Why did guinevere marry arthur

No cheating , just her heart pulling her another another way. This story should have taken place over several episodes, or even seasons.

Guinevere was the wife of King Arthur, the legendary ruler of Britain. She was a beautiful and noble queen, but her life took a tragic turn when she fell in love with Lancelot , one of Arthur's bravest and most loyal knights.

Unfortunately, however, Lancelot also fell in love with Queen Guinevere. Some of Lancelot's knightly feats had to do with Guinevere. She tricked Lancelot into sleeping with her , pretending that she was Guinevere. Elaine bore Lancelot's son, Galahad, who grew into a pure and sinless knight. They got separated because in Guinevere's comics, she found Lancelot alone and without Gusion. And that's all, end of the story. Not confirmed to be a couple at all.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Arthur married Ganhumara ; 'Guinevere' is a romanticised French version of the name created in the late 12th century. The idea that Guinevere and Sir Lancelot committed adultery with one another is found only in the legends of Arthur and the knights. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth though, who calls Sir Mordred, Modred, Guinevere assists Modred of her own accord, in helping him usurp the throne from Arthur and ultimately betray him. The Battle of Camlann Welsh: Gwaith Camlan or Brwydr Camlan is a legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was fatally wounded while fighting either with or against Mordred, who also perished.

Morgana had followed Gwen and Merlin to the hiding place that Arthur had prepared, then returned to Camelot to put the next part of her plan into action. She convinced Uther to go riding with her and led him straight to Gwen and Arthur's picnic, where they stumbled upon the couple mid-kiss. Uther was rather amused by his son's indiscretion at first, wryly noting that he'd been young himself once and knew the temptations of serving girls. He assured Arthur that no serious harm had been done, but made it clear that he was not to see Gwen again.

When Arthur refused, they got into a violent argument that ended with Arthur proclaiming his love for her. As a result, Uther banished Gwen from the kingdom, telling a horrified Arthur that it was for his own good. Later, Morgana went to visit Arthur in his chambers. He was devastated by his father's decision and told her that he couldn't accept that he might never see Gwen again. Morgana replied that with Gwen banished he had no choice, but Arthur caught her off guard by declaring his intentions to leave Camelot with her.

Surprised, Morgana pointed out that by doing so he'd be giving up his rights to the throne, but her hopes of becoming Uther's sole heir were dashed when Arthur clarified that he planned to one day return to Camelot, and Gwen would take her place on the throne beside him.

Realizing that the future she'd seen hadn't been averted yet, Morgana quickly began to form a new plan. She snuck into Arthur's chambers that night and hid a magic poultice beneath his pillow. She then went to see Uther and remarked how odd it was that Arthur was suddenly declaring his love for Gwen when he'd never expressed any feelings for her before. Once she was sure she had Uther's attention, she subtly suggested that Arthur may have been enchanted, and the king wasted no time in having Arthur's chambers searched.

Sure enough, the guards found Morgana's poultice under his pillow, and Gaius confirmed that it was not only magical but could be used to make someone fall in love. Uther sentences Gwen to death.

Gwen was immediately placed under arrest and dragged before Uther, who accused her of using the poultice to seduce Arthur. Gwen denied the accusation, claiming that she'd never seen it before in her life, but the king refused to believe her. He remembered that her father had consorted with sorcerers and said that she was obviously trying to seek revenge for his execution by enchanting Arthur.

Furious, Arthur tried his best to defend Gwen and dismiss Uther's accusations, but because he believed him to be enchanted the king refused to listen. He declared Gwen to be guilty and sentenced her to be burned at the stake. Horrified and desperate, Arthur begged his father to let her go. He said that they would leave Camelot and never return, even if it meant relinquishing his claim to the throne. Uther, however, only saw this as further proof that Arthur was enchanted.

As the guards dragged Gwen away, Arthur lunged forward and the two shared one last kiss before they were torn apart. He yelled that he would always love her, and when Gwen looked back at him she noticed that Morgana was smiling. Later, when Merlin went to visit Gwen in her cell, she shared her suspicions that Morgana was the one who framed her.

