IN SEARCH OF BRITAIN'S LOST KING:

A MILLENNIAL QUEST FOR ARTHUR

I know not if you have heard tell the marvellous gestes and errant deeds related so often to King Arthur.
They have been noised about this mighty realm for so great a space that the truth has turned to fable 
and an idle song. Such rhymes are neither sheer bare lies, nor gospel truths. They should not be considered
either an idiot's tale, or given by inspiration. The minstrel has sung his ballad, the storyteller has told over
his story so frequently, little by little he has decked and painted, till by reason of his embellishment 
the truth stands hid in the trappings of a tale. Thus to make a delectable tune to your ear,
history goes masking as fable.
-Wace, Roman de Brut, c.1155

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In January 2000 two undergraduate students left for a month-long research trip, sponsored by Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama. After traveling over 3000 miles across the Island of Britain, we created this site for people who wish to learn more about those places associated with King Arthur and the legends attached to them. Then, in January 2001, we returned to Britain and followed Arthur's trail for another 2000 miles, and this site now better reflects and explores the historical bases of the Arthurian Legend. We have since compiled our experiences into a travel guide and are seeking publication.

This project has been presented at several conferences:

Birmingham-Southern College's Honors Day--April 25, 2000
The Southeast Medieval Association--September 28, 2000
National Conference for Undergraduate Research--March 2001

The site is best viewed with this font, placed in the C:/Windows/Fonts directory -- Anglo-Saxon Caps

Historical Context 5th and 6th century post-Roman Britain is the time most often associated with the "real" King Arthur. Here you will find information about the political climate, warfare, and everyday life of that time.	Camelot There is a mystery surrounding Arthur's birth and his reign at Camelot. We visited the island of Tintagel and several of the supposed sites of Camelot (including Cadbury Castle).	The Round Table Arthur's Round Table has become a symbol of equality and brotherhood. We examined several different candidates in both southern and northern England, as well as in Wales.	Arthur's Knights Here we tell of the exploits of Arthur's most well-known knights, such as Gawain, Lancelot, Bedivere, and more.
The Battles of Arthur According to Nennius, Arthur fought twelve major battles during his reign. Supposed sites for nine of these twelve battles are pictured and discussed here including Badon, where Arthur defeated the Saxons, and Camlann, where Arthur was mortally wounded	Excalibur After the battle of Camlann, Arthur instructed Sir Bedivere to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. The stories, however, never point to a specific body of water. This page discusses eight of the stronger claims to the resting place of Excalibur.	Arthur's Passing Here you will find details of Arthur's final resting place after the fatal battle of Camlann.	Merlin The character of Merlin is one of the more interesting ones in the Arthurian Legend. This page discusses the evolution of this magician, as well as issues of his life, feats, and death.
Legendary Characters This page discusses other important figures surrounding the legend, such as Vortigern, Uther Pendragon, and Guinevere.	Interview with Geoffrey Ashe We were lucky to have the chance to sit down with this renowned Arthurian scholar.	Itinerary 2000 Itinerary 2001 The itineraries from our first trip and our most recent one from January 2001. They include clickable maps of the sites we visited as well as our lodging information.	Tips From the Pros Our experience as Arthurian pilgrims, as well as the pedagogy behind the trip.
Jake's Journal 2000 Jake's Journal 2001 These are the full texts of Jake's travel journals from both trips.	Joe's Journal 2000 Joe's Journal 2001 These are the full texts of Joe's travel journals from both trips.	Primary Texts Read the works of Nennius, Bede, and Gildas, as well as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle	Bibliography In this section, you can find the books and sources we used for our research.
Links Here are some resources that we found useful.	Emails Here are some emails we've gotten from visitors to our site.	Articles The Birmingham News The Tuscaloosa News	We want to hear from you!

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SITE CREATED DECEMBER 6, 1999
LAST UPDATED JULY 15, 2004