Was Arthur really Britain’s Greatest Hero?
King Arthur is arguably the best known figure in the world. The legends and tales that surround him have been translated into numerous languages, made into movies, and been passed from generation to generation for nearly 1,500 years. These days, he is considered Britain’s greatest hero, a man who unified the separate tribes of the Celtic Brits and drove back the invading Saxons.
But as usual, legend is only somewhat backed up by history, and the truth of Arthur’s heroic status in his own time very much depended on the point of view. It should be remembered, that only a generation before, Vortigern had gone to war with his fellow Celts. Even putting aside the question of the Saxons, it is clear that Britain was a fractured and divided state. History seems to make clear that Arthur unified the separate parts, but there is no reason to believe he did so peacefully.
Several of the earliest legends of Arthur that survive paint him as a conquering tyrant and far from the shining king of modern tales.
Perhaps the strongest evidence against Arthur’s universal popularity can be found in the story of his death. We know little about the battle of Camluan where Arthur died, but we do know that his main opponent was a man named Medraut (Modred). It is not a Saxon name, and the Saxons have no tradition of defeating Arthur. Most likely Arthur was killed while fighting his fellow Celtic Brits.
