In childhood, our parents told us different bedtime stories about animals, kind and unkind people. But in England a man will be laughed at if he does not know who King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are. Since childhood, the inhabitants of this country have been instilled with a love of the famous exploits of the English knights. If our children in childhood play war and represent themselves as Alesha Popovich or Ilya Muromets, then the English fight with artificial swords, representing themselves as Lancelot or Arthur.
"Strength is not justice, justice is strength."
How did it all start? If you believe the legends in which reality is mixed up with fiction, the Knights of the Round Table lead their history from the Tintagel Cornish castle. According to legend, the courageous knight of Gorloux lived with his wife Igrain, who conquered King Uther Pendragon with her beauty. Unable to fall in love with a woman, the king resorts to charms and asks for the help of the wizard Merlin, who lived in time back. He turned Uther's appearance into Gorlua's appearance. And only then he got the girl's favor, and soon a boy was born from their connection, who was named Arthur.
Even before birth, he was destined to become a courageous and wise king, because the wizard himself took care of his birth. The famous knight with his wife Guinevere settled in the castle of Camelot. It was there that the Knights of the Round Table entered for the first time. The idea followed the example of the Last Supper. King Arthur intended to make honor, nobility and exploits the main feature of the kingdom. Gathering at the round table, they decided questions about the kingdom, it was a kind of legislative, executive and judicial authority.
Renunciation of nobility
The kingdom of Arthur did not judge for a long time to be a model of nobility. First, the knight Tristan fell in love with the wife of the Irish king Mark - Isolde, and then Arthur suffered failures from love. One of the Lancelot knights inflamed with a warm feeling for Guinevere, who answered him. Arthur managed to carry the nobility through his whole life, and did not lose it even in this situation, setting an example for others. All the knights of the Round Table knew about the relationship of Lancelot and Guinevere, but Arthur was silent, so as not to provoke the destruction of the fraternity. It turns out that not all knights were so noble and worthy of this title. Modred convinced Arthur to go hunting in the hope that the lovers would make an appointment. It happened, but the insidious Modred did not stop there and burst into the bedroom to Guinevere. Upon learning of this, Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were forced to react. Their sentence was cruel: to burn an unfaithful wife at the stake. Guinevere was tied to a pillar, the executioner got ready and waited for Arthur's order, but he hesitated. And finally, Lancelot appeared, who stole Guinevere. It was this denouement that Arthur was waiting for.
As a result, the brotherhood had to march on the Franks, and the same Modred took advantage of Arthur's absence and decided to seize power. Upon learning of this, the king immediately turned his army home. A brutal battle between Arthur and Modred took place near the Comblan River, as a result of which many glorious knights died. Modred was also killed by Arthur, but before his death he managed to wound the king. Lying near the river, Arthur asked the knight Bodiver to throw his sword in Comblan so that the sword would die with his master and no one could stain him with renunciation of honor, injustice and meanness. From the river came the hand of a woman who took the famous sword. The noble life of Arutra ended in no less noble death.
Where is the truth and where is the fiction?
There is much debate about the existence of Arthur and his knights. Were the Knights of the Round Table really as noble as they are now painted, and did these people even exist? Many castles, in particular Tintagel, in which Arthur was born, still exist, although only ruins remain from them. Documents of that time also confirm the existence of Arthur, Lancelot and other knights. But whether they were actually so noble is unknown, and what difference does it make. The main thing is that this beautiful legend carries an instructive meaning, and all young people are equal to the knights of the Round Table.