King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend (FULL MOVIE)

[Music] my lord I will wither Schleich where shall I hide my forehead and my eyes for now I see the true old times are dead and every morning brought a known chance and every child's fault act unknown right such times have been not since the light that led the holy elders with the gift of man but now the whole round table is dissolved which was an image of the mighty world and I the last go forth companions and the days darken vanity and the years among new men strange faces history is a strange and wonderful subject that lives and breathes with the resonating cries of ancient heroes shadowing the footsteps of each new generation it also has an uncanny knack of repeating itself as the same mistakes are made and battles fought century after century with lesson seemingly never learned but just occasionally a character rises from the mists of time to challenge and inspire the modern world and one of the greatest of them all has to be King Arthur the last great romantic Celts to rule the ancient Britons the tales of Arthur and his chivalrous knights of the round table fighting against tyranny and evil in the quest for truth and justice are powerful indeed and it'll come as no surprise that at a time when the threat of pernicious terrorism renders even the strongest vulnerable King Arthur is enjoying a well-deserved resurgence as a popular hero championing hope in a troubled age [Music] yet turned to your classic history books chronicling the exploits of the kings and queens of Great Britain and you'll find King Arthur to be conspicuous by his absence Henry the eighth Elizabeth the first richard the lionheart and even poor old king alfred much maligned for burning the cakes are all to be discovered with accredited dates of birth and death the majority lying in fine ceremonial tombs in the nation's much-loved Westminster Abbey there are a few exceptions scattered around other magnificent churches but when it comes to Arthur his alleged final resting places are many and it's a tough call to choose between them no matter how far you travel or however hard so as we set out on this journey in search of King Arthur the quest is immediately both controversial and mysterious beginning at the beginning is always the best way to start and if it's just about impossible to find where Arthur is buried we should at least be able to trace the place of his birth or can we [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] this is Tintagel in Cornwall where castle ruins perch precariously on the cliff top marking the spot where King Arthur came into the world he was the result of an enchanted liaison between the men King of England and the lady of Tintagel castle aided and abetted by the most powerful magician in the country hang on a moment did I hear you cry magicians in history it'll be dragons next and damsels in distress of course you're absolutely right this isn't history in a technical sense as we know it and immediately we have an explanation for Arthur's absence from the great registers of royal ascendancy the plot thickens because King Arthur belongs to the realm of legend along with such mighty heroes as Odysseus and Achilles Robin Hood champion of the poor and the far less chivalrous Pirates of the Caribbean deep deep enough and you'll find real bona fide facts at the bottom of all these fantastic accounts of past glories though it might be a lot harder to track down legends than history in its purest form the rewards will make up for any extra effort because you can give free rein to your imagination and in this case allow King Arthur to weave his own very special brand of magic [Music] before we go any further a few words here about the Celts the race of people Arthur hailed from will help to set the scene today when we think of the Celts it's the lyrical Irish the romantic Scots and the musical Welsh that spring instantly to mind although the good folk of Cornwall the Isle of Man and the Breton's of northern France all have an equal claim to Celtic ancestry the first mention of the counts came in about 750 BC but their later battles with the Greeks and the Romans saw them literally chased across what is today modern Europe until they reached northern France and Britain unfortunately for them the Romans had empirical designs on the territory and literally forced the Celts into the farthest extremes of Wales Ireland and Scotland even building a wall courtesy of the Emperor Hadrian to keep the fearsome Scottish Celts out of England although this might sound a little extreme the Romans were sensible enough to realize that battling with the Celts was a dangerous occupation because as a people they had a personality and culture that was indomitable they didn't worry too much about dying so they were fearless because of their firm belief in an afterlife to this day if you attend an Irish funeral chances are that you'll end up in the pub afterwards for a traditional wake perhaps best described as a great party to give the deceased a good send-off to the celts death was a beginning and not an end and something to be celebrated with the wake simply carrying on from this age-old practice [Music] fortunately for the disciplined Romans the Celts usually ran wild on the battlefield and never mastered working as a team resulting in many defeats however being fearless mainly acts when fighting the Celts could do an awful lot of damage to their enemies whatever the outcome chopping heads off was a great Celtic pastime and keeping as many captured heads as possible attached to your saddle proved your credentials as a warrior because decapitation transferred your beheaded enemy's power directly to you at the end of the battle the victorious Romans would find they didn't even have any prisoners to subjugate as slaves because a Celt would always kill himself rather than face capture all in all it was much better to keep as far away from the Celts as possible particularly if you wanted to keep your head and all around you were losing there's not that minor detail like Hadrian's Wall stopped the Celts from fighting if they couldn't do battle with the Romans they'd fight amongst themselves and single combat was a great favorite with them for settling all kinds of arguments the fighting was only one facet of the Celtic character because they were extremely artistic the most influential people in Celtic culture were actually the poets or the druids as they're better known with the coming of