So much has been written about Arthur
that it is hard to decide which resources have the right idea about Arthur’s
origins. When I began researching Book 2 in The Chronicles of the Stone: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, I felt quite overwhelmed. King Arthur is without doubt the greatest legendary figure
in the western world. Countless poems, books, screenplays, and material have
been written about him, speculating on his birth, his exploits, his legacy, and
what he has come to represent to the world. Even death cannot touch him since
legend says he is not dead, but sleeping in a cave on the isle of Avalon,
waiting to be awakened in time of his country’s direst need. Mystery and magic
surround the story of this man who became a leader, a kingly figure, a symbol
of hope and renewal. Who was the real Arthur, the man who lived and fought in
the tumultuous period in history called the Dark Ages?
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THERE
IS NO WORSE DEATH THAN THE END OF HOPE ~ KING ARTHUR
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The
Dark Ages (also called the Early Middle Ages) was a period of chaos and warfare
that lasted from the 5th Century to approximately AD 1000. It is appropriately called
the Dark Ages because, not only was it a time when civilization collapsed, but
very few records survive from this era. That is why we know so little about the
period in which Arthur is said to have lived and why there is such debate
concerning his historical existence. There was a real Arthur, a great and skilled war
leader who performed many brave and epic deeds. He most likely was a nobleman
of British-Roman ancestry. Arthur was believed to have had extensive knowledge
of Roman military strategies and warfare, which he successfully used against
the Saxons during the late 5th and early 6th Centuries.
His possible birth date was circa AD 478. An important aspect of Arthur’s
heritage, whoever he was, is that he was a Celt by tradition and history. At
the time Arthur lived there was no distinct ‘England’ to speak of. He was a
Briton, of Celtic stock, the product of a Celtic society.
By AD 410, Rome had withdrawn from
Britain, leaving it vulnerable. It wasn’t long before the barbarian tribes that the Roman troops had
kept at bay began to reappear. Soon the invasions
increased in size and number as the news spread that Britain was easy pickings
and practically defenceless since the British clans and kingdoms were unable to
unite for their own protection. It is here that history
starts to merge with legend and the famous names of Vortigern, Ambrosius
Aurelianus, Uther Pendragon, and Arthur appear.
By AD 500, Britain had fragmented into a number
of smaller kingdoms, a situation intensified by the
tendency of rulers to leave their realms to be divided amongst their sons,
instead of direct inheritance to the eldest. Thus tribal groups became even
more splintered. The largest and
strongest of these kingdoms was Powys. It is against this background that the
figure of Arthur emerges. Arthur is thought to
be one of the princes in South-Western England who fought in an alliance of
British leaders against the Saxons and their allies, the Angles, Jutes, and
Frisians, as well as the Picts and Scots who came from the north after
the Romans left. The fighting
continued until circa AD 516 when, at the Battle of Mount Badon, the
united Britons inflicted a severe defeat on the Anglo-Saxons. This victory
turned the tide of the barbarian advances for the next fifty years, permitting
a final ‘golden age’ for Celtic civilization in Britain. The utterly defeated
Saxons did not attack the Celts again until 571.
Live the adventure with young heroes Adam and
Justin and get introduced to a new heroine, Kim. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur is available on Amazon and all major book sites.
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)
Contest ends: December 22, 11:59 pm, 2014
Open: Internationally
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Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author Sara Shafer and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send an email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.