Knowing that Uther would never believe Morgana to be responsible, Merlin decided that if he couldn't expose the real sorcerer he would have to invent one to take the blame. He used an aging spell to disguise himself as Dragoon the Great , then snuck into Arthur's chambers and planted a duplicate poultice.

The prince caught him doing so and arrested him. When he was brought before Uther, Merlin claimed that he'd enchanted Arthur and Gwen to fall in love because their relationship would bring shame upon Camelot.

Uther was convinced by Merlin's trick, and thus ordered Gwen released and Dragoon to be executed in her place. Ultimately, however, the warlock managed to escape. After Gwen was released, Arthur pulled her into an alcove to speak with her privately.

He assured her that Uther was convinced that their feelings for one another were the result of an enchantment, but explained that if the king ever saw any sign that that wasn't the case, then Gwen would be banished from Camelot. Gwen shyly asked if Arthur would have really given up the throne for her, and was astonished when he replied that he still would.

Taken aback, she protested that his place was in Camelot, that one day he would be a great king and that he needed to stay for the sake of his people. Understanding the point she was trying to make, Arthur promised that things would be different when he was king, and they could finally be together, to which Gwen replied that she would be counting the days Queen of Hearts.

Arthur and Gwen reunited. Arthur was away on a quest when Camelot was conquered by Morgause's immortal army. When he, Merlin , and Gwaine returned, they found the city deserted and learned from Gwen's brother Elyan that she had been in the citadel when it was taken. Arthur was deeply concerned for her, and insisted on infiltrating the castle to find her and his father.

He soon discovered that Uther was being held captive by Morgause and Morgana , but was forced to flee the city before he could find out anything about Gwen. Arthur and his allies spent the next week or so sheltering in a cave in the Darkling Woods. Meanwhile, Gwen managed to survive in Camelot by continuing to act as Morgana's loyal maidservant. She planned to escape and meet up with Arthur somehow, and was finally presented with an opportunity to do so when Morgana allowed her to talk with Sir Leon.

She was supposed to be persuading the knight to pledge his loyalty to the new Queen, but instead asked if he had any idea where Arthur might be. When Leon confirmed that he knew where the prince might be hiding, they made a plan to escape together and carried it out the next night.

Gwen and Leon met up with Arthur the next day. The prince was overjoyed to see them, but their reunion proved short-lived. Unbeknownst to Gwen and Leon, Morgause and Morgana had allowed them to escape on purpose in order to track them to Arthur's hiding place, and now the immortal soldiers were closing in. Fortunately, Lancelot arrived with his friend Percival , who used boulders to block the narrow path from above, halting the soldiers' pursuit and allowing Arthur and the others to escape.

With their former hideout compromised, Arthur, Gwen, and their allies took shelter in the Castle of Ancient Kings. There, Arthur conducted the first meeting of the Round Table , wherein he revealed his intentions to infiltrate the citadel and free his father from captivity. Gwen was among those who volunteered to help, and was assigned the task of helping Gaius prepare for the wounded.

Before he and his new knights left for the citadel, Arthur took Gwen aside to say goodbye. Arthur was worried about what might happen and wanted to tell her something in case he never saw her again, but Gwen assured him that he would. She told him that she was proud of him, that his words had given them hope and something to believe in, and that she'd seen at the Round Table the king he would someday become.

Arthur was touched by her words, and the two shared a kiss. Later, after Camelot was retaken and the immortal army destroyed, the Knights of the Round Table escorted Gwen home to Camelot. Arthur, who had been sitting with Merlin on the castle steps, quickly stepped forward to help her from her horse, and kissed her publicly for the first time The Coming of Arthur.

Gwen looks after Uther for Arthur. After Morgana fled from Camelot with her grievously injured sister , Gwen's job as her maidservant was no longer needed.

