King Arthur, Mordred and the Battle of Camlann

King Arthur's final battle was the Battle of Camlann, where he is fatally wounded by Mordred.  But who was Mordred and what events brought him to fatally wound King Arthur in the Battle of Camlann?

King Arthur, Battle of Camlann, 13th century

Mordred, as we know him, has evolved over the centuries, much like the other characters of Arthurian legend.  The question of who Mordred is varies from text to text.  In some texts he is King Arthur's nephew, while in others King Arthur is not just Mordred's uncle.  He is also Mordred's father.  Certainly, Mordred is probably best known to be the illegitimate and incestuous child of Arthur and one of his half-sisters, Morgause or Morgan Le Fay.  However, the story in which Morgan le Fay enticed Arthur into an incestuous affair, from which Mordred is conceived, is a misconception derived from the desire of modern writers to merge Morgan with her sister Morgause together as one.

The first mention of Mordred and the Battle of Camlann can be found in the Annales Cambriae, a 9th century collection of obscure Welsh material.  However, here he is known as Medraut rather than Mordred.

537:  The Battle of Camlann, in which Arthur and Medraut fell: and there was plague in Britain and Ireland.

While we are made aware of Arthur and Medraut's deaths, we are not told that they were on opposing sides of the battle, nor are we told the reason for the battle.

Battle of Camlann by Arthur Rackham 

In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, Mordred is called Modred and is presented as Arthur's nephew, the son of Lot and Morgause, who is sometimes known as Anna.

...which when Arthur intelligence of, he committed the government of the kingdome to his nephew Modred...

Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur brings incest into the mix, with Mordred being born to Arthur and the wife of King Lot, Morgause.  It is not until later that King Arthur discovers that Morgause also happens to be his half-sister, daughter of Igraine and Gorlois.

And thither came to him, King Lot's wife (Morgause), of Orkney... with her four sons, Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravine, and Gareth, with many other knights and ladies.  For she was a passing fair lady, therefore the king cast great love unto her, and desired to lie by her; so they were agreed, and he begat upon her Mordred, and she was his sister, on his mother's side, Igraine...  But all this time King Arthur knew not that King Lot's wife was his sister.

"Sir Mordred" by H. J. Ford 

When Arthur discovers the truth, Merlin tells him that Mordred must die as his existence is a threat to King Arthur's life.  Arthur has all of the boys born on the day of Mordred's birth, Mordred included, put onto ships which were set adrift.  While most aboard the ships die, Mordred survives.

Then King Arthur let send for all the children born on May-day, for Merlin told King Arthur that he should destroy him... born on May-day... and so he sent for them all, upon pain of death; and so there were found many lords' sons, and all were sent onto the King, and so was Mordred sent by King Lot's wife, and all were put in a ship on the sea, and some were four weeks old and some less.  And so by fortune the ship drove unto a castle, and wall all toriven, and destroyed the most part, save that Mordred was cast up and a good man found him and nourished him till he was fourteen years old.

In Wace's Roman de Brut, Mordred is again Arthur's nephew and his is in love with Guinever.

...Mordred was a man of high birth, and of many noble virtues, but he was not true.  He had set his heart on Guinevere, his kinswoman, but such love brought little honour to the queen.  Mordred had kept this love close, for easy enough it was to hide since who would be so bold as to deem that he loved his uncle's dame?

Sir Mordred

Accounts of Mordred consider him to be traiterous and he was introduced by Layamon, who translated Wace's Alliterative Morte Arthure, to the reader as 'Modred, wickedest of men; truth he had none to ever any man... to the queen was his resort - that was evilly done - to his uncle he did treachery.'  Layamon adds that Mordred and the queen did numerous sorrows to the land, losing their lives and souls as a result.

When Mordred reaches adulthood, he becomes one of Arthur's knights and Geoffrey tells us that, when Arthur was away on his Roman campaign, Mordred, who had been entrusted with Arthur's kingdom, seized Guinevere and the throne, paving the way for Arthur's final battle.

...But at the beginning of the following summer, as he was on his march towards Rome and was beginning to pass the Alps, he had news brought to him that his nephew Mordred, to whose care he had entrusted Britain, had by tyrannical and treasonable practices set the crown upon his own head; and that queen Guanhumara (Guinevere), in violation of her first marriage, had wickedly married him.

