A STIRRING TALE

 

See Also: GEOFFREY CHAUCER

Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur was the first major literary work to tell the story of King Arthur and The Round Table in English. It came to be regarded as describing the epitome of chivalry. In part, it drew upon a previous manuscript that had been written in French. However, the new text incorporated elements from the Welsh and Scottish traditions of Arthurian stories. This material helped to make it a work of substance. The author lost track of what his composition contained; a number of the characters were killed off more than once. Morte d'Arthur is a foundation myth. In most cultures such tales are triumphant. It is not.

That the manuscript came to be written derived from circumstances that were most uncourtly. Malory was born a member of the Warwickshire gentry. As an adult he proved to have a talent for violence. He fought in the Hundred Years' War in France. He then allowed himself to be drawn into the domestic factionalism of the Wars of the Roses. In this, the activities that he engaged in included horse-stealing, attempted assassinations, extortion, robbing an abbey, and being elected to serve as an M.P..

The knight s association with the Yorkists led to his spending spells in prison in London. It was during one of these that he composed Morte d'Arthur. The knight switched sides and became a supporter of the Lancastrians. As a result, he was re-incarcerated. However, the Yorkists were eclipsed in 1470 and he was freed. He died the following year

Morte d Arthur was published as a book by William Caxton in 1485.

Location: Ludgate, Ludgate Hill, EC4M 7LQ. The prison was above Ludgate gate. (orange, brown)

David Backhouse 2024