The multiple crowns in this Medieval depiction of King Arthur indicate that he was High King over other kings in Britain rather than the ruler of a unified nation in the modern sense.
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THE REAL KING ARTHUR
Historians have identified a number of figures who might have been a ‘historical Arthur’ – someone who defended at least a part of Britain in troubled times and built a realm that was renowned far and wide.
These figures include early British war-leaders, possibly of Celtic origin, a Romano-British cavalry commander doing his best to protect his people after the soldiers of Rome evacuated the islands, and later kings who might more resemble the classic version of Arthur.
There are also traditional Celtic tales that revolve around a figure who looks suspiciously like a proto-Arthur. The mystical elements of these stories are probably the origin of the supernatural parts of some Arthurian legends. Since this traditional Celtic folklore has been a part of Western culture for many centuries, it feels familiar and tends to ring true when incorporated into the tale of King Arthur.
Thus the Arthurian legend seems to be a combination of real events and mystical folktales, with a fair amount of Christian influence as well. This did not happen overnight; today’s many versions of the Arthurian legends developed through numerous retellings and the occasional gritty reboot. Much of the general storyline is derived from a collection of Medieval literature dealing with legendary and semi-historical events in Europe, collectively known as the ‘matters’ of Britain, France and Rome.
There are similarities between these three literary cycles. Much of the ‘Matter of France’ deals largely with the exploits of the paladins – a term now generally taken to mean heroic knights – serving Charlemagne in his battles against the Moorish invaders. Most famous of these tales is theSong of Roland, a tragedy based on historical events occurring around 778 AD. Roland and the paladins were killed defending Roncevaux Pass to allow the rest of their army to escape.
Like the tales of Arthur, theSong of Roland is a mix of fact and fiction. The battle did likely take place, and heroic deeds were done. Later versions of events introduced the heroic paladins – in some variants of the tale one of them is a sorcerer – until the story entered the realms of myth rather than history. Indeed, the word ‘paladin’ has come to mean a warrior who is a paragon of virtue, usually a gentle Christian knight or possibly a holy opponent of evil. Yet the original reference was nothing to do with virtue.
The tale of Roland (illustrated) and the paladins has much in common with that of King Arthur. It forms a major part of the body of Medieval literature known as the ‘Matter of France’.
The 12 paladins who served Charlemagne were high-ranking nobles whose title probably derived from the Latin ‘palatinus’, with connotations of rulership. In Britain, some regions were established as semi-autonomous areas whose lord ruled them as he saw fit so long as he met an obligation imposed by the crown. County Durham was a county palatine founded in the early days of the Norman Conquest to defend the rest of Britain from the Scots. Lancashire was set up as a county palatine in 1351.
Thus these paladins were most probably high-ranking nobles with