Arthur and Mordred

According to Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, when Arthur is away on his campaign, Mordred is left with the care of the kingdom and informs the people that Arthur was killed in battle.  He is crowned king and Guinevere agrees to marry him.

As Sir Mordred was ruler of all England, he did do make letters as though that they came from beyond the sea, and the letters specified that King Arthur was slain in battle with Sir Lancelot.  Wherefore Sir Mordred made a parliament, and called the lords together, and there he made them to choose him king, and so was he crowned at Canterbury, and held a feast there fifteen days; and afterward he drew him unto Winchester, and there he took the Queen Guinever, and said plainly that he would wed her which was his uncle's wife and his father's wife.  And so he made ready for the feast, and a day prefixed that they should be wedded; wherefore Queen Guinever was passing heavy.  But she durst not discover her heart, but spake fair, and agreed to Sir Mordred's will. 

The Marriage of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere By John Henry Frederick Bacon

The Dream of Rhonabwy, the latest of the tales included in the collection of the Mabinogion and believed to date from sometime betweel 1159 and 1200, tell us that Mordred is Arthur's nephew and also his foster-son.

I will tell thee.  I was one of the messengers between Arthur and Medrawd his nephew, at the battle of Camlan; and I was then a reckless youth, and through my desire for battle, I kindled strife between them, and stirred up wrath, when I was sent by Arthur the Emperor to reason with Medrawd, and to show him, that he was his foster-father and his uncle, and to seek for peace, lest the sons of the Kings of the Island of Britain, and of the nobles, should be slain.  And whereas Arthur charged me with the fairest sayings he could think of, I uttered unto Medrawd the harshest I could devise. And therefore am I called Iddawc Cordd Prydain, for from this did the battle of Camlan ensue. And three nights before the end of the battle of Camlan I left them, and went to the Llech Las in North Britain to do penance. And there I remained doing penance seven years, and after that I gained pardon.

Banishment of Mordred 

Geoffrey of Monmouth tells us that when King Arthur discovers that his nephew is a traitor, a series of battles commence, with Mordred fleeing Arthur.  Mordred is twice beseiged but eventually decides to stay and fight, whether he might live or die.

Arthur, being inwardly grieved that he should so often escape, forthwith pursued him into that country as far as the river Cambula, where the other was expecting his coming.  And Mordred, as he was the boldest of men, and always the quickest at making an attack, immediately placed his troops in order, resolving either to conquer or to die, rather than continue his fight any longer.

And so Arthur's final battle commences, where many, including King Arthur, lose their lives.

For in this assault fell the wicked traitor himself, and many thousands with him.  But notwithstanding the loss of him, the rest did not flee, but running together from all parts of the field maintained their ground with undaunted courage.  The fight grew more furious than ever, and proved fatal to almost all the commanders and their forces...  And even the renowned king Arthur himself was mortally wounded.

 The Death of Mordred

Le Morte d'Arthur gives us more information about the battle between Mordred and King Arthur:

Then the king gat his spear in both his hands, and ran toward Sir Mordred, crying: Traitor, now is thy death-day come.  And when Sir Mordred heard Sir Arthur, he ran until him with his sword drawn in his hand.  And there King Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shield, with a foin of his spear, throughout the body, more than a fathom.  And when Sir Mordred felt that he had his death wound he thrust himself with the might that he had up to the bur of King Arthur's spear.  And right so he smote his father.

Malory's account of this battle is in line with most of the other literature.  In some texts, while King Arthur is always fatally wounded, Mordred survives the battle.  Jean d'Outremeuse's Ly Myreur des Histors (The Mirror of Histories), an ambitious 14th century narrative claiming to be a history of the world from the flood to the 14th century, tells how Mordred apparently survives the Battle of Camlann only to be defeated by Lancelot.  Lancelot executes Guinevere and imprisons Mordred with her body.  Starving, Mordred eats her body but later dies of starvation.

 The Death of King Arthur by James Archer

While it is assumed that King Arthur dies as a result of this battle, sources do vary and the conclusion is often left open to interpretation.

