Geoffrey of Monmouth: Geoffrey wrote The History of the Kings of Britain (1136).  Among the many historical and mythical monarchs recorded in this book, which is based on a “lost manuscript,” Geoffrey includes King Arthur and claims that the Once and Future King was conceived in Tintagel Castle.  According to Geoffrey, Arthur was a great king and military commander who conquered all of Western Europe, except for Spain.  When Geoffrey visited Tintagel, he may have seen Dark Age ruins, but these are not the same ruins that the modern visitor sees when he or she visits Tintagel.

Thomas Malory: Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (1485) combined French and English tales in an attempt to create a definitive account of Arthur and his knights.  Malory wrote most of his great work about fifteen years before its publication, while imprisoned for thievery in Newgate.  In his collection, Malory added the story of Arthur’s betrayal by Lancelot and Guinevere and the ensuing civil war.  Although he was writing about a historical period, Malory was also commenting on the current War of the Roses and mourning the disappearance of the chivalric way of life.

© Copyright Shea Davis 2007