Transcript Fact and Opinion - History Resources

Fact and Opinion
Can we learn about History from Myths and
Legends?
Facts and Opinions
Fact
– something that really happened
- something that can be proven
e.g. Troy was a city in Turkey
Opinion
– something that you think or believe
- may or may not be based on facts
e.g. The Greeks fought against the
Trojans because Paris abducted Helen
Myths and Legends
Myths and legends are popular stories
that may have been based on an actual
event or around actual people
They are generally stories that have
been made up
Legends are stories about people and
what they did
They are passed down through the
years and gradually change in the
process
The Legend of the Trojan Horse
Troy and the wooden horse were
though to be a legend
Homer wrote it down many years after
the supposed event
Schliemann used Homer’s book to find
Troy and Mycenae
Historians learned that sometimes there
can be some facts in a legend, even if
some of the story is made up
The Legend of King Arthur
In the Middle Ages, legends were very
popular
The legends about King Arthur and his
knights of the Round Table were and
still are enjoyed by many people
Was Arthur real?
Was there a Round Table?
What is Fact and what is opinion?
WHAT IS THE REAL STORY?
The most well known story is from
1485.
It was written down by Thomas Malory.
It was called the Death of Arthur.
He included many stories about Arthur
in a book.
Now there are many versions of King
Arthur, including film, books, poems,
songs
THE SWORD IN THE STONE
Britain had no king
The barbarians were
destroying the country
The land needed a just
ruler
This leader would be able
to draw out a sword from a
stone (Excalibur)
Many tried and eventually
Arthur succeeded and
became King of Britain
Camelot and the Round Table
Arthur built a castle that he called
Camelot
He established an Order of Knights
who met at a Round Table, where
everyone would be equal
Arthur brought peace to Britain and
ruled justly
He married Guinevere
He had an adviser called Merlin
Arthur’s Downfall
A perfect society can’t last
Guinevere has an affair with Lancelot
Civil War breaks out
Arthur is betrayed by his illegitimate son,
Mordred
Arthur is mortally wounded
He has his sword thrown into a lake where
a lady’s hand rises out of the water and
takes the sword
Arthur sails to the mystical island of Avalon
When did Arthur Live?
We are not exactly sure
We are not even sure if he actually existed
If King Arthur was a Roman Briton, then he
probably lived in the last half of the 5th
Century AD – this is where most of the early
evidence places him
If King Arthur was a Welsh warlord, then he
probably lived in the 14th Century AD – this
is the common modern setting for most
stories about Arthur
Arthur’s Timeline
426 emergence of local leaders in Britain,
such as Vortigern
428 Saxon warships off east coast of
Britain
429 Picts and Scots expelled from
Southern England by Saxon mercenaries;
Saints Germanus and Lupus are sent to
Britain to conquer Pelagianism
441 c. beginning of Saxon incursion
450 Anglo-Saxon warships attack Britain's
east coast
456 Britons suffer a defeat by the Saxons
at Crayford, Kent, and flee to London
495 Kingdom of Wessex founded; King
Cerdic dies; reign of Illan, Irish king who
conducted raids on Britain (c. 495-511)
518 account in the Annales Cambrai states
for this year: "the Battle of Badon, in
which Arthur and the Britons were the
victors"
519 death of Arthur??
539 Annales Cambrai state for this year:
"the strife of Camlann in which Arthur and
Mordred perished"
540 Gildas writes his book recounting the
twelve great battles later attributed to
Arthur; Ida is king of Bernicia
600 first reference to Arthur by name in the
"Goddodin" (poem)
