King Arthur

Many people know of the famous King Arthur but was he real? There are many stories around this man and his adventures. We do not know if he had many knights or lived in a big castle called Camelot. We do know that he was probably alive during a time when the Romans left Britain and there were many battles with another group called the Saxons in the 6th century.

At that time, people did not write down information. They told it to one another and passed on the stories. So it is difficult for us to know what is true and what is false. The stories tell us that Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and Igraine of Cornwall. He was looked after by Merlin, a wise magician. When King Uther died, Merlin used his magic to put a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were the words:

"Whoever can pull out this sword from this stone is the true king of all England."

When Arthur became king he married Guinevere and they lived in a big castle in a place called Camelot. With Merlin’s help, Arthur got a magical sword called Excalibur and he used this to defeat his enemies.

Adapted from Project Britain website