That's all for today.  Next time we will look at the Avalon and the fate of King Arthur.


Annales Cambriae
Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
Roman de Brut by Wace
The Mabinogion: The Dream of Rhonabwy

Locating the 12 Great Battles of King Arthur: Part Two

In the last post we looked at the 1st seven battles of King Arthur and their potential locations.  Today we will look at the final five battles which ended in victory.

 King Arthur Tapestry

The eighth was near Gurnion castle, where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders, and through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Mary, put the Saxons to flight, and pursued them the whole day with great slaughter.
The quote taken for the eighth battle suffers confusion due to the translation of certain Welsh words being misinterpreted.  '...where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders,..'  The words shield and shoulder may well have been mixed up.  Geoffrey of Monmouth tells us that Arthur bore armonial bearings of both the cross and virgin, more likely on his shield; the arms later adopted by Glastonbury Abbey.

The site for this battle is difficult to identify.  The name Gurnion, also known as Guinnion, is considered to be similar to the Roman fort of Vinovium at Binchester, Durham, although Land's End, Caer Guidn in the British language, has also been suggested.  Another theory suggests a translation of the Saxon Battle of Wihtgarasburh, the Isle of Wight or, in Welsh, Gwyn.  However, some believe that either of the walled towns called Vents by the Romans to be more likely locations.  One of these became the modern Caer-Went in Gwent, where the other is now Winchester in Hampshire.  The latter was the location of a pre-Camlann battle between Arthur and his nephew Mordred, as told by Geoffrey of Monmouth, although modern historians believe a more likely enemy to have been the Saxon invader, Cerdic, who fought in around the year 500AD.

 Defeat of the Saxons by Arthur By John Cassell

During its transition between names, Winchester was the Romano-British Caer-Guinntguic or Caer Guinn.  -guic would be a corrupt of -iog, which is a standard place-name ending.  -ion was used in a similar way and, despite there being no record of it, an acceptable name would be Caer Guinnion, as with Caer Leir being recorded as Caer Lerion, and Caer Celef having been recorded as Caer Celemion.

The ninth was at the City of Legion, which is called Caer Lion.
The ninth battle can be possibly identified with two locations, both of which were known as City of the Legions or Urbe Legionis.  Some identify the battle to have taken place at Caerleon, where others believe it could have taken place at Chester, at either end of the Welsh border.  Both of these places were home to Roman Legions at various times throughout the Roman occupation.  It is also possible that York bore such a title.  Chester was known as Caer Legion, where Caerleon was known as Caer Legion guer Uisc (Caerleon-upon-Usk), although the later suffix is often lost.

King Arthur Painting

Chester is often the most preferred option, having been recorded in the Annales Cambriae as Urbs Legionis.  This was the site of the Battle of Chester.  In 613, King Aethelfrith of Bernicia invaded the Welsh Kingdoms in order to stop King Iago of Gwynedd from restoring Edwin, an old enemy of the Deiran throne.  The armies of Gwynedd, Powys, Pergwern and Dumnonia fought against him but were defeated at the Battle of Chester, with King Iago of Gwynedd and Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys being killed.  It is thought that this battle could have been taken back 100 years to the time of Arthur.

In Llongborth I saw Arthur,
And brave men who hewed down with steel,
Emperor, and conductor of the toil. 
                                                         From Geraint son of Erbin, Black Book of Caermarthen

Tolstoy, however, prefers Exeter, known to the Romans as Isca Dumnonorium and by the British as Caer Wisc.  A poem in the Black Book of Caermarthen, called Gerint son of Erbin, suggests that this battle took place either at sea or around a harbour.  This is due to the word Llongborth, which may refer to a ship harbour.  Geraint, the hero who fell in this battle, was from Devon, making Exomouth another possible candidate.

King Arthur Le Roi Arthur, French tapestry

The tenth was on the banks of the river Trat Treuroit.
The tenth battle at Trat Treuroit, also known as Tribuit and, more properly, Tryfrwyd, is mentioned in the Black Book of Caermarthen.  Cai Hir (the Tall), Arthur's foster brother of traditional legend, is said to have fought there against a foe called Ganulwyd.  It is believed that Arthur, as Cai's patron in the poem, was the British commander during the battle.