Christianity the Celts soon mastered writing their oral poetry and storytelling tradition down and if you travel to Dublin you can see a fine example of the work of Celtic monks the book of the Kells is highly decorated and to be found on display in the library of Trinity College is the finest illuminated medieval manuscript you're ever likely to see this great artistry was even used to decorate their weapons with swords in particular being fantastically engraved but there was quite a bizarre Celtic tradition for throwing their finest metalwork into any conveniently situated lake as a sacrifice to their gods even as late as the Second World War a lake in North Wales was found to be loaded with beautiful Celtic treasure after a search for a lost aircraft [Music] at the height of their powers the Romans were invincible but world domination tends not to last forever and eventually ad 410 to be precise they departed British shores for their Italian homeland [Music] [Laughter] [Music] it's at this point in history that the story of Arthur has its place when Britain was ripe for the picking by any Aurore d superpower with the presence of mind to take over where the road is left off the main contender came in the form of the Germanic Saxons but King Arthur achieved the seemingly impossible he United all the Celtic Kings princes and Lords so fond of fighting amongst themselves and kept the Saxons at bay for some considerable years this was all a very long time ago and piecing together what concrete information we have is rather hit and miss to say the very least however we can be pretty certain towards the end of the fifth century and into the early 6th a heroic leader evolved of Celtic origin and stemmed the Saxon tide he was without doubt the real man who inspired the legends that we all now know and love about King Arthur and as we step back in time to get better acquainted with the shadowy historical character who can say what ghosts will awake from their slumbers [Music] of all the great legends of the world the one thing that they all have in common is a really excellent storyteller Homer did a magnificent job of passing the tale of Troy complete with Achilles Helen and the wooden horse down through the ages but when it comes to Arthur things are just a little more complicated the man responsible for first recording the king Arthur of our modern-day imaginings was a Welsh bishop by the name of Geoffrey writing in the eleven hundreds to give him his full title Geoffrey of Monmouth leads us to the lovely Welsh border town where he was most probably born hence his title Monmouth today is a charming place with a unique 13th century stone gated bridge and it could definitely be described as inspirational apart from this very little is known about Geoffrey of Monmouth he did spend most of his life in Oxford that hallowed seat at learning and he evidently had a significant interest in the past Geoffrey's undertaking was a brave one indeed even by today's standards as he set out to chronicle the history of the Kings of Britain dating all the way from 1100 BC right through to the final triumph of the Saxons in 689 ad modern scholars could be forgiven for feeling intimidated by such a task but Geoffrey had a wonderful strategy for the project whenever he was faced with a gaping historical hole he simply filled in the blanks with whatever took his fancy a great deal of his work is the product of a very active imagination and of course living himself in an age of knights in shining armor and fair damsels the entire history of Britain was modified to fit in with his own perceptions of war and peace when Geoffrey reached the time of Arthur there were very few historical facts to go on and he truly performed a magnificent public relations makeover on the Celtic King and quite naturally because this history was presented as a factual document this is how Arthur was recorded for posterity when Geoffrey's masterpiece was published in 11:36 it became a veritable bestseller not only in Britain but also across the continent as well there were voices of dissent even at the outset william of newburgh a more punctilious early historian described Geoffrey's work as a tissue of impudent and shameless lies but nevertheless the history of the kings of Britain was accepted as the definitive guide to British history for almost 600 years few people were sufficiently educated to doubt what Geoffrey had to say even if they wanted to consider the time in which the Welsh born perhaps proud Celt Geoffrey was writing the Norman Conquest had changed the face of Britain dramatically after 1066 subjugating the indigenous people to norman rule and the victorian french were far from popular what could be better for public morale than the memory of a truly celtic king resisting the invasion of a continental army [Music] when the masses were presented with Jeffrey's offer they were looking for a hero and this version of events fitted the bill perfectly and nobody was going to allow the threat of the truth to get in the way of a good story the restored a sense of public pride to a conquered nation it certainly all good intriguing stuff and having laid the case of Geoffrey of Monmouth before you it's high time to head off in search of Arthur himself and allow you to make up your own mind on the subject of his authenticity [Music] Geoffrey of Monmouth sets the scene for Arthur with great care complete with the lengthy treatment of a character by the name of Vorta gong who will lead us to the beautiful mountain region of Snowdonia in wales Vorta gan was a troubled man having fled to the mountains he was trying to build a great tower as a fortress unfortunately for him building work was being hampered by a most irritating phenomenon all day long his men would be hard at work and the walls of the tower rose steadily skyward but by next morning the walls had always fallen down leaving nothing but a crumbled ruin vortigaunt had seized power when after the roman departure three young princes were left as heirs to the throne of England when the eldest died in highly suspicious circumstances he was poisoned guardians of the surviving two prints or really as Ambrosius and prince luther took the boys into hiding while Vorta gan ruled throughout the land the Saxons were by this time queuing up to invade Britain particularly a pair of brothers known as Hengist and Horsa to strengthen his position Vorta gong gave Hengist the county of Kent soon the mighty Saxon was ready to lay siege to London and York at a