32-727: La Tavola Ritonda ( The Round Table ) is a 15th-century Italian Arthurian romance written in the medieval Tuscan language. It is preserved in a 1446 manuscript at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence ( Codex Palatinus 556 ). It was translated into English as Tristan and the Round Table by Anne Shaver in 1983. This article about a manuscript is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Arthurian romance By century The Matter of Britain ( French : matière de Bretagne )
64-813: A King of the Britons , whose daughter, Helena marries Constantius Chlorus and gives birth to a son who becomes the Emperor Constantine the Great , tracing the Roman imperial line to British ancestors. It has been suggested that Leir of Britain, who later became King Lear, was originally the Welsh sea-god Llŷr , related to the Irish Ler . Various Celtic deities have been identified with characters from Arthurian literature as well: for example Morgan le Fay
96-581: A "sequel" to it. Early chroniclers of Britain, such as Alfred of Beverley , Nicholas Trivet and Giraldus Cambrensis began their histories of Britain with Brutus. The foundation myth of Brutus having settled in Britain was still considered as genuine history during the Early Modern Period , for example Holinshed's Chronicles (1577) considers the Brutus myth to be factual. It was not until
128-475: A legend that was perhaps inspired by Isidore's spurious etymology and blends it with the Christian, pseudo-historical, " Frankish Table of Nations " tradition that emerged in the early medieval European scholarly world (actually of 6th-century AD Byzantine origin, and not Frankish, according to historian Walter Goffart ) and attempted to trace the peoples of the known world (as well as legendary figures, such as
160-466: A theme of special importance for writers trying to find unity in the mixture of their land's Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman and Norse inheritance." Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae is a central component of the Matter of Britain. Geoffrey drew on a number of ancient British texts, including the 9th-century Historia Brittonum . The Historia Brittonum is the earliest known source of
192-577: Is also possible to read the Arthurian literature, particularly the Grail tradition, as an allegory of human development and spiritual growth, a theme explored by mythologist Joseph Campbell amongst others. Brutus of Troy Brutus , also called Brute of Troy , is a mythical British king. He is described as a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas , known in medieval British legend as
224-493: Is explicitly the grandson, rather than son, of Ascanius; his father is Ascanius' son Silvius. The magician who predicts great things for the unborn Brutus also foretells he will kill both his parents. He does so, in the same manner described in the Historia Brittonum , and is banished. Travelling to Greece, he discovers a group of Trojans enslaved there. He becomes their leader, and after a series of battles they defeat
256-554: Is in time corrupted to Trinovantum , and the city is later called London . He creates laws for his people and rules for twenty-four years. After his death he is buried in Trinovantum, and the island is divided between his three sons: Locrinus ( England ), Albanactus ( Scotland ) and Kamber ( Wales ). Early translations and adaptations of Geoffrey's Historia , such as Wace 's Norman French Roman de Brut , Layamon 's Middle English Brut , were named after Brutus, and
288-656: Is the best-known part of the Matter of Britain. It has succeeded largely because it tells two interlocking stories that have intrigued many later authors. One concerns Camelot , usually envisioned as a doomed utopia of chivalric virtue, undone by the fatal flaws of the heroes like Arthur, Gawain and Lancelot . The other concerns the quests of the various knights to achieve the Holy Grail ; some succeed ( Galahad , Percival ), and others fail. The Arthurian tales have been changed throughout time, and other characters have been added to add backstory and expand on other Knights of
320-525: Is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur . The 12th-century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae ( History of the Kings of Britain) is a central component of the Matter of Britain. It was one of the three great Western story cycles recalled repeatedly in medieval literature, together with
352-454: The Matter of France , which concerned the legends of Charlemagne and his companions , as well as the Matter of Rome , which included material derived from or inspired by classical mythology and classical history . Its pseudo- chronicle and chivalric romance works, written both in prose and verse, flourished from the 12th to the 16th century. The three "matters" were first described in