731 Bede writes History of the English
Church and People. It does not mention
Arthur
830 Nennius writes History of the Britons.
The oldest known copy is from 1120. It
mentions Arthur and gives a list of his
battles
871 – 890 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles are
composed. Arthur is not mentioned, but his
battles are
995 The Annals of Cumbria were written.
They mention Arthur’s death
1125 Malmesbury writes the History of the
English Kings. Arthur is mentioned
1130 Monmouth writes a book on Merlin
1135 Monmouth writes History of the
British Kings. This is the most important
book for information on King Arthur
ARTHUR’S FAMILY TREE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
Many of the people who have set out to
“prove” the legend of King Arthur have
used various pieces of archaeological
evidence
Cadbury Castle – Hill Fort
Arthur’s Seat
Glastonbury Abbey and Tor
Tintagel Castle
The Round Table
Merlin’s Cave
CADBURY CASTLE
This is actually a hill fort near
Glastonbury
It has been suggested that it is the site
of Camelot
It was excavated in the 1960s
There was no evidence that
connected King Arthur to the site
It had been reused about
500 AD
ARTHUR’S SEAT
This is a huge hill – nearly 280 metres above
sea level
It was probably named after a local hero who
was called Arthur
Some people suggest that it was a military
base for Arthur
There is no evidence, apart from the name to
connect it with King Arthur
GLASTONBURY ABBEY
Glastonbury Abbey was a very important
religious centre in the Middle Ages
It was badly damaged by fire in 1184 AD
When it was being rebuilt in 1190 the monks
said they found the grave of a very large man
There was also the bones of a smaller person
and some yellow hair
The monks also claimed they had found a
cross with ‘Here lies the renowned King Arthur
in the isle of Avalon with his second wife
Guinevere
Fact or Fiction?
The style of the writing belonged to the 12th
Century AD
Later excavations did not reveal any evidence
of an ancient grave
Neither the cross or the bones exist today
The monks also claimed to have discovered
the grave of Archbishop Dunstan, another
important person. However, he was actually
buried 200 years earlier in Canterbury
The Abbey needed a lot of money to rebuild
How reliable is this evidence?
What do you think the motives of the monks
might have been?
GLASTONBURY TOR
This hill was claimed to be the most holy place
on earth
It was where people came looking for the Holy
Grail
Underneath the Tor is said to be a secret
kingdom
Today St Michaels Church Tower stands on it
There is no actual evidence of any connection
with King Arthur
TINTAGEL CASTLE
This is the legendary birthplace of
King Arthur
This is where Merlin took him from to
be brought up with foster parents in
secret
The castle ruins date from the 12th or
13th Centuries AD and are too late
to actually be connected with Arthur
THE ROUND TABLE
There are many different stories about
the Round Table
It was first mentioned in 1155 by the
Norman chronicler, Wace
It was supposed to seat 1600 men
The design in this photo is on the wall of
Winchester Round Table was made in
1552 to impress a visiting emperor
MERLIN’S CAVE
The importance of this cave came from
a poem by Tennyson that told of Merlin
saving the baby Arthur
This cave has long been connected to
the legend of Merlin
It is gloomy and fills with Water at high
tide
There is no archaeological evidence that
connects this with King Arthur or Merlin
WRITTEN EVIDENCE
There a many sources of written
evidence that people use in their
investigation of the story of King
Arthur
historical records
stories handed down over time
Poems
Reports of investigations
HISTORICAL RECORDS
Nennius’ Historia Brittonum – 830 AD
‘In that time the Saxons strengthen in
multitude and grew in Britain. On the death
of Hengist, Octha his son passed from the
northern part of Britain to the kingdom of the
Kentishmen and from him arise the kings of
the Kentishmen.’
‘Then Arthur fought against them in those
days with the kings of the Britons, but he
himself was leader of battles.’
From Historia Brittonum, translated by John Morris, in History from the
Sources Vol. 8. Phillimore, Chichester, 1980
HISTORICAL RECORDS
Annals of Cambrai – 995 AD
‘518: 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
victors.’
‘539: The Battle of Camlan in which
Arthur and Medraut were slain.’