Cai entreated him,
While he killed every third person.
When Celli was lost,
Cuelli was found; and rejoiced
Cai, as long as he hewed down.
Arthur distributed gifts,
The blood trickled down.
                                                     From Arthur and the Porter, Black Book of Caermarthen

Some have identified the location of this battle as the River Frew at Stirling.  Others have suggested the River Ribble in Lancashire, the Severn at Gloucester, and also the Eden at Carlisle.

The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we call Cat Bregion.
The eleventh battle location was identified by Geoffrey of Monmouth as Edinburgh and most don't disagree with this as there is very little evidence to challenge his identification.  It is known that Edinburgh Castle was occupied during this time and was a strategic point of importance being at the centre of the Kingdom of Gododdin.  It has been suggested that this battle was connected with King Lot of Gododdin, one of the eleven kings who rebelled against Arthur during the start of his reign.

Legend of King Arthur 

Geoffrey calls Edinburgh Castle the Castle of the Maidens or the Dolorous Castle.  Edinburgh's alias was Din-Eityn, which relates that the settlement is on top of a rock.  During the 7th century there was the Siege of Din-Eityn which some believe has been pushed back to  the time of Arthur.  In a 10th century version of Nennius' History, the battle location is given the alternative name of Breguoin.  Some have suggested that this could be a corruption of Bravonius, a Roman name for Leintwardine in Herefordshire.  This is believed to have been a battle which may have involved King Athrwys of Ergyng, though this location was more often known as Branogenium.

Anoter alternative is that the battle stems from Bremenium, now High Rochester in Northumberland, the site of King Urien Rheged's Battle of the Cells pf Brewyn.  More obscure possible locations include Brent Knoll in Somerset, Ribchester in Lancashire, and Cirencester in Gloucestershire.  Some have also suggested that the tenth and eleventh battles were actually one single, long and hard fought battle.

 Badon

The twelfth was a most severe contest, when Arthur penetrated to the hill of Badon.  In this engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, no one but the Lord offending his assistance.

516

The Battle of Badon, in which Arthur carried the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ for three days and three nights on his shoulders and the Britons were the victors.

                                                         Annales Cambriae

The twelfth battle, according to Nennius Arthur's last victorious battle, was the Battle of Badon.  And with this battle we have actual historical evidence to support Nennius' writing.  Popular opinion bases the Battle of Badon between 490 and 516AD, but pinning down the exact date is a cause of much dispute.

It is believed that this battle took place above the city of Bath in Somerset, at Little Solisbury.  Bath was referred to by the Britons and the Celts as Bathon, giving the phonetic spelling of Badon.  The Welsh Monk Gildas states that the Battle of Badon HIll was won by Ambrosius Aurelianus.

After this, sometimes our countrymen, sometimes the enemy, won the field, to the end that our Lord might this land try after his accustomed manner these his Israelites, whether they loved him or not until the year of the siege of Bath-hill, when took place also the last almost, though not the least slaughter of our cruel foes, which was (as I am sure) forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and also the time of my own nativity.

Badon Hill

Tolstoy identifies the location as Bathamption, a hill just outside of Bath, tying in nicely with Geoffrey's suggestion.  Despite Bath being a very popular contender for the location of this battle, there have been other suggestions.  These include Bawden Hill in Lothian, Dumbarton Rock in Strathclyde, Mynydd Baedon in Glamorgan, Little Salway Hill in Somerset and Brenth Knoll, also in Somerset.  Modern theory, however, suggests one of the many Badburys around the country, giving us countless possibilities for the location of this battle.

That's all for today.  Next time we will look at the final battle of King Arthur.


Useful Resources
  
Historia Brittonum by Nennius
Annales Cambriae
The Black Book of Carmarthen
Gildas (c.504-570): Works

Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth
The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend by Alan Lupack
Revealing King Arthur: Swords, Stones and Digging for Camelot by Christopher Gidlow
King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend by Rodney Castleden
The Historic King Arthur: Authenticating the Celtic Hero of Post-Roman Britain By Frank D. Reno

The Battles of King Arthur
King Arthur and His BattlesThe Battle of Mount Badon by Sam Boyer
The Deadliest Blogger