Early Arthurian Britain

Introduction

Dinas Emrys, Gwynedd, North Wales
Photo courtesty Kathleen Cunningham Guler

"While Vortigern, King of the Britons, was still sitting on the bank of the pool which had been drained of its water, there emerged two Dragons, one white, one red. As soon as they were near enough to each other, they fought bitterly… As they struggled on in this way, the King ordered Ambrosius Merlin to explain just what this battle of the Dragons meant…"

When a society strives to right itself in the face of devastating outside pressures, it will often struggle within itself for a long period as well, until it finds its voice, its courage, and its strength in leadership that will guide it safely to peace and freedom. Dark Age Britain of the fifth century was embroiled in just such a dual struggle. The above quote, from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s twelfth century narrative, The History of the Kings of Britain (1), offers a metaphorical glimpse into early Britain’s internal and external struggles. The pool is believed to have filled a cavern beneath Vortigern’s stronghold at Dinas Emrys in what is now North Wales. The red Dragon (still a symbol of the Welsh) represented the Celtic Britons of post-Roman Britain, and the white Dragon the Anglo-Saxons who eventually conquered them and became the English.

Roman rule in Britain ended early in the fifth century, leaving the island lacking in defense and political administration. Approximately fifty tiny kingdoms and sub-kingdoms developed, and the indigenous Celtic people who inhabited them vied for power. At the same time, raids from the European continent, Ireland, and other places increasingly turned into invasions. Those who settled displaced the native Britons, causing further tension. By mid-century, factions began to emerge from the remnants of the Roman leadership as well as the native Celtic Britons, but they fought amongst themselves as much as they did against invaders.

In conjunction, it is generally believed that the beginnings of the Arthurian legend’s historical side belong to that same era. The Age of Arthur is considered to span the years AD 400 to 600, from the end of the Roman occupation until the Anglo-Saxon conquest. Arthur’s lifetime is thought to have been somewhere between AD 470 to 542, with his peak at 500. His existence has never actually been proven, relegating him to the realm of legend, that mysterious place of limbo between history and myth.

It is difficult to separate the historical side of the Arthurian age from the legend. Because society in the fifth and sixth centuries was illiterate, very few written records are available and those that exist are unreliable. Archaeological support is scanty at best. Throughout the centuries since the early Dark Ages, the legend of King Arthur gradually emerged from obscure folktales. It grew into a grand and diverse body of works ranging from romantic literature written in the High Middle Ages to poetry and pre-Raphaelite paintings in the nineteenth century to modern movies and novels. Told and retold, the legend continues to evolve as each era’s storytellers add layers of their own traditions, philosophies and fantasies.

Because Arthur is still consigned to legendary status rather than historical, his period is usually taught as Literature or Mythology. Consequently, the circumstances and events surrounding his life are only given a cursory note or neglected altogether in traditional History courses, skipping directly to the Anglo-Saxon migration and conquest. As a remedy, this course covers the early period of Arthurian Britain, from approximately AD 400 to 500. We will examine the dynamics that left early Britain in the midst of a complicated struggle and in need of strong and capable leadership to guide it to peace and freedom.

These are some of the issues that will be discussed:

• Why did the Romans leave Britain?
• Who vied for power after they left?
• Why did Germanic peoples leave the continent for a cold, remote island like Britain?
• Why were the native Celtic people unable to unite?
• What part did Christianity play in the changing course of Britain’s politics and society?
• Who could Arthur have been and how did he become Britain’s leader?
• What is the role of legend in understanding the Age of Arthur?

Happily, what we do know of the historical side of Arthurian Britain continues to expand. Archaeologists, historians, scholars, and enthusiasts persist in scraping away layers of legend in the hope of finding the reality behind the man and his times.

(1) Geoffrey of Monmouth. The History of the Kings of Britain. Translated by Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Classics, 1966.

Kathleen Guler has a passion for the Arthurian myths that translates to the reader as entertaining yet informative material that challenges the student to learn more. Tami Brady

Lessons

Click here to see course syllabus