The Matter of Britain 378-634 A.D.
"Before the King Arthur of medieval Romance, there was, quite possibly, an historical Arthur, battle-leader of the dark-age (5th/6th century) Britons. But between the two was the Arthur of pseudohistory, above all the infamous History of the Kings of Britain, published by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1137. Although presented, and accepted for centuries, as history, Geoffrey's book is rightly described as a pseudohistory (false history) because of its anachronisms, hyperbole, and blatant contradictions of more reliable chronicles. In Then Arthur Fought, Howard Wiseman recasts the fictional history of Arthur as a quasihistory (as-if-it-were history), by creating a plausible dark-age narrative which is compatible with firmly established history.
Drawing upon more than 250 ancient and medieval texts -- from histories to Romances -- Wiseman mixes in his own inventions to forge a unique conception of Arthur and his times. For the enquiring reader, it is carefully annotated to indicate how every detail has some basis in the sources, or in archaeology and other disciplines. It also puts Arthur's Britain in a broad context. In time, it spans from the 4th century decline of Roman Britain to the 7th century fall of the Britons' last lowland territories to the English. On the globe, the fortunes of love and, more often, war take Arthur throughout Gaul, and his compatriots even farther afield: Gualwain to Denmark, Germany, and Italy; Drustan to Spain; and Peredur to Byzantium.
Illustrated by 20 maps, and with an extensive bibliography, Then Arthur Fought will appeal to anyone interested in the scope of possible histories for dark-age Britain, in the potential roots of medieval Arthurian pseudohistories, or in new frameworks for Arthurian fiction."
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