She soon found a new job, however, caring for Uther. The king had been devastated by Morgana's betrayal and failed to recover from his mental anguish in the year that followed. Though Gwen had never cared much for Uther personally, she ultimately accepted the job for Arthur's sake, as she knew how much he loved his father and wanted to set his mind at ease. On Samhain's Eve , Morgana unleashed the Dorocha upon Camelot by tearing the veil between the worlds.

When it was determined that the only way to banish the ghosts was by healing the veil, Arthur and his Knights set out on a quest to the Isle of the Blessed to do so. Unbeknownst to the knights, however, sealing the veil would require a blood sacrifice, and Arthur planned to be that sacrifice.

Before he left, Arthur said goodbye to his father and asked Gwen to look after him when he was gone. Gwen was troubled by this and asked him what was wrong. When he failed to reply, she tried to tell him that he didn't have to go, but Arthur said that he did.

Worried now, Gwen asked Arthur to take care of himself and told him that he was just as precious as the kingdom. Seeing that she was upset, Arthur tried to comfort her by asking her to smile, but Gwen replied that she couldn't. Arthur then asked her to remember the first time he'd kissed her, which finally coaxed one out of her. Smiling at her smile, Arthur tenderly remarked that that was the memory he wanted to take with him, and they embraced. Later, as the knights prepared to leave, Gwen asked Lancelot for a favor.

She asked him to look after Arthur and make sure he came home, and Lancelot promised that he would protect him with his life. He ultimately kept this promise by sacrificing himself to heal the veil in Arthur's place, which devastated Gwen. She later told Arthur about Lancelot's promise as they stood at his funeral pyre, which left him somewhat pensive The Darkest Hour.

Gwen worries about Arthur during the knife throwing act. Gwen was among those who attended Arthur's birthday celebration. She seemed anxious when Arthur participated in Gleeman's knife throwing act and spent the entire time biting her nails.

When he ultimately emerged from the show unharmed, she was deeply relieved and applauded with everyone else. Later, after Uther was fatally injured defending Arthur from an assassin, Gwen helped to care for him while Arthur kept vigil at his bedside. He told her that he appreciated her kindness and everything that she did for his father, to which Gwen replied that she did it for him. Her words touched Arthur and caused him to cry. Distressed to see him in such pain, Gwen tried to comfort him, but Arthur was inconsolable.

He told her that he couldn't watch his father die, that there was still so much he wanted to say to him, and finally decided that he wouldn't die. He then left the room, leaving Gwen deeply concerned for him. Gwen was with Arthur and tried to comfort him when his father was pronounced dead. She was later among those who attended his coronation, and joyfully watched as he was crowned King of Camelot The Wicked Day.

Arthur tells Gwen that their relationship is no longer appropriate. When Arthur returned from leading an ambush on Caerleon's raiding party, he found Gwen waiting for him in his chambers. Though Arthur was happy to see her, greeting her with a hug and asking if she'd missed him, his uncle, the Lord Agravaine , seemed to disapprove of their familiarity.

He counseled Arthur to set aside his feelings for Gwen for the good of the kingdom. He told him that the people would never approve of his seeing a blacksmith's daughter, and advised him to follow Uther's example and rule with his head rather than his heart, as a strong king must. Arthur resisted Agravaine's advice at first, and was actually quite upset by it. However, he ultimately chose to do as his uncle asked when he received word that Queen Annis had declared war on Camelot. Knowing that he would need to appear strong more than ever, the night before Camelot's army departed to meet Caerleon's , Arthur disguised himself as a civilian and visited Gwen at her house.

She was happy to see him at first, but quickly grew concerned when Arthur began to assure her that she hadn't done anything wrong, and that his actions had nothing to do with her personally. Confused, she asked him to explain, and Arthur told her that now that he was king it no longer mattered what he may or may not want for himself.

He would be judged by his actions and the people he was seen with, and he had to do what was best for the kingdom. Gwen was hurt and surprised by his words, incredulously asking if he was ashamed to be seen with her. Arthur hastily assured her that he wasn't, but now that he was king their relationship was no longer appropriate.

