The real King Arthur
King Arthur
The real King Arthur according to the history written by a monk named Nennius in the ninth century was a legendary and successful military leader This leader fought several battles during the troubled times of the 530’s, being ultimately killed at Camlann in 537. He is thought by many historians to be based on an amalgamation of different leaders from the sub-Roman dark age period. A period which encompassed the late fifth and early sixth centuries AD.
The End of the Roman Province
This period marked the end of the Roman province of Britain. It was also a time of intense conflict between the surviving Christian Romano-British elites and the invading Germanic peoples. They were known collectively as the ‘Saxonici’ by Roman authors.
Nennius
According to Nennius the legendary King Arthur operated in southern Scotland and the north of England. With his base being in the Welsh Kingdom of Strathclyde. From here he fought several opponents. Not just the Anglo-Saxons of legend but also other Welsh and Pictish enemies. Most historians agree that he was Romanised. Being from the allied Welsh kingdoms of the Romans adjacent to Hadrian’s Wall. As such he would have been Christian, fully trained in Roman cavalry tactics and equipped like Roman auxiliary cavalry. This type of military force would have been particularly effective against the Germanic warbands who tended to fight on foot. Other Romano-British leaders are known from the sources to have operated in this period.
Recently Increased Knowledge of the Dark Ages
From the little documentation that has survived from this time. Together with the additional information that is being recovered from on going archaeological excavations, a lot more is beginning to be known about this period. Leading to the knowledge of the Dark Age being greatly expanded in recent times. However much remains to be discovered about this most obscure and difficult of historical periods.