conference with the British Nobles that Angus had called under the pretext of talking peace the Saxon brutally slaughtered them all vortigaunt was only spared because he didn't oppose Hengist but he was never able to sleep easy in his bed not only were the Saxons unpredictable and likely to change their minds and come after him but also the rest of the population blamed Vorta gan for giving the bloodthirsty Saxons access to their land and they cheerfully have dispatched him to his maker with little compunction given the slightest opportunity [Music] this is all perfectly feasible up to this point a typical territorial historical dispute but now we enter the realms of the supernatural for Tegan was getting nowhere with his builders so he called in the soothsayers to sort things out the solution was obvious Vorta Candide only find a boy not fathered by a mortal man to kill him sprinkle his blood on the stones and miraculously the problem would be solved with the tower standing firm needless to say there was a distinct lack of volunteers and it took considerable searching throughout all Wales to find such a boy but eventually enter Merlin onto the Arthurian stage whose mother claimed an enchanted spirit had fathered him although young Merlin was already wise and when he saw the building site he explained that no amount of his blood would improve the stability of the crumbling walls the problem lay much deeper beneath the foundations of the tower [Music] there was in fact an underground lake where two dragons were constantly fighting each other sure enough when the lake was drained the two dragons emerged still doing battle but was white and one was red at first the white dragon was winning but the red dragon recovered its strength and proved to be victorious [Music] all this was very confusing for bought Egan and rather than killing Merlin for his blood he asked him to interpret what the dragon fight meant Merlin explained that the red dragon was symbolic of the native Britons and the white dragon indicated the Saxon invaders due to vorticons ruthless ambition the Saxons had the upper hand but the eventual victory of the red dragon foretold that the Britons would recover and oast the Saxons this didn't exactly make for Teagan's day as Merlin prophesized that the exiled Kings days were well and truly numbered as the rightful princes rias and ether now grown up we're already hunting him down murderer of their brother and usurper of their throne Aurelius was crowned the rightful king for Teagan was pursued all over Wales until he found refuge in a Monmouth castle but really a soon caught up with him and burnt the castle to the ground killing vortical in the process then it was the turn of the Saxons and the prophecy of the red dragon was fulfilled as Aurelius drove the invaders back out into the North Sea while Hengist was captured and executed Merlin had established himself as a very valuable asset for any King and Aurelius valued his wise words greatly [Music] in fact when he wanted to erect a memorial to the British Nobles Hengist had slaughtered Merlin had an interesting idea the magician knew of a fine and mighty ring of stones in Ireland built by giants into a magic circle and he took ether with him to collect with his powers Merlin enchanted the stones and brought them back to reset on Salisbury Plain this is just one of the many explanations you'll find for the presence of Stonehenge but it's very possibly the least likely of them all despite the great romantic appeal moving swiftly on Aurelius didn't last very long as king before falling victim to a deadly assassin and the crown passed to his brother Luther Pendragon now we are getting close to the coming of Arthur and the story takes another fantastic alter [Music] it was at an Easter gathering that King Uther Pendragon first set eyes upon I grainy a beautiful wife of gorlice Duke of Corner when he vowed he would have her for his own as you might imagine the lovely lady's husband took a very dim view of this and being sharp enough to spot the desire in hoofers eyes he decided to remove eye grainy to a place of safekeeping gorlice chose Tintagel and as soon as you arrive at this rocky inhospitable headland you can't help admiring his choice and location [Music] unfortunately for gorlice Luther was a determined sort of a character used to getting his own way by fair means or foul and he also had the advantage of an extremely powerful magician on his side Merlin was called in because the coarse way out onto the island where the castle stood was so narrow and well defended Luther would never have got through alive with a magic potion Merlin transformed the amorous King Uther into an exact replica of gorlice so that the beautiful Igraine II would take him to her bed this is actually how Arthur was conceived as recorded in Geoffrey's history and others have certainly embellished the story even further it's a commonly held belief that Merlin demanded a high price for his love potion insisting that in return Luther must give him the firstborn child of this Union and the dis ah Ted King readily agree [Music] gorlice ceased to be a complication when he was very conveniently killed in battle and where new therapies himself the pair were married and shortly afterwards arthur was born it has been suggested in about 475 AD at Tintagel castle up until this point in the story Geoffrey of Monmouth has had the stage of Arthurian legend pretty much all to himself but before we go any further we need to consider the author's responsible for taking us on the next stage of this incredible journey [Music] Morte d'Arthur the most readily known work on our Celtic King seems to have been written by more than one author in completely different centuries which can be rather confusing however this is a much easier mystery to clear up than the one posed by the tales of King Arthur in their entirety when it comes to our perception of King Arthur and his knights the Honourable Gawain great romantic Lancelot and wicked Mordred it's the morte d'Arthur of Sir Thomas Malory written in 1470 that we have to thank for turning these fantasy heroes into household names very definitely fuelled by Geoffrey of Monmouth's history Malory also took his inspiration from a thirteenth century poem bearing the same name of remarkable proportions with three thousand eight hundred and thirty four lines split into eight line rhyming stanzas the legend of King Arthur was already enjoying epic status for modern literary tastes Mallory could be