Suspicious now, Gwen noted that he didn't sound like himself at all, and asked him who had convinced him to stop seeing her. Arthur, however, denied that he'd been talked into anything. He said that he was his own man and made his own decisions, and he'd decided that they couldn't be together.

Tearful and heartbroken, Gwen made no more objections, but advised him not to let anyone tell him what to do. She told him that he had a good heart and that he should be true to it, as only then would he be the king that he wanted to be. Gwen and Arthur get back together.

Later, after Arthur negotiated a truce with Annis and Camelot's army returned home, Gwen was assigned to take a pitcher of water to Arthur's chambers. Clearly still hurt by their previous encounter, Gwen was very formal and reserved towards him at first, and barely reacted when he presented her with the flowers he'd picked for her on his way home. Undaunted by her chilly reception, Arthur apologized for his earlier actions. He told her that while a good king should respect the traditions of the past, he should also be true to himself and do as he saw fit, which included being seen with the people that he cared about.

Hopeful now, Gwen asked if his new philosophy applied even when the person in question wasn't "appropriate", and Arthur responded by pulling her close and kissing her. Playfully, he asked if that answered her question, and Gwen cheekily replied that it was a start His Father's Son.

Merlin finds Gwen serving Arthur lunch. When Arthur and the Knights were ambushed by Morgana's mercenaries, Merlin was badly injured and became separated from the others.

After a search party failed to find any trace of him, Arthur set out to look for Merlin himself. Gwen was deeply concerned by this, as there was no telling how many mercenaries were still hiding in the forest, but failed to change his mind.

Accepting that he wouldn't be deterred and worried about Merlin herself , Gwen asked Arthur to promise her that he wouldn't go alone, and was relieved when Gwaine volunteered to accompany him. Luckily, Arthur and Gwaine soon found Merlin in the forest, covered in mud but otherwise unharmed. The next day, Gwen took it upon herself to serve Arthur his lunch, as she thought that Merlin could use the rest.

Merlin, however, became oddly upset about it and stormed off, leaving Gwen and Arthur confused. Later, as she was walking through the lower town, Gwen noticed a crowd gathering around a pigsty and discovered that a pig had died after eating the food that Merlin had tried to serve Arthur. She retrieved a piece of chicken from the scene and took it to Gaius , who confirmed that it had been laced with poison and that Merlin had likely done it.

Confused, Gwen asked why Merlin would want to kill Arthur, and Gaius noted that he had been acting very strangely since he returned and speculated that something might be wrong with him. As Gwen and Gaius were looking for Merlin to investigate this theory, they came across Sir Leon in a corridor.

The knight seemed to be very amused about something, and told them that Merlin had taken a crossbow from the armoury "to kill Arthur". Horrified, they rushed to Arthur's chambers and arrived just in time to see the warlock attempt to kill Arthur with his ceremonial sword. Fortunately, Merlin tripped and knocked himself out on a column before he could do the king any harm.

When he began to stir, Gwen knocked him out again by hitting him over the head with a pitcher, and she and Gaius took him back to the physician's chambers.

They discovered that Merlin had been implanted with a Fomorroh , which sorcerers could use to enslave their enemies' minds. Gaius quickly removed it and tossed it into the fire, and the problem appeared to be solved. However, by the next morning another Fomorroh had grown in its place, and Merlin made another attempt on Arthur's life. He poured a bottle of corrosive salts into Arthur's bathwater, which turned it to acid.

When Gwen and Gaius burst into Arthur's chambers, they found Merlin testing the water with a sword, and Gwen took advantage of the distraction and knocked him out with another pitcher. Gaius quickly grabbed the warlock and pulled him behind a column, but the duo failed to make their escape before Arthur stepped out from behind his dressing screen, completely naked.

