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475
Arthur is Born
Arthur is born, possibly in Cornwall or Barwick-in-Elmet, to Igraine and Uther Pendragon. He is given to a wizard named Merlin to be raised by Sir Ector. -
Period: 475 to 539
Arthur Lives
After his father dies Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and becomes the King of England. He wins many battles against the Saxons as king and
becomes even more beloved. He marries Guinevere and has a son, Mordred. Guinevere has an affair with one of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot, so Arthur starts a war against him. After the long war, there is a lot of unrest, so Arthur leaves to quell rebellions and such. Mordred betrays him, taking over the kingdom and forcing his queen to flee.. -
539
Arthur Dies
Arthur fights Mordred with a small army of loyal men, though they somehow manage to kill most Mordred's army. Arthur and Mordred face off and Arthur defeats his treacherous son, though he is severely wounded. He throws his sword, Excalibur, into the lake where he first got it from the mystical Lady of the Lake and dies shortly after. -
1135
Geoffrey of Monmouth writes his History of the Kings of Britain
He writes of a great King Arthur, fighting against the Saxons with his magic sword Caliburn (later known as Excalibur). Guinevere, Lancelot and Merlin first appear, though they aren't the main focus of the story. People love this story and it becomes very popular. -
1191
A writer supposedly sees Arthur's tomb opened at Glastonbury
Arthur's bones were reported to be of "gigantic size" and his skull supposedly showed signs of ten wounds. This account is seriously doubted by poet John Milton and many others in the 17th century. -
1472
Sir Thomas Malory creates Le Morte d’Arthur
Thomas Malory pieces together folklore and old stories in French and Latin to create a story of romance, chivalry and magic. Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the round table are have a much more prominent role, and the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot is created. A printer named William Caxton says that there was "no such Arthur, and that all such books as be made of him be but feigned and fables". -
Lord Alfred Tennyson publishes Idylls of The King
He repopularises the myth with twelve narrative poems, painting Arthur's reign to be the ideal time in history; a time when life was simpler, a time everyone could agree on right and wrong. -
Disney's 'Sword in The Stone' is released
This movie is a concoction of the previous retellings and focuses mainly on the relationship between Merlin and Arthur as mentor and protégé when Arthur is a young child. It makes $4.75 million in box office and is nominated for Best Scoring of Music at the Academy Awards.