From M.V. Lyons, Medieval Britain, Macmillan, London, 1989, p.13
HISTORICAL RECORDS
Malmesbury’s HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH KINGS
– 1125 AD
‘This is that Arthur of whom the Britons talk
so much nonsense even today; a man clearly
worthy not to be dreamed of in false stories,
but to be proclaimed in true histories, as one
who long supported his trembling country,
and gave the shattered minds of his fellow
citizens an edge for war.’
This is the first account that shows Arthur as
a great leader of the Britons.
From M.V. Lyons, Medieval Britain, Macmillan, London, 1989 p.13
HISTORICAL RECORDS
Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain – 1130 AD
This history provides us with the most information about
Arthur
Arthur’s birthplace is Tintagel Castle
Arthur’s father was Uther Pendragon
He became king as young man and married Ganhumara
He had a magical sword – Caliburn, which was made in
Avalon
He defeated the Saxons, the Scots, and the Irish to unify
Britain
He lives in Caerlon
He later conquers Norway, Denmark, and France
While he is a way Mordred, his nephew leads a revolt
Arthur fights against Mordred and wins, but dies from his
wounds and is taken away to Avalon
HISTORICAL RECORDS
How can we tell which ones are
right?
Look
Look
Look
Look
at
at
at
at
the
the
the
the
dates
author’s purpose
information provided
language
TIME TO DECIDE
After looking at all the evidence
an historian needs to form an
opinion
This opinion should be based
on the facts
It should be objective
It should be able to be proven
Writing an Information Report
Introduction
In this section you make a clear statement
about your topic
• There are many stories about King
Arthur and they are not all the same. We
need to look carefully at all the stories
and see if we can find evidence that will
tell us if there really was a King Arthur.
Then we need to try to find out when he
lived and what he did.
Writing an Information Report
Body of Report
In this section you need to write a
number of paragraphs describing
what you have found out.
You need a separate paragraph for
each main idea.
Each paragraph should have a Topic
Sentence which states your main
idea.
Writing an Information Report
Paragraph 1: Myth or Reality
Topic Sentence
• There are a number of historical figures who could be King Arthur
but it is not possible to say for sure if one of them is the “Real”
Arthur.
Supporting Sentences
• There is some evidence that Arthur was a Roman Briton because he
was supposed to have been killed at the Battle of Camlann in 540
AD. This was just after the Romans had left Britain and when the
British Romans were defending themselves from invasions from the
Saxons and the Scots.
• Other historians, such as Alan Wilson, think that there were two
Arthurs and one was a Roman Briton and later another one was a
Welsh warlord. Many of the later stories tell about Arthur’s life in
Wales. Also Merlin was Welsh. Most of this is based on the work of
Geoffrey of Monmouth and written over 400 years after Arthur lived.
Writing an Information Report
Paragraph 2: Written Evidence
Topic Sentence
• There are several written sources that mention Arthur, however they
appear to add more information over the years.
Supporting Sentences
• The first book that mentions anything to do with Arthur is by Gildas
in 540 AD. He told of twelve battles in which later writers say Arthur
fought.
• Nennius wrote a History of the Britons in 830, but the only copy we
have dates from 1120. It does talk about Arthur and gives a list of his
battles.
• In 995 The Annals of Cumbria were written and tell of Arthur’s battle
with Mordred and his death in 539. This is now nearly four hundred
years after it happened.
• In 1125 Malmesbuty wrote a History of the English Kings and Arthur
is talked about as a great leader in it.
• Five year later, in 1130 Monmouth wrote a History of the Kings of
Britain. This is the story that has the most information about King
Arthur. Monmouth was a Norman. He was writing about things that
happened about six hundred years before he was born.
Writing an Information Report
Paragraph 3: Archaeological Evidence
Topic Sentence
• Although there are many places that are mentioned in the stories
about King Arthur, none of them had actual evidence that related to
King Arthur.
Supporting Sentences
• Some people think that Cadbury Castle, which is really a hill fort is
