The Glorious Legend Of King
Arthur
 Name:
The name Arthur may be (and according to K. H. Jackson certainly is) a form of
Artorius, a Roman gens name, but, according to J. D. Bruce, it is possibly of
Celtic origin, coming from artos viros (bear man) - see Welsh arth gwyr (T. R. Davies). Bruce also suggests the possibility of a
connection with Irish art (stone).
Life:
An outline of the hero's life is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth (twelfth
century) in his Historia Regum Brittaniae - History of the Kings of Britain.
Just how much of this life was Geoffrey's invention and how much was culled
from traditional material is uncertain. He tells us that King Arthur was the
son of Uther and defeated the barbarians in a dozen battles. Subsequently, he
conquered a wide empire and eventually went to war with the Romans. He
returned home on learning that his nephew Mordred had raised the standard of
rebellion and taken Guinevere, the queen. After landing, his final battle took
place.
The saga built up over the centuries and Celtic traditions of Arthur reached
the Continent via Brittany. Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur would become what many
considered the standard 'history' of Arthur. In this, we are told of Arthur's
conception when Uther approached Igraine who was made, by Merlin's sorcery, to
resemble her husband. The child was given to Ector to be raised in secret.
After Uther's death there was no king ruling all England. Merlin had placed a
sword in a stone, saying that whoever drew it out would be king. Arthur did so
and Merlin had him crowned. This led to a rebellion be eleven rulers which
Arthur put down. He married Guinevere whose father gave him the Round Table as
a dowry; it became the place where his knights sat, to avoid quarrels over
precedence. A magnificent reign followed, Arthur's court becoming the focus
for many heroes. In the war against the Romans, Arthur defeated the Emperor
Lucius and became emperor himself. However, his most illustrious knight,
Lancelot, became enamoured of Guinevere. The Quest for the Holy Grial began
and Lancelot's intrigue with the Queen came to light.
Lancelot fled and Guinevere was sentenced to death. Lancelot rescued her and
took her to his realm. This led Arthur to crossing the channel and making war
on his former knight. While away from Britain, he left Mordred in charge.
Mordred rebelled and Arthur returned to quell him. This led to Arthur's last
battle on Salisbury Plain, where he slew Mordred, but was himself gravely
wounded. Arthur was then carried off in a barge, saying he was heading for the
vale of Avalon. Some said he never died, but would one day return. However,
his grave was supposedly discovered at Glastonbury in the reign of Henry II
(1154-89).
© 1993, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends - Claremont Books.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SUBJECT, CLICK HERE: www.kingarthursknights.com
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Emperor Constantine I (The Great)
Roman Emperor A. D. 306 - 337
Dominate Period
Constantine is one of the best known of the
Roman Emperors. Some important events of his reign
included the issuance of the Edict of Milan, which
ended the persecution of Christians and made their
worship legal, the battle of the Milvian Bridge,
and the completion of the political and economic
reforms begun under Diocletian. Constantine was
also important in the history of the Catholic
Church for his role at the Council of Nicaea,
where important points of faith in the early
Catholic Church dealing with the Holy Trinity were
worked out. He increased the role of the Catholic
Church in the Roman government by placing bishops
in high political office, where they soon became
quite powerful. Constantine was baptized on his
deathbed, the first Roman emperor to receive the
Christian faith. One of the famous stories told
about Constantine is that of his vision from God
on the night before the battle of the Milvian
Bridge. Maxentius, the Roman emperor in Italy, had
gathered a great number of legions in defiance of
Constantine. Galerius had decided to tax the
citizens of Italy, who had been exempt from taxes
ever since Republican days. Naturally, the Italian
citizens resented this and proclaimed Maxentius
emperor in an effort to get the odious taxes
removed. Constantine was not at all sure of his
chances of victory. According to legend,
Constantine saw the symbol of Jesus Christ’s
power in the clouds and a message written in Latin
reading IN HOC SIGNO VINCES, meaning "In
this sign shalt thou conquer." Immediately,
Constantine placed the sign of Christ on his
standards and had it painted on his shields.
Constantine won the day with a decisive victory
and Maxentius, thrown from the Milvian Bridge, was
drowned when the weight of his armor caused him to
sink into the mud and ooze at the bottom of the
River Tiber. His body was recovered the day after
the battle.
One of the most famous Roman
emperors might never have ascended the throne if
he hadn’t taken a wild ride one night, fleeing
for his life from the "protection" of
his "guardian." Constantine, then
about thirty years old, was very popular with the
legions and had a good military record.