considered just a tad heavy going but in the 15th century the reading public couldn't get enough of him and history certainly played its part when William Caxton the father of English publishing set up his printing press at Westminster in 1476 it was as revolutionary for improving communication as the advent of the internet proved to be in the 20th century and even more significantly for the growth of the Arthurian legend Malory's Malta Arthur was one of the first books he printed dating back to 1485 [Music] interestingly Mallory's original manuscript wasn't discovered until 1934 in the library of Winchester because Caxton actually presented his own version of Mallory's work nevertheless the tales of Arthur were a phenomenal success Mallory did get the credit and the legacy of Geoffrey of Monmouth was passed on to a whole new dynastic generation the Tudors [Music] taking a great leap in time to the Victorian era you'll encounter a very different version of Mordor Arthur this time by the much better known Alfred Lord Tennyson this beautifully illuminated copy of the poem recording the death of Arthur was completed in 1833 and published in 1842 it proved equally as successful as Malory's had so many years before and Tennyson returned to the topic for the ideals of the King in 1859 and also the Holy Grail there were critics who believed that Tennyson had taken much of the fiery passion out of the legend to make it more palatable to Victorian sensibilities reviewers that described Tennyson as delivering the poetry of the drawing-room may have had a point but he certainly perpetuated the myth legend or dare we say it the history of King Arthur to yet another level [Music] these additional renditions of the story of Arthur may not make our task of finding the real Celtic King any easier but they certainly make things an awful lot more interesting what will now be presented is a veritable patchwork of as many pieces of the Arthurian jigsaw puzzle as can be fitted together in the brief time span that this program can offer so let us return to the rocky cliffs of Tintagel and follow the progress of the helpless baby Arthur on his journey of destiny to the throne of Britain and his rightful place as the nation's once and future king [Music] Luther may not have been honorable in his wooing of I grainy but he kept his word about his son and when Arthur was born handed him over to Merlin the wise magician placed the baby in the care of a knight called Sir Ector who brought Arthur up as his own son while Merlin kept a close eye on the proceedings when King Luther died Arthur was just a small boy and Merlin knew that the time for the new Kings succession had not yet come [Music] with Arthur's identity safely concealed the nobles feuding for control of the kingdom couldn't harm him but Merlin was well aware of the perilous task that lay ahead if he was to unite the warring factions behind Arthur particularly as the threat of a Saxon invasion was already growing eventually Merlin's patience was rewarded and Arthur grew into a strong young man by which time the great magician was ready with an ingenious strategy [Music] even back in the dark ages Christmas was celebrated in style but more as a joyous midwinter festival than how we know of it today Merlin took the opportunity to get the highest archbishop in the land to call all the nobles to church for a special service on Christmas Day the great churches of London Canterbury and Winchester have all been cited as the location for this seasonal event so you can almost take your pick miraculously more precisely as a result of Merlins magic a magnificent sword appeared as the service took place some say lodged in a stone and others in an anvil [Music] [Music] the purpose of the apparition was identical in both circumstances whoever pulled the sword from the stone anvil would be a true born king of all Britain [Music] for the gathered nobles each thought he would be proved the rightful king and a great commotion followed as they all tried to free the sword but their efforts were in vain not one amongst them the strongest Knights in all the land could move the sword even a fraction and eventually they gave up in disgust the archbishop called them to order and now seeing that God would send a king so a tournament was arranged to be held there on New Year's Day enabling folk to come from far and wide to try their luck pulling the sword from the stone amongst those who flocked to the mystical sword war sir Ector with his son the recently knighted sir kay and of the youthful Arthur [Music] a tournament was a fantastic way to spend you his day but as the three travelers reached the place where the fun and games had already begun sir Kay realized that he left his sword back at their lodgings and would be unable to join in Arthur willingly volunteered to go back and fetch it but when he got to the house it was all locked up as everyone had gone to the tournament on route Arthur had spotted the sword in the stone although he knew nothing of its significance and determined that his brothers day should not be ruined and that this sword would do very much after all if someone had been foolish enough to leave a sword in such a ridiculous place that he father need not feel guilty about taking it with the lightest touch the sword came away from the stone and Arthur hurried onwards and handed it to Sir Kay now Sookie wasn't a bad character but he knew perfectly well what Arthur given him and the temptation was just too great rushing to his father he cried that he so Kay must be the true born king of Britain as he now held the sword but Sir Ector was immediately suspicious and forced the truth from Kay about it being Arthur who taken the sword from the stone all three of them returned and Arthur put the sword back exactly where he'd found it as Kay rushed forward to try and pull it back out but the sword was locked firm once more and even when Sir Ector laid his hand upon the hilt it would not come away standing back both men bid Arthur trying and with no effort whatsoever he pulled the sword out once more and waved it heaven woods Sir Ector and sir Kay fell to their knees and explained to the bewildered Arthur that he now was undeniably the true king of all the land and the natural son of King Uther Pendragon [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's worth pausing here a moment to just add a footnote from history the Celts were not interested in crimes for their kingdoms but a powerful sword was an absolute must for