The Impact of King Arthur and the Chivalric Code

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The Impact of King Arthur and the Chivalric Code

Today, many young children when asked who their favorite hero is will tell you many of the super heroes seen on television. Before Superman, Batman and even Spiderman there was the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. The heroic knights and their king’s tales gave western society a great literature that is still well- known today. King Arthur, Guinevere, and Sir Lancelot did not really exist, but the stories of gallant knights in shining armour, elegant women in medieval castles, and the heroic quests for the Holy Grail played a major role in developing and creating the brave courageous superheros that beacame throughout time. King Arthur along with the theme of chivalry greatly impacted not only western civilization, but all of society throughtout the centuries.

King Arthur and his Knights of the round table have been around for thousands of years but are only legends. The first reference to King Arthur was in the Historia Brittonum written by Nennius a Welsh monk around 830A.D. The fascinating legends however did not come until 1133A.D in the work Historia Regum Britaniae written by a Welsh cleric, Geoffrey of Monmouth. His work was actually meant to be a historical document, but over time many other writers added on fictional tales. The Round Table was added in 1155 A.D by a French poet Maistre Wace. Also between the years 1160 and 1180 another Frenchmen, Chretien de Troyes, added the themes of chivalry and courtly love. Then the quest for the Holy Grail was developed by Robert de Boron from Burgundy. (“How the Legend Developed”) The greatest contribution to the Arthurian Legend is credited to Sir Thomas Malory. He brought together all the differ...

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...er King Arthur stories and Chivalric Codes are still impacting society.

Even though people’s first choice of a hero wouldn’t be King Arthur, the legends and tales along with the code of chivalry shaped many of the modern heroes today. The codes are still present and used in practices. King Arthur along with the theme of chivaly greatly impacted not only western culture, but all of society throughtout the centuries and is eveident in life today.

Works Cited
Arthurian Legend. Patrick Taylor, 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

King Arthur - The Legend. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

Knights Code of Chivalry. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

Medieval Code of Chivalry. Castles. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .

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