First full-scale account of the use of the Arthurian legend in the long
twelfth century.
The precedent of empire and the promise of return lay at the heart of
King Arthur's appeal in the Middle Ages. Both ideas found fullness of
expression in the twelfth century: monarchs and magnates sought to
recreate an Arthurian golden age that was as wondrous as the biblical
and classical worlds, but less remote. Arthurianism, the practice of
invoking and emulating the legendary Arthur of post-Roman Britain, was
thus an instance of medieval medievalism.
This book provides a comprehensive history of the first 150 years of
Arthurianism, from its beginnings under Henry II of England to a
highpoint under Edward I. It contends that the Plantagenet kings of
England mockingly ascribed a literal understanding of the myth of King
Arthur's return to the Brittonic Celts whilst adopting for themselves a
figurative and typological interpretation of the myth. A central figure
in this work is Arthur of Brittany (1187-1203), who, for more than a
generation, was the focus of Arthurian hopes and their disappointment.