Arthur was understandably horrified to find Guinevere in his chambers and quickly tried to cover himself. Meanwhile, Gwen initially tried to pretend that nothing unusual was going on, but then realized the king's state of undress and averted her eyes while he grabbed a pillow to more effectively cover himself. Scrambling for an excuse for their being there, Gwen told Arthur that there had been a problem with his bathwater and that Merlin had gone to fix it, but that she didn't think he'd be able to have a bath that day.

Though obviously nonplussed by the situation, Arthur accepted her explanation and awkwardly sidestepped behind his dressing screen. Gwen and Mary ask Arthur for help. When Gwen's friend Mary Howden came to Camelot seeking help for her village, which had been stricken with a mysterious illness, Gwen took her to Arthur to ask for his aid. He promised Mary that he would do whatever he could to help, and since Gaius was currently occupied treating an outbreak of sweating sickness, he decided to send Gwen, Merlin , and the Knights to investigate the illness in the physician's place.

When days went by and they failed to return, Arthur became worried and he, Gaius, and Agravaine led a search party to Longstead. He learned from the village elder that Gwen and the others had left the previous morning, and as they hadn't passed them on the trail Arthur quickly determined that something must have happened to them. He became further convinced when Gaius examined the ailing villagers and discovered that their illness had probably been caused by a Lamia , a dangerous creature of magic that could control men and suck the life out of them.

The creature had likely escaped from a group of slavers that the search party had found massacred along the trail, one of which had survived and eventually recovered enough to confirm Gaius's suspicions. The next morning, Arthur and Agravaine began to search in earnest for Gwen and the others.

They discovered some tracks and followed them deeper into the forest. When the trail came to end, Arthur instructed the search party to fan out and try to find more tracks.

Agravaine, however, did not want Gwen and the others found, and carefully concealed their trail when he found it. But despite the nobleman's best efforts, Arthur managed to pick up their trail when he spotted a strip of cloth that Gwen had tied to a tree to mark their way. Recognizing the material from Gwen's tunic, Arthur eagerly followed the trail to an abandoned castle.

There, he found the Knights stricken with Longstead's illness and Gwen and Merlin trying to fight off the Lamia, which he quickly killed with a spear. Gwen was ecstatic to see Arthur, and immediately ran to him and leaped into his arms. Laughing with relief, Arthur wrapped her in a hug and after helping Merlin to his feet they happily left the castle together. Later, back in Camelot, Arthur made sure that Gwen was all right and complimented her bravery.

Gwen modestly replied that she hadn't done anything that anyone else wouldn't have done, but Arthur disagreed. He told her that she'd been equal to any knight, and that he was proud of her. Delighted by his praise, Gwen stepped closer so that Arthur could take her in his arms, and they kissed Lamia.

Arthur prepares to propose to Gwen. Not long after the incident with the Lamia , Arthur decided to ask Gwen to marry him. Predictably, Agravaine attempted to dissuade him, but Arthur was prepared for his uncle's arguments. He pointed out that Guinevere had proven herself valuable support and a true counsellor in recent months both of which were qualities he needed in a Queen , and when his uncle continued to protest Arthur made it clear that he'd made up his mind and expected Agravaine to accept his decision.

The next night, Arthur surprised Gwen while she was doing chores in the palace. After blindfolding her, he led her out of the palace to her house, where he removed the blindfold to reveal her home covered in candles.

As Gwen looked around excitedly, Arthur took her by the hand and sat her down in a chair. He then knelt in front of her and asked her to marry him. Overjoyed, Gwen burst into tears and leapt forward to hug him. Her reaction confused Arthur, who hesitantly asked, "Is that a yes?

They smiled at each other, and Arthur placed an engagement ring on her finger. Meanwhile, Agravaine hadn't taken well to Arthur's wedding plans and had rushed to inform Morgana. Determined that Gwen would never sit upon her throne, Morgana set out to end their relationship once and for all. She traveled to the Pool of Nemhain and used a magical coin to resurrect Lancelot as a Shade , then spent the next few days carefully molding his mind. She told him all about Gwen and their former feelings for one another, how Gwen had loved him before she'd loved Arthur and how she would soon be his again.