distinguishing royalty if a king was challenged then the royal sword would be placed upon an altar yes you've guessed it made of stone while the two contenders fought for supremacy the winner would then of course be entitled to take the sword as a sign of this kingship could this possibly have been the real origin of this symbolic story a sword on the study doesn't have quite the same romantic ring to it as the sword endlessly it it does add an element of reality to a sequence of events fast slipping into the fairytale along with Cinderella and sealing [Music] [Applause] there was much to be done if the nation was to become united under King Arthur and the first few years of his reign was spent quelling uprisings and doing battle with warmongering Nobles although Arthur was a youthful King he was also brave and honorable which inspired others eventually the fighting was finished allowing the people of the land to live in peace and prosperity it was a golden age indeed as Arthur gathered his brave knights to surround him building a Court based on truth justice and honor simply uttering the word Camelot will bring to mind images of fairytale castles complete with towers and turrets along with brave knights and fair maidens doused in mount dancing where romance hangs in the atmosphere like a heady intoxicating perfume and now we come to one of the greatest Arthurian mysteries of the moon where was Camelot a legendary court of King Arthur look through any number of guidebooks for the British Isles and you'll discover a wide range of suggestions so before we investigate King Arthur any further we'll take a closer look at the likeliest contenders [Music] some mentioned whales others Scotland or even those who consider the ruins at Tintagel to be the location of Arthur's Camelot interestingly Geoffrey of Monmouth does not talk of Camelot it's a later invention but he does bestow Arthur with a fine Quarter Quell Ian in South Wales in his history of the kings of Britain Geoffrey talks of Arthur's chief city with two Minster churches and a College of 200 scholars skilled in astrology where the young king was crowned there are those who think that Geoffrey's choice of kalium owed much to his own Welsh 10-degree and the fact that Monmouth lies just a few miles to the north but historically speaking it has significant possibilities if you visit the site achillion today you'll find the ruins of a fine Roman amphitheater and an extensive settlement this was evidently a very important Roman city and an ideal location for a Celtic King attempting to unite the warring ancient Britons against the Saxons in the aftermath of the Roman departure kalium may well be an excellent historians choice but it does lose out a little on the romance of Camelot that had become all the rage by the time Sir Thomas Malory set pen to paper in his later scribblings identifying Winchester as Camelot [Music] form the Arthurian tourist a trip to Winchester is usually fairly high up on the agenda because of a magnificent treasure located within the city's Great Hall that was once part of a fine Norman castle [Music] this roundtable attracts many visitors and it's truly magnificent there are a number of versions of the story of King Arthur's round table but the firm favorite has to be the one associated with Arthur's legendary marriage to Guinevere thought to have been a stunningly beautiful princess of Roman descent it must have been love at first sight because Arthur spotted her in the distance while visiting her father King Liotta grants [Music] Arthur relied heavily upon the wisdom of Merlin and asked him to make the relevant arrangements but the magician was reluctant to do so as he could see into the future and he knew that this union was tragically doomed but Arthur vowed that he would have no wife at all if it wasn't to be Guinevere so Merlin in his king service went to the fair lady's father and settled the match as a wedding gift King Leo degrom sent with Guinevere a round table 150 Knights could sit about ironically it was Arthur's father Uther who doubted be none too keen on dragging the huge table up the steep cliff path at Tintagel who'd given the table to Liotta grants in the first place Liotta grants also dispatched 100 of his own Knights to serve King Arthur so the wedding party was most definitely a grand [Music] from the day of the wedding onwards all the knights of the round table sat equally around their King and other versions of the story actually credit Merlin with creating the table to stop the Knights fighting over who was to say to where being a king was a serious business and King Arthur demanded courage honor dignity courtesy and nobility from his men they were never to do outrageously or murder by no means being cruel and always do ladies damsels and gentlemen when each man was knighted Arthur would hang the emblem of the knight around his neck to remind him of his pledge a cross represented the pure stainless Life expected of him the red dragon heralded allegiance to the king and the round table the Eternity of God the equality of unity and the comradeship [Music] this was the age of chivalry whether fact or fiction the principles of the knights of the round table have forged the foundations for many honorable charitable institutions from the days of King Arthur right up to the present day sadly beautifulness this roundtable is he couldn't possibly have belonged to Arthur as it only dates back to the end of the 13th Thor beginning of the 14th century confirmed by carbon dating technology the most probable originator was Keenan the first who certainly had more than a passing interest in the supremacy of Arthur although he managed to forget all that pledges of honor and nobility and came to fighting the Scots Edward the first Longshanks as is often better known because of his height is the English king who was so bitterly embroiled in cool conflict with William Wallace of Scotland or familiar to us today thanks to the Braveheart story [Music] the table been built for a tournament held at Winchester by King Edward in twelve hundred and nineteen the historian seemed to think that this is a distinct possibility when it would have stood upon the floor for people to sit around for a grand feast however the painting of the table as you see it today has been dated much later to the reign of King Henry the eighth's who the person of Arthur has been modeled upon as a young modern Keibler fifteen hundred's Henry came to Winchester and ordered the renovation of the Great