King Arthur and His Knights

1
King Arthur and His Knights
2
The Legend Begins

• Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon and
  Igrayne, wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall.
• Merlin the Magician forced the King to swear a
  solemn oath to allow Merlin to bring up Arthur
  as he chose.
• Merlin delivered the newborn unchristened child
  to Sir Ector.
• Sir Ector christened the child and raised him as
  his own, not knowing he was the future king.

3
Whoso pulleth this sword out of this stone and
anvil is rightly King of all England

• King Uther died two years after Arthurs birth,
  leaving England in turmoil a country without a
  king
• Several years passed, until all the lords of the
  realm gathered on Christmas Day looking for a
  miracle to show them who should rightly be King.
• The Sword in the Stone appeared in the church
  courtyard, bearing the famous inscription.

4
Who would be King?

• It was decided that a tournament would be held to
  determine who would win the right to pull the
  sword out of the stone.
• Sir Ector and his son, Sir Kay, traveled to the
  tournament.
• Sir Kay forgot his sword and asked his younger
  brother, Arthur to retrieve it.
• Arthur decided to get the sword that was in the
  stone and give it to Sir Kay.

5
Arthur becomes King

• Sir Ector and Sir Kay both knelt down to Arthur
  and told him of his true identity.
• The Lords were upset because they did not want a
  boy who was not of high blood to govern their
  country.
• The commoners finally cried out that Arthur was
  the rightful King and should be crowned.
• Arthur was first knighted, then crowned, by the
  Archbishop of Canterbury.
• Arthur swore to his Lords and Commoners to be a
  true King, and to govern with true justice.

6
The Land Called Camelot
Arthur ruled in peace for many years

• Guinivere, daughter of King Leodegrance, married
  Arthur
• Sir Lancelot, son of the Lady of the Lake,
  Arthurs First Knight
• Merlin, wizard and advisor to the King
• Other Knights of the Round Table Sir Gawain, Sir
  Galahad, Sir Percivale, Sir Bedivere

7
Guinevere

• Guinevere is portrayed in some of the Arthurian
  legends as an adultress who had multiple affairs.
  Other legends portray her as a virtuous queen
  who fell in love with Lancelot, but still loved
  Arthur as well.

8
Lancelot

• Lancelot was not a part of the original Arthur
  legend.
• He was one of Arthurs most trusted knights.
• His affair with Guinevere ultimately led to the
  demise of Camelot.
• Both were sentenced to death for their crimes,
  but Lancelot risks his own life to rescue
  Guinevere so that she wouldnt be burned at the
  stake.

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The Tales of King Arthur

• Le Morte DArthur Sir Thomas Malory
• The Once and Future King The Sword in the Stone
  T.H. White
• Camelot, a musical Alan J. Lerner Frederick
  Loewe
• King Arthur-The Marvel of the Sword Mary Macleod

10
Sources
Haskell, Merrie. People in Arthurian Legend.
Merrie Haskells King Arthur Page. November
2002. http//www.personal.umich.edu/gt8 June
2004. Farrell, Scott. The Seven Knightly
Virtues. Chivalry Today. 2002 Shining Armor
Enterprises. www.chivalrytoday. 10 June
2004. Prentice Hall. Literature. Bronze ed. Upper
Saddle River, New JerseyPrentice Hall,
2000. Price, Brian. A Code of Chivarly. The
Knighthood, Chivalry, and Tournaments Resource
Library. 2003. lthttp// www. Chronique.comgt. 8
June 2004.
http//themes.pppst.com/kingarthur.html