When the Shade Lancelot was finally ready to play his part, Morgana sent him to Camelot , where he revealed his identity during the jousting tournament that Arthur was holding as Gwen's engagement present.

Like everyone else in Camelot, both Arthur and Gwen were shocked and overjoyed by Lancelot's return from the dead, and much to Agravaine's displeasure Gwen wasn't at all flustered by her former lover's reappearance. He reported as much to Morgana, but the witch was unconcerned. She had anticipated that her former maid might have grown out of her feelings for the knight, and sent Agravaine back to Camelot with a bracelet that she'd enchanted with a powerful love spell.

The Shade Lancelot presented the bracelet to Gwen the very next day. She initially struggled against its control, appearing to be confused and quickly withdrawing the first time she entered Lancelot's tent, but after he forfeited the final round of the tournament in favor of a badly injured Arthur she was unable to stop herself from seeking him out.

Gwen tries to stop Arthur from killing Lancelot. The night before her wedding, Lancelot arranged to meet Gwen in the council chambers. She found him waiting for her behind a column and they embraced. She seemed to be somewhat uneasy about their escapade, asking if he was sure that it was safe to meet there, and Lancelot assured her that no one visited the council chambers at that time of night. Meanwhile, Agravaine woke Arthur and told him that there was something he needed to see.

He then led the king to the council chambers, where they arrived just in time to see Gwen and Lancelot kiss. Hurt and betrayed, Arthur flew into a rage and attacked Lancelot with his sword. The two fought furiously for several minutes as Gwen tearfully pleaded for them to stop. Eventually Merlin arrived and secretly disarmed Lancelot with his magic. Though his opponent was now defenseless, Arthur charged forward to run him through and likely would have killed Lancelot had Gwen not thrown herself between them, forcing Arthur to stop his attack.

She and Lancelot were then arrested and taken to the dungeons, where they were placed in separate cells. Devastated by what had happened, Gwen ripped Lancelot's bracelet from her wrist thus breaking the enchantment and threw it away before collapsing to the floor in tears. Later that night, Gwen was escorted back to the council chambers and forced to kneel as Arthur entered the room. Nevertheless, before his death Gawain realizes that Lancelot was the best and most generous knight, wishes he could ask his forgiveness before his death, and advises Arthur to ask him for help.

In Malory's Morte d'Arthur , Gawain is at times brave and noble and at times vengeful and treacherous. He keeps alive the feud between the house of Lot and the house of Pellinore by treacherously killing Pellinore and then Lamorak.

He is also unforgiving when Lancelot accidentally kills Gareth, and he refuses to allow Arthur to make peace with him. He does, however, try to dissuade Mordred and Agravain from accusing Lancelot; and he finally realizes that Lancelot is noble and Mordred wicked. Mordred: The Annales Cambriae Welsh Annals mentions Medraut as a participant in the battle of Camlann but does not make clear whether he is an enemy or an ally of Arthur. Geoffrey of Monmouth introduces the notion of Mordred's usurpation of the throne and his adulterous relationship with Guinevere while Arthur is fighting his continental wars.

Geoffrey names Mordred as one of two sons of Lot and Anna the other being Gawain. Mordred in turn has two sons who survive him but are killed by Constantine, Arthur's successor. In the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle, Mordred is the son of Arthur by his half-sister, who is Lot's wife. Although, in the Vulgate Mort Artu , it is Agravain who accuses Lancelot and Guinevere of adultery and leads the knights who trap them in the queen's chamber, Mordred betrays Arthur's trust when he is left in charge of the kingdom and the queen by forging a letter said to be from a dying Arthur declaring Mordred king and urging him to marry Guinevere.

In the final battle of Salisbury Plain, Arthur kills Mordred but is fatally wounded by him. Mordred leaves behind two sons, the elder called Melehan and the younger unnamed.