Hall and in his own words the round table the Great Hall is the only substantial part of Winchester castle that still stands because Oliver Cromwell destroyed the 12th century original after Royalists had occupied it during the Civil War of the sixteen hundreds fortunately Cromwell found the Great Hall useful for administrative purposes and through the centuries since it's been used as a court of law right up until the 1970s the legacy left here at the Great Hall would be precious indeed June to the fine architecture alone but the added bonus of King Arthur's round table makes this a very special place with which any self-respecting monarch would be pleased to be associated even the very serious and sober Queen Victoria oversees the proceedings today implying that Winchester would have undoubtedly had all the right credentials for King Arthur's Camelot but there's another strong contender to be considered [Music] there's very little to see today at Cadbury castle a hill fort in the county of Somerset but it's been associated with the legend of King Arthur for at least 500 years scholar John Leyland writing in the 16th century noted at the very south end of the Church of South Cadbury standeth Camelot some time a famous town or castle the people can tell nothing there but that they have heard say Arthur much restored Camelot was this where Camelot evolved from close by the villages of Queen camel and West camel may explain where the name came from mixed with a plentiful supply of local folklore whatever your own particular preference for the location of Camelot the romance of this great medieval city of dreams is undisputed but of equal importance as the question of where Camelot was is the quest to discover what actually happened there and for this we need to return to the story of King Arthur we've already established that for Arthur or any Celtic King for that matter a sword was very important but quite early on in his kingly career Arthur broke the sword that he'd drawn from the stone it was in a fearsome battle with Sir Pellinore who'd been denying Knights access to travel through a particular part of the forest close to Camelot eventually SAP Eleanor was won over to the Arthurian cause with Merlin's help but what was to be done a backdoor sword [Music] Merlin whisked Arthur away to a beautiful lake of course already knowing the young Kings destiny where the mysterious lady of the lake appeared to guide Arthur to his sword Excalibur rising effortlessly from the shimmering waters [Music] the sword had been made in readiness for King Arthur in the enchanted land of Avalon and in his rightful hand alone no enemy would be able to stand against it stroke however it was only to be used in the mortal realm for Arthur's lifetime and Excalibur it was decreed was to be returned to the waters from whence it came before Arthur drew his last breath this fascinating episode throws up yet another conundrum for the enthusiast on the King Arthur trail where or what was Avalon and does it still exist to answer such questions and many many more our journey of discovery will lead us to Glastonbury where sooner or later all good folk in search of the truth a bank King Arthur will end up [Music] their own crear toward Bosque moves food so Lita clemency our cease play so lard custodian take or the nostrils or me and tip have so for them sent yard to UM quiz and head for the uh the chena Luce Kanchana they stay parterre omnipotens Perry a zone 3 storm domino cuite call me they're too rainy at home Santos baby through [Music] [Music] even if there was no Arthurian connection Glastonbury would still be a mecca for modern pilgrims because of its deep spiritual roots today as you arrive at the abbey ruins shadowed by the dramatic tour and st. Michael's tower it's difficult to connect the location with King Arthur's beautiful Lady of the lake rather obviously in the first instance because of a distinct lack of water but this landscape wasn't always quite so dry because 2,000 years ago the sea washed right up to the foot of Glastonbury Tor by about the 3rd century BC it had subsided to become a lake when the Celts founded a village here which they named Avalon ancient folklore laid down that where the sea met the land the souls of the dead would pass across to the Otherworld of their myths and legends [Music] this definitely makes Glastonbury a viable location for the Isle of Avalon particularly as it's only a short distance from Cadbury castle which as we know is a contender in its own right for King Arthur's Camelot Court [Music] as you wander the abbey ruins the most noticeable reverence to King Arthur can be found close to what would have been the high altar in the Abbey's glory days [Music] a simple plaque marks the alleged tomb of King Arthur which was discovered by monks at the monastery that stood here in 1191 [Music] just a few feet above the coffin they found a lead cross with a Latin inscription claiming that this was the body of King Arthur entombed with his Queen Guinevere [Music] they certainly did great things for Glastonbury Abbey and when the bones of Arthur were rededicated within their present-day shrine in 1278 the then King of England Edward the first he of the round table construction at Winchester Great Hall came to witness the event [Music] sadly for Glastonbury that other great monarch with a fascination for things Arthurian Henry the eighth was responsible for the destruction of this once stunningly beautiful Abbey during the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century [Music] when Henry couldn't get a divorce from his Queen Catherine of Aragon to marry the bewitching and Berlin he broke away from the Catholic Church in Rome and made himself head of a new Protestant Church of England [Music] it literally was a case of even with the new and out with the old in pretty bundle fashion King Arthur's grave was just one of many casualties [Music] lost in the rubble of centuries it took until excavations in 1934 for the grave to reappear and be restored as you see it today [Music] as for the all-important question of whether this grave contains the mortal remains of the real King Arthur it's probably best to reserve judgment until we reach the end of our story because legend does have a far more dramatic resting place for Arthur as a king who sleeps but never dies while at Glastonbury it's well worth taking a look at the other historical characters to have passed this way Glastonbury was one of the greatest monasteries in Britain and