A Bedale and author has written a book which aims to solves one of the greatest puzzles of British history – did King Arthur really exist?
Alistair Hall has embarked on a historical detective trail to discover whether the legend of King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table was simply that – a legend.
Or was it based on a more profound historical truth, shedding new light on Anglo-Saxon history in the Dark Ages, following the decline and fall of Roman Britain?
Alistair is convinced that Arthur was real and that his book The Battle of Mount Badon: Ambrosius, Arthur and the defence of Britain aims to prove it.
He said: “I am well aware this is a bold claim.
“I have had a passionate interest in Arthur since childhood, some 50 years ago and my forensic research has revealed that an Arthur did exist and played a major role in the turbulent times of 5th century Britain.
“What is more, and I think this is absolutely crucial, my research suggests that the received history of the 5th century is probably incorrectly dated by as much as a generation since these events occurred in the North and followed the Roman evacuation. Moreover, my reassessment gives characters, hitherto considered legend, clear and justifiable roles.
“Of course, like a detective, being on the right track meant that clue after clue jumped out, not just from the landscape but also the sources themselves and like all solutions, it now seems rather obvious. I believe this is very big news and should cause historians who are studying Britain in the Dark Ages to rethink current theses.”
The stirring “legend” of Arthur stems from fleeting references to him in the 9th century by a Welsh cleric called Nennius, which were then embellished by Geoffrey of Monmouth three centuries later.
Nennius records Arthur as a brave warrior who fought no less than 12 battles against the Saxons. One of these battles, Mount Badon, provided the starting point for Alistair’s historical quest for his own Holy Grail, the truth about King Arthur.
He added: “I started with the simple topographical premise that Mons Badonicus – the only historical fact – should be locatable and then cause and effect might become more apparent.
“From the outset I was quite prepared to abandon Arthur, further undermining his historicity, if my research led me in that direction.
“Initially that was where I was heading with the assumption that because Bardon Hill was in the Midlands and there were adjacent “Ambro” place names then perhaps the generally held view was correct and that the late Roman warlord Ambrosius Aurelianus was, as a contemporary monk called Gildas suggests, the real victor at Mount Badon.
“By thorough investigation, I have not only incorporated Ambrosius but come up with an over-arching solution which not only confirms the identity of Arthur, but also rewrites history and provides a new structure and chronology to a period which has been under debate for centuries,” he explained.
This particular period of British history is kick-started by the arrival of the Saxon mercenaries Hengist and Horsa, ostensibly to defend the East Coast from Pictish raids in c.425.
But in the early 440s they rebel and along with other Germanic settlers they raid and attack sub- Roman Britons on a widespread basis.
The Britons respond but were defeated twice, first on the Isle of Axeholme and then at Stamford, both in Lincolnshire. The Britons rallied under the direction of the Roman warrior Ambrosius and attacked the Saxons’ strategic harbour by the Wash. It was a victory for a British king known as Vortimer but he died and this is where Arthur took command.
“I have geographically linked Vortimer’s last battle with Arthur’s first even though they are recorded separately in the Historia Brittonum. Arthur is identified as Arthwys, great grandson of Coel Hen (Old King Cole), in effect a Brigantes prince and probably the first king of Elmet. There follows an immediate campaign of his eleven battles mostly in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire culminating in the battle of Mount Badon at Bardon Hill in c.469. I believe the troops of Ambrosius were present at the last two battles.”
“By establishing that Hengist and Horsa never landed in Kent and where instead Humber based, I am up against Bede, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle and Nennius in the Historia who all claim they were there, but they were all recounting the same 200-year-old oral tradition. This shift to the North brings everything, including Arthur, into kilter. It all then makes complete sense,” said Alistair.
He concluded: “I am extremely proud that, via painstaking research, I have been able to add authenticity and historicity to the wonderfully enduring legend of King Arthur. It is my fervent hope that my book will rewrite history and King Arthur will take his rightful place in the pantheon of great British monarchs.”
- The Battle of Mount Badon: Ambrosius, Arthur and the defence of Britain by Alistair Hall is published by Raven Fell (£25). It is available from all good Yorkshire bookshops, on Amazon and from the author himself (email: books@ravenfell.co.uk).
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