Bors kills Melehan, who has slain Lionel; and Lancelot kills the younger son. When Arthur, who is unaware that she is related to him when they sleep together, learns that he has had a child by his half-sister, he attempts to kill Mordred by condemning all the children born on May Day to be set adrift on the sea.

But his son survives when the ship he is in breaks up and he is cast up on the shore and found by a good man, who raises him until he is fourteen. Even before Mordred accuses Lancelot and Guinevere and plans to trap them, his villainy is clear. When Gawain and his brothers treacherously attack and slay Lamorak, it is Mordred who gives him a fatal wound in the back. While Arthur is besieging Lancelot's castle in France, Mordred forges letters saying that Arthur is dead, claims the throne, and intends to marry Guinevere.

In the final battle, Arthur gives Mordred a fatal wound; but Mordred thrusts himself up the length of Arthur's spear so he can strike his father.

What is the Round Table? The twelfth-century chronicler Wace first introduces the notion of the Round Table, which he says Arthur had made so that all of the noble barons whom he attracted to his court would be equally placed and served and none could boast that he had a higher position at the table than the others. Layamon expands on this notion, describing a riot at which many nobles vie for place and precedence at Arthur's table.

A skilled craftsman then offers to make Arthur a table that will seat more than sixteen hundred and at which high and low will be on an equal footing because the table is round. The number of seats at the Round Table varies in different sources, sometimes being said to seat twelve knights and the king, sometimes as many as The Round Table has come to stand not only for the physical object at which Arthur and his knights sat but also for the order of knighthood and the code to which the knights committed themselves.

The symbolic nature of the Round Table survives even into the youth groups of the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. The founders of one of those clubs, the Knights of King Arthur, saw the roundness of Arthur's table and the equality it implied as representing 'democracy under leadership' and thus an ideal structure for a club for boys. What do we know about the sword Excalibur? In Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur , Excalibur is the name given to the sword Arthur receives from the Lady of the Lake and entrusts to Bedivere to return to the water after his final battle.

There is only one place in the Morte where the sword drawn from the stone is referred to as Excalibur: in his battle with the kings who will not accept him, Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, on Merlin's advice, only when he is losing the battle. When he draws 'his swerd Excalibur', it gives the light of thirty torches and helps him to put his enemies to flight. When this sword from the stone breaks in two as Arthur fights Pellinore, Merlin saves Arthur by casting an enchantment over Pellinore and then takes the king to receive another sword, Excalibur, from the Lady of the Lake.

Merlin tells Arthur that Excalibur's scabbard is even more valuable than the sword itself because while he wears it he will not lose any blood or be severely wounded. If it did exist, where might it have been built? Whatever the truth — and we may never know for sure — the adventures of the legendary King Arthur, with his Round Table Fellowship of Knights based in the mythical city of Camelot, were told and retold between the 11th and 15th centuries in hundreds of manuscripts in at least a dozen languages.

Archaeologist and historian Miles Russells gives us a quick-fire glimpse into some of the most famous people, places and objects in the stories of King Arthur. The character of Mordred, the treacherous nephew, is based upon the first-century-BC king Mandubracius of the Trinovantes in Essex , a prince who betrayed his uncle to Julius Caesar.

There is no equivalent of Lancelot in the earliest accounts of Arthur, his queen Ganhumara instead committing adultery with Mordred. Added in the late 12th century, the quest for the Holy Grail adds a greater sense of both chivalry and religious destiny to the story of Arthur.

There is no mention of a sword in the stone prophesy for Arthur in the earliest accounts of his life; Arthur simply inherits the kingdom from his father, Uther. Historian John Matthews explores six big questions about King Arthur and his legend, separating the myth from reality….

The Round Table is the centerpiece of the Arthurian world. According to the 13th-century poet Layamon, Arthur ordered the table to be built for him by a famous Cornish carpenter, who somehow made the table capable of seating 1, men clearly an exaggeration , yet easily portable to wherever Arthur set up his mobile base of operations.

Some knights were said to have sat at the Round Table.