Furthermore, he was the son of Constantius Chlorus,
the Roman emperor in the West. Constantius was
preparing for a military campaign against the wild
painted Picts north of Hadrian's Wall in Britain
and wanted his son with him to help lead his
legions. Constantius asked the Eastern emperor
Galerius to send the young man to him. Galerius
was reluctant to let the young man go to his
father, where his popularity with the army might
undermine Galerius' authority. It was less than a
decade since the island had been wrested from the
grip of the two usurpers Carausius and his
successor Allectus. The memory of these past
events and the dangerous example they set for the
future were too fresh in the mind of the powerful
Eastern emperor for him to be comfortable allowing
such a well-liked military leader out of his
sight. When Galerius grudgingly gave his
permission, Constantine immediately took a few
followers and swiftly fled by night on fast
horses. Thanks to the excellent Roman military
roads, they were on the coast of France boarding
his father's ships before Galerius could change
his mind and have the popular young man pursued
and recalled. Galerius' fears were soon to be
confirmed. When Constantius Chlorus became ill and
died at the Roman military center of York in A. D.
306, the British troops immediately proclaimed
Constantine emperor of Britain. Galerius was
enraged, but Constantine quickly wrote to tell him
that the whole idea was concocted by the troops
and that he, Constantine, had had nothing to do
with it. Since Constantine was far away and
supported by an army, Galerius relented and agreed
to give him the title of Caesar and raise another
man, Severus II, to the rank of Augustus in the
West to replace Constantius Chlorus.
A few months later, the citizens of Italy
rebelled and named Maxentius, the popular son of
Maximianus their emperor. Galerius had increased
their taxes and had removed the tax-exempt status
Rome had enjoyed since the days of the Republic.
Maxentius then invited his father to come out of
retirement and rejoin him as co-emperor. Soon the
two rebels were joined by Constantine, who was
again claiming the title of Augustus. Galerius
sent Severus II to deal with the rebels but
Severus was defeated and later put to death by
Maximianus. Things had gotten so bad by this time
that the Roman Empire was in danger of returning
to the anarchy and civil war of the Third Century
Diocletian agreed to come out of retirement
himself and chair a peace conference at the
military town of Carnuntum on the Danube.
According to the agreement, Constantine was to be
demoted to the rank of Caesar and Valerius
Licinianus Licinius was made Augustus in the
West.. Additionally, Maximianus was forced again
to abdicate and Maxentius was declared an enemy of
the people.
The final showdown with Maxentius came in A. D.
312 at the Milvian Bridge. Constantine made an
alliance with Licinius in order to bring more
troops against his rival, and easily won the
battle in which Maxentius was killed. After
Constantine's victory over Maxentius, Constantine
and Licinius were left in joint control of the
vast Roman Empire. In A. D. 317, Constantine's
sons Crispus and Constantine II and Licinius' son
Licinius II were appointed Caesars.
The strong-willed, power seeking personalities
of both Constantine and Licinius virtually ensured
there would be trouble between the two rulers.
From 312 to 324, relations between the Augusti
steadily deteriorated. Finally, war broke out
between the two over an incident in which Licinius
chased some raiding barbarians into territory
ruled by Constantine. Constantine defeated
Licinius in two battles at Hadrianopolis and
Chrysopolis. Though Constantine spared both
Licinius and his son, they were soon plotting
against Constantine to regain their thrones.
Constantine had both of them put to death.
 Soon
after Constantine had defeated Licinius, he began
work on the ancient Greek city of Byzantium to
transform it into his new Capital of the East. Six
years later, on May 11, A. D. 330. the beautiful
new city of Constantinopolis, or Constantinople to
the modern reader, was dedicated. Coins like the
one at right showing the helmeted personnification
of Constantinople were struck to commemorate the
joyous event.
In A. D. 325, Constantine presided over the
Council of Nicaea. Bishops from all over the Roman
world gathered together to have Constantine help
them decide on the nature of God. They worked out
the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, in which Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost were found to be equal persons
in one God. Also, the Arian heresy was denounced
at the Council of Nicaea. The Arians believed that
Jesus Christ was somehow of a lesser importance,
and had been created by, God the Father.
Two years later, dark intrigue and tragedy
struck the house of Constantine. Constantine’s
wife, Fausta, had accused Constantine's eldest son
Crispus of adultery with her and plotting to seize
the throne. Without checking the truth of these
accusations, Constantine had his son murdered. It
is thought that she made the accusation in order
to place one of her own sons in line for the
throne, as Crispus was Constantine's son by a
previous marriage. When Constantine discovered
that he had been lied to, he had Fausta suffocated
or boiled alive in her bath by slowly running up
the temperature of the water.
Constantine died at Nicomedia on May 22, 337.
It is believed that he was baptized a Christian on
his deathbed. After his death, his two nephews,
Hanniballianus and Delmatius were put to death in
the ensuing struggle for power. Both had been made
caesars a few years before.
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