legend has it that this was because the Holy Grail was brought here by Joseph of Arimathea after the death of Christ the Holy Grail a [ __ ] ball chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper is interwoven with the stories of the knights of the round table as the quest to find it was of major importance only a night with the purest heart could succeed and it was the much-loved segala had known as the perfect night because of his courage gentleness courtesy and chivalry who actually found the Holy Grail joseph of arimathea could quite feasibly have visited britain because at that time Phoenician traders were travelling to Cornwall to buy tin and there's no reason why such a journey shouldn't have been undertaken by the man responsible for burying the body of Christ after the crucifixion [Music] also who would have been more likely to carry the Holy Grail than Joseph that is of course if such a treasured religious relic existed at all [Music] you'll find mention of joseph of arimathea all over Glastonbury this vaulted shrine was dedicated to Joseph in about 1500 and is often used for services today throughout the summer months [Music] another intriguing legend has it that when Joseph arrived he struck his staff made from a thorn tree into the ground where it took root blossomed and grew once more there's actually commemorative holy form within the Abbey grounds and another to be found on a nearby hillside [Music] wandering up towards the tour will bring you to the lovely chalice Welland Gardens long before joseph of arimathea arrived on the scene this well would have been a sacred site for the druids and today you'll find this is a peaceful sanctuary for all who come here on their way to the tour [Music] the story goes that joseph of arimathea buried the holy grail just above the well and that is why the spring water is a reddish color symbolic of the blood of Christ however a geologist could no doubt give you a far more scientific explanation although the water will taste equally as wonderful whatever you choose to believe [Music] when you catch your first glimpse of the tour it's easy to understand why it's viewed as such a mystical place by all who come here rising majestically 500 feet above sea level over the Somerset plain pilgrims from all the ages have made their way to the top searching for enlightenment it's been described as everything from this holiest earth to a subterranean underworld ruled by a ghostly Celtic warlord who comes out to haunt the district whenever the fancy takes him on a fine day it's a pleasant walk to the top of the tour where the 14th century Chapel of st. Michael stands but there were undoubtedly much earlier shrines here both Christian and Pagan yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] this chappals predecessor was actually destroyed by an earthquake in 1275 according to the record books which must have been a terrifying experience for anyone on the tour at the time the view from this vantage point is spectacular but for those fortunate enough to take to the air the real impact of this phenomenal land formation can be truly appreciated [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] moving south from Glastonbury the King Arthur trail leads many visitors literally to the tip of Cornwall known very appropriately as Lands End as you look out to sea with the waves crashing on the pinnacles of rock could it just be possible that a Lost Worlds lies concealed beneath the swirling depths one of the Knights of King Arthur's round table was Sir Tristan who was the son of King Millia des of leonesse a mythical land that the romantic like to believe ran all the way from coral to the sealy immense to this day even the most sensible folk claimed to have heard the bells of Lyon s ring out from beneath the waves [Music] following on that leonesse team the visit to st. michael's mount just a little further up the coast at Penzance would seem to add credence to this idea when the tide is in the only way to reach st. michael's mount is by boat but when it's out the causeway that links it to the mainland can be safely locked step back in time to win Geoffrey of Monmouth's tales of King Arthur captured the public's imagination and it's easy to see looking at this amazing view why people thought this could be the highest point of a lost land science and geography have yet to provide more logical explanations but never would any provable theory be able to compete with the romance and magic of this Arthurian land of Leon Ness [Music] as our journey to find the real King Arthur draws to a reluctant close it's time for us to return to the round table as the dream of Camelot begins to fade [Music] Merlin left Arthur after becoming enchanted by his beautiful but treacherous apprentice Vivian led the aging magician to the cave where he was destined to die and sealed him inside for all eternity [Music] there are many of the tales of the exploits and battles of King Arthur and his Knights and everybody has their favorites Sir Gawain and the Green Knight sir Percival sir Gareth sir tor and Sir Bedivere all had their pass to play but the golden days of Camelot were numbered there had always been doubts voiced about the loyalty of sir Mordred King Arthur's nephew but the real destruction of the court began ironically with one of Arthur's truest knights Sir Lancelot known as the first night amongst them all was gentle courteous and brave as well as being the greatest fighter mightiest swordsman and extremely handsome but fate and destined Lancelot to be the instrument of the round tables destruction because he loved Guinevere the wife of Arthur Queen of all the land and was more she loved this brave beautiful night with all her heart whether or not the unfortunate pair became lovers is usually down to the particular storyteller but even Lancelot stronghold at bamburgh castle in Northumberland could not protect him from Arthur's wrath [Music] the majority of the King Arthur tales now bring to the forefront the treachery of Sir Mordred who goes to Arthur with news of Guinevere's adultery with Lancelot after forcing Lancelot to flee Guinevere left to face the music is to be burned at the stake for high treason but her knight in shining armor doesn't fail her as Lancelot rides forth to save her quite literally just in the nick of time with Lancelot on the run and Arthur off in hot pursuit Camelot and the entire kingdom was ripe for a takeover and the scheming Mordred took his chance where the Mordred was as bad a