King Arthur and his knights

No, King Arthur was not only a legend. In the ninth century, a historian called Nennius wrote a book called Historia Britonum. It was a history of Britain, about the life of the Celtic leader,1 Arthur, and his knights.2 Nennius wrote that Arthur was a great Celtic military leader of the 5th and 6th century. He fought against the Saxons from the year 513 to 537. He and his men won many battles against the Saxons. [...]

The first inhabitants of Britain were probably the Celts. They came from Germany in the third century BC. The Roman general, Julius Caesar, invaded Britain in the year 54 BC. He had 25,000 soldiers and 2,000 horses. But he did not stay in Britain. He went to fight the Gauls in France. In 43 AD the Roman Emperor Claudius invaded Britain. This time the Romans stayed. Britain became a Roman province called Britannia. [...]

Young Arthur

The Sword in the Stone

Arthur was a young king. He was about twenty years old. He lived at Camelot. His first years as king were difficult. He fought against many enemies from other lands, particularly the Saxons. Some noblemen of his court caused trouble.1 They did not want to obey2 a young king. King Arthur was very adventurous. He liked riding his horse and looking for adventures. He was courageous, loyal and friendly. His people loved him. [...]

The Knight was an important figure in the feudal system of the Middle Ages. A knight was a warrior.1 He defended his king, his country and his church. He was a strong, courageous figure. He protected women, children, the poor and the weak. He fought for justice. He was generous with everyone. This was the Code of Chivalry, which he obeyed. Knights usually came from rich and noble families. [...]

Arthur rode away with Merlin and said, ‘I broke my sword during the fight with Sir Pellinore. I am king because of that sword. I must have another sword.’ ‘Come with me then,’ said Merlin. Arthur followed Merlin to a lake of clear water. In the middle of the lake, Arthur saw an arm. The arm was holding a sword in a beautiful scabbard.1 ‘Look!’ said Merlin. ‘That is the sword and that is the Lady of the Lake. [...]

A lot of enemies tried to invade Britain: the Saxons, the Jutes, the Pitts and others. A big army of Saxons attacked King Leodegrance in his castle. He was the King of Cameliard. Young King Arthur and his knights fought against these Saxons and won. King Leodegrance was very thankful1 to Arthur. He invited him and his knights to a royal banquet. At the banquet, Arthur met the King’s daughter, Princess Guinevere. [...]

The Five Kings

One of the knights of the Round Table was Lancelot. He came from France. Lancelot was very kind and generous. He often gave his things2 to the poor. Lancelot served his king and queen well. One day a strange girl came to the great hall of the castle. She said to Sir Lancelot, ‘Come with me! It’s very important. I cannot tell you more. Please follow me.’ Sir Lancelot followed the girl to the forest. They stopped at a church. [...]

Long ago castles were built to protect people from enemies. The first castles were made of wood. They were small and were built on hills. There was a high fence1 all around them. Families lived in huts,2 in the field3 below. When the enemy attacked, they all ran to the castle. With time, castles were made of rocks.4 They were much stronger and bigger than the first castles. They had very thick walls. [...]

Bamburgh Castle was built in the 6th century in Northumberland. It was built on a high cliff. It is surrounded on three sides by the sea. Many films were made here. Carlisle Castle was built at the end of the 11th century by William Rufus. It is near Scotland. At first, it was a wooden castle. In 1122, Henry I built walls of stone. Dover Castle was originally a fort, built by the Celts. [...]

Project on the web

The Holy Grail

King Arthur goes to Avalon

What happened to King Arthur’s Round Table? In the old castle in Winchester, there is an enormous round table. It is hanging on the wall. In 1485, William Caxton, the first English printer, said that this round table was King Arthur’s. The names of 24 knights are painted on the table. King Arthur’s place has no name on it. Instead, his picture is painted on it. [...]

At the end of the 12th century, the monks of an abbey in Glastonbury discovered a grave. On the tombstone of this grave there were these Latin words: (Here lies Arthur, once King and King to be) Was this King Arthur’s grave? Before dying, Arthur said to Bedivere, ‘I am going to Avalon.’ In a writing of the 12th century, the word Avalon meant1 ‘the island of apples.’ The name Glastonbury came from the name of a peasant,2 Glasteing. [...]

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