly after the Romans evacuated Britain at the end of the fifth century and died at the Battle of Camlann. He became king at 15 under the name of Ambrosius Aurelianus and fought against the Saxons on the mainland as Riothamus, thus explaining the regeneration motif so closely tied to the mythical Arthur. This study reveals that the integrity and ideals central to Arthurian myth were very much a part of the real Arthur.BooknewsAssembles, analyzes, and interprets an impressive array of primary documents from post-Roman Britain to argue that the legendary hero was a historical person who became king of Britain as Ambrosius Aurelianus at age 15, fought Saxons on the continent as Riothamus, and died at the battle of Camlann. Also integrates the various records to construct chronologies both of events and of accounts. The material and commentary could be very useful to scholars of the period even if they are not convinced by the argument. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
AcknowledgmentsList of IllustrationsList of Abbreviations of Works Cited in the TextPreface1Ch. 1Introduction5Ch. 2The Ancient Manuscripts19Gildas Badonicus20The Annales Cambriae26Nennius38The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle/Genealogical Preface51Ch. 3The Cardinal and Ordinal Years for the Arthurian Chronology66Systems of Calibration69Cardinal Years for the Arthurian Chronology72Ordinal Years of the Arthurian Chronology116Summary of Cardinal and Ordinal Years, Arthurian Chronology120Ch. 4Hillforts and Roman Roads124The Roman Empire and Conquest of Britain124The Vestigial Remnants of a Civilization128Ch. 5The Geography of Mount Badon140General Geography140Badon: Badbury Possibilities146Badon: Bath Possibilities158Ch. 6The Geography of Camlann179The Heartland179The Annales Cambriae183Gildas, Nennius, John of Glastonbury187The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle190Literary Tradition193Conclusion195Ch. 7Other Sites: Camelot and Tintagel202Camelot202Tintagel215Ch. 8The Isle of Avalon: Arthur's Resting Place221Glastonbury as an Island222Archaeological Evidence: The Abbey and the Tor228Arthurian Connectios with Avalon/Glastonbury230Arthurian Connections with the Continental Avallon256Conclusions258Ch. 9Ambrosius Aurelianus: History and Tradition263Ambrosius Aurelianus in History and Tradition263The Assessment of Ambrosius Aurelianus283Ch. 10Riothamus: The Briton from Across the Ocean286The Historical Chronology of Riothamus286Ch. 11Arthur: Historical and Literary Data293The Historical Arthur293Literary Data on Arthur295The Mabinogion300Arthur in The History of the Kings Britain307Poetry of Arthur's Period311The Collation of Information315Ch. 12The Phoenix Arises326Statement of Hypothesis326Titles of Rank and Royalty327Ambrosius as Riothamus334Riothamus as Arthur337Arthur as Ambrosius Aurelianus339Arthur341The Triumvirate Chronology354App. AThe Arthurian Chronology365App. BHarleian Manuscript 3859369Glossary371Notes385Selected Bibliography413Index421