character as he was made out in mythology it's hard to say particularly as some versions make him Arthur's son after an incestuous liaison with his half-sister Morgan's rather than his nephew which might well be considered a good enough reason for his hatred of the king [Music] also from the point of view of the plot somebody had to slay the invincible Arthur and just as achilles in Homer's epic tales of Troy needed to have a weak spot on his ankle for the story to work could Arthur's illegitimate son have been his own Achilles heel [Music] [Music] such speculation is part of what makes the story of King Arthur so fascinating but the end is now definitely drawing nigh the forces of Arthur and Mordred were destined to meet in one final battle the Battle of Camlann where Arthur kills mortared but not before his adversary has struck him a fatal blow as Arthur lines mortally wounded on the battlefield he turns to his loyal knight sir bedivere and beseeches him to return Excalibur to the Lady of the lake remember the Celts preoccupation with throwing fine swords into lakes as a sacrifice to the gods well this was precisely what Arthur asked of his friend but Bedevere was a practical sort of a chap and he found it hard to throw away the Magnificent Excalibur it took him three attempts to finally fulfill Arthur's dying wish but eventually the task was completed and the Lady of the lake materialized in a soberly draped boat on the shores of the Isle of Avalon to sail away with the body of King Arthur to the legendary other world [Music] now where all this took place is open to a great deal of interpretation for those that believe the last battle took place in Cornwall a journey to doze Marie Poole high up on Bob Minh more is essential local legend insists that this is where Sir Bedivere cast Excalibur back into the waters from whence it came but the Cornish don't have it all their own way because high up in the mountains of Snowdonia the Welsh have their own version of events they claim that arthur's last battle took place in this windy valley no romantically as the pass of the arrows but perhaps more accurately geographically speaking the pass of Clan Barris and just as you'd expect a nearby lake serves more than adequately as the watery resting place for Excalibur yet this is not the end of Arthur because for those who believe that the last battle took place close by to Cadbury castle where Arthur sailed conveniently away to the Isle of Avalon at Glastonbury there's another twist to the tale local folklore has for centuries told of Arthur his knights and their horses all lying asleep beneath Cadbury Hill incidentally whenever got sent off to a nunnery so she isn't there to cause any more trouble which is probably just as well people say that whenever Britain faces times of peril the sleepers will awake and come to the country's aid it's also well known that their ghosts can be seen on Midsummer's Eve in slow procession taking the horses for water at Arthur's well one local person even claims to have picked up a silver horseshoe after witnessing King Arthur passing by a game you'll find many alternative locations where it's alleged that Arthur and his Knights sleep ranging from North Wales elderly edge in Cheshire and even Edinburgh the capital of Scotland where an extinct volcano at the heart of the city is known as Arthur's Seat [Music] this is the crux of the our first story and our search to find the real king has led us far and wide through England Wales and even Scotland's green and pleasant land there have been many detours and all sorts of fascinating tangents to go off at but just because a location has not been mentioned in this programme please don't dismiss it our time has been limited and there are many more stories worthy of inclusion that you'll just have to uncover for yourself should you ever get the opportunity to take the King Arthur Trail in the true spirit of Romanticism you must follow your heart and explore at will [Music] at this journey's end we can say with some certainty that there was a celtic king who fought off the Saxon invaders for a period of time after the Romans had abandoned the British Isles and when not he was called Arthur he undoubtedly inspired Geoffrey of Monmouth's history but our real King Arthur is much much more than a shadowy character all but lost in the mists of time [Music] for each new generation he offers a message of hope when the nation faces its darkest hour King Arthur and his knights will arise and come to the rescue if you look back through history you'll find that the stories of King Arthur will always enjoy a resurgence in times of trouble Agincourt the Battle of water noon the carnage of the First World War and the chilling terror of the second all had brave soldiers turning to the dream of Arthur and Camelot for inspiration in the most up-to-date authors regularly we work the Arthurian legends with the king himself Guinevere Lancelot and the much-loved magician Merlin always taken pride of place the treatments and twists might be new and imaginative but the effect is always the same especially when readers crave a feeling of safety and security in the face of danger this in truth is what the real King Arthur is all about fact fiction history myth or legend it matters not at all because for those who literally risk dear life itself fighting for peace honor and justice King Arthur represents hope when they would otherwise be none thanks to the legacy of Geoffrey of Monmouth the world has a hero to turn to whenever it needs one after all the principles of chivalry the strong defending the weak can only help to make the world a better place even in the 21st century so what if the historians have no proof to offer we all need a little romance in our lives and the legend of Arthur and his knights of the round table can forever be relied upon to provide this just like the slumbering Knights ready to make a comeback the story of King Arthur is never more than a heartbeat away long gone but never forgotten a grateful Nations once and future king [Music] you

Channel: FREE MOVIES

Views: 22,357

Rating: 4.4088669 out of 5

Keywords: King, KingArthur, camelot, britishroyalty, Legend, greatbritain, biography, history, documentary, 1091, freemovie, freefilm, fullmovie, ondemand, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, Knights of the Round Table, Excalibur, Holy Grail, knights, roundtable

Id: 45veub-fgwg

Length: 89min 48sec (5388 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 02 2017