Historical Arthur

The "Annals of Wales," a Latin chronicle that mentions Arthur in two places: one at theBattle of Badon; the other at Camlann where he fell.

Gildas. De Excidio Britanniae. ed. and trans. by Michael Winterbottom as The Ruin of Britain. In History from the sources. Vol. 7. Chichester: Phillimore, 1978.

This text, "On the Ruin of Britain," is the only early work covering the phase of BritishHistory in which Arthur is commonly thought to have existed. He does not, however, referplainly to Arthur.

Nennius. Historia Brittonium. ed. and trans. by John Morris as British History and theWelsh Annals. In History from the sources. Vol. 8. Chichester: Phillimore, 1980.

Nennius, a Welsh Monk, complied a "history of the Britons," in which he discusses Arthur's twelve victories over the Saxons. He gives Arthur the title of "leader of battles" (duxbellorum) but does not detail his political ascendancy.

Some secondary texts of interest to the study of the historical Arthur include:

Alcock, Leslie. Arthur's Britain. London: Penguin, 1971.

This book claims that Arthur was a real historical person. Based on source analysis, itattempts to show an Arthur who commanded a combined force from several British kingdomsat the Battle of Badon.

Ashe, Geoffrey. The Discovery of King Arthur. New York: Doubleday, 1985.

Examines the historical facts in and behind Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings ofBritain" (entry 22).

Higham, N.J. The English Conquest: Gildas and Britain in the Fifth Century. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1994.

The author examines "On the Ruin of Britain" in the light of historical evidence(which he admits is mostly lacking for the period in question). He presents a highly readablepicture of Britain in Arthur's time as well as a balanced account of Arthur's possibleexistence in history.

© 1996 John J. Doherty

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