SECTION 10
#1732772179564384-470: The eponymous founder and first king of Britain . This legend first appears in the Historia Brittonum , an anonymous 9th-century historical compilation to which commentary was added by Nennius , but is best known from the account given by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae . Some have suggested that attributing the origin of 'Britain' to
416-455: The 12th century by French poet Jean Bodel , whose epic Chanson des Saisnes [ fr ] ("Song of the Saxons") contains the lines: Ne sont que III matières à nul homme atandant: De France et de Bretaigne et de Rome la grant There are only three subject matters for any discerning man: That of France, that of Britain, and that of great Rome. The name distinguishes and relates
448-477: The Greek king Pandrasus by attacking his camp at night after capturing the guards. He takes him hostage and forces him to let his people go. He is given Pandrasus's daughter Ignoge or Innogen in marriage, and ships and provisions for the voyage, and sets sail. The Trojans land on a deserted island and discover an abandoned temple to Diana . After performing the appropriate ritual, Brutus falls asleep in front of
480-465: The Latin 'Brutus' may be ultimately derived from Isidore of Seville 's popular 7th-century work Etymologiae (c. 560–636), in which it was speculated that the name of Britain comes from bruti , on the basis that the Britons were, in the eyes of that author, brutes, or savages. A more detailed story, set before the foundation of Rome, follows, in which Brutus is the grandson or great grandson of Aeneas –
512-524: The Matter of Britain from the mythological themes taken from classical antiquity , the " Matter of Rome ", and the tales of the Paladins of Charlemagne and their wars with the Moors and Saracens , which constituted the " Matter of France ". King Arthur is the chief subject of the Matter of Britain, along with stories related to the legendary kings of Britain , as well as lesser-known topics related to
544-433: The Round Table . The medieval legend of Arthur and his knights is full of Christian themes; those themes involve the destruction of human plans for virtue by the moral failures of their characters, and the quest for an important Christian relic. Finally, the relationships between the characters invited treatment in the tradition of courtly love , such as Lancelot and Guinevere , or Tristan and Iseult . In more recent years,
576-617: The Trojan house of Aeneas) back to biblical ancestors. Supposedly following Roman sources such as Livy and Virgil , the Historia tells how Aeneas settled in Italy after the Trojan War , and how his son Ascanius founded Alba Longa , one of the precursors of Rome. Ascanius married, and his wife became pregnant. In a variant version, the father is Silvius, who is identified as either
608-426: The Trojan royal family to Greek gods . Yet another Brutus, son of Hisicion, son of Alanus the first European, also traced back across many generations to Japheth, is referred to in the Historia Brittonum . This Brutus's brothers were Francus, Alamanus and Romanus, also ancestors of significant European nations. Geoffrey of Monmouth's account tells much the same story, but in greater detail. In this version, Brutus
640-609: The early Arthurian and pseudo-historical sources of the Matter of Britain. The Scots , for instance, formulated a mythical history in the Pictish and the Dál Riata royal lines. While they do eventually become factual lines, unlike those of Geoffrey, their origins are vague and often incorporate both aspects of mythical British history and mythical Irish history. The story of Gabrán mac Domangairt especially incorporates elements of both those histories. The Arthurian literary cycle
672-580: The goddess's statue and is given a vision of the land where he is destined to settle, an island in the western ocean inhabited only by a few giants. After some adventures in north Africa and a close encounter with the Sirens , Brutus discovers another group of exiled Trojans living on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea , led by the prodigious warrior Corineus . In Gaul , Corineus provokes a war with Goffarius Pictus , king of Aquitaine , after hunting in
SECTION 20
#1732772179564704-413: The history of Great Britain and Brittany , such as the stories of Brutus of Troy , Coel Hen , Leir of Britain (King Lear), and Gogmagog . The legendary history of Britain was created partly to form a body of patriotic myth for the country. Several agendas thus can be seen in this body of literature. According to John J. Davenport, the question of Britain's identity and significance in the world "was
736-510: The island after himself and becomes its first king. Corineus becomes ruler of Cornwall , which is named after him. They are harassed by the giants during a festival, but kill all of them but their leader, the largest giant Goemagot , who is saved for a wrestling match against Corineus. Corineus throws him over a cliff to his death. Brutus then founds a city on the banks of the River Thames , which he calls Troia Nova, or New Troy . The name
768-682: The islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea and through Gaul , where he founded the city of Tours , Brutus eventually came to Britain, named it after himself, and filled it with his descendants. His reign is synchronised to the time the High Priest Eli was judge in Israel , and when the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines . A variant version of the Historia Brittonum makes Brutus
800-508: The king's forests without permission. Brutus's nephew Turonus dies in the fighting, and the city of Tours is founded where he is buried. The Trojans win most of their battles but are conscious that the Gauls have the advantage of numbers, so go back to their ships and sail for Britain, then called Albion . They land on " Totonesium litus "—"the sea-coast of Totnes ". They meet the giant descendants of Alebion and defeat them. Brutus renames
832-431: The second son of Aeneas, previously mentioned in the Historia , or as the son of Ascanius. A magician, asked to predict the child's future, said it would be a boy and that he would be the bravest and most beloved in Italy. Enraged, Ascanius had the magician put to death. The mother died in childbirth. The boy, named Brutus, later accidentally killed his father with an arrow and was banished from Italy. After wandering among
864-401: The son of Ascanius's son Silvius , and traces his genealogy back to Ham , son of Noah . Another chapter traces Brutus's genealogy differently, making him the great-grandson of the legendary Roman king Numa Pompilius , who was himself a son of Ascanius, and tracing his descent from Noah's son Japheth . These Christianising traditions conflict with the classical Trojan genealogies, relating
896-553: The story of Brutus of Troy . Traditionally attributed to Nennius , its actual compiler is unknown; it exists in several recensions. This tale went on to achieve greater currency because its inventor linked Brutus to the diaspora of heroes that followed the Trojan War . As such, this material could be used for patriotic myth-making just as Virgil linked the founding of Rome to the Trojan War in The Æneid . Geoffrey lists Coel Hen as
928-401: The trend has been to attempt to link the tales of King Arthur and his knights with Celtic mythology , usually in highly romanticized, 20th-century reconstructed versions. The work of Jessie Weston , in particular From Ritual to Romance , traced Arthurian imagery through Christianity to roots in early nature worship and vegetation rites, though this interpretation is no longer fashionable. It
960-728: The twentieth century that archaeologists were able to prove conclusively that London was founded in 43 AD. The 18th-century English poet Hildebrand Jacob wrote an epic poem, Brutus the Trojan, Founder of the British Empire , about him, following in the tradition of Virgil's fictitious Roman foundation epic the Aeneid , left unfinished at Virgil's death in 19 BC. Geoffrey's Historia says that Brutus and his followers landed at Totnes in Devon . A stone on Fore Street in Totnes, known as
992-561: The word brut came to mean a chronicle of British history. One of several Middle Welsh adaptations was called the Brut y Brenhinedd ("Chronicle of the Kings"). Brut y Tywysogion ("Chronicle of the Princes"), a major chronicle for the Welsh rulers from the 7th century to loss of independence, is a purely historical work containing no legendary material but the title reflects the influence of Geoffrey's work and, in one sense, can be seen as
La Tavola Ritonda - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-985: Was often thought to have originally been the Welsh goddess Modron or Irish the Morrígan . Many of these identifications come from the speculative comparative religion of the late 19th century and have been questioned in more recent years. William Shakespeare was interested in the legendary history of Britain, and was familiar with some of its more obscure byways. Shakespeare's plays contain several tales relating to these legendary kings, such as King Lear and Cymbeline . It has been suggested that Shakespeare's Welsh schoolmaster Thomas Jenkins introduced him to this material. These tales also figure in Raphael Holinshed 's The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland , which also appears in Shakespeare's sources for Macbeth . Other early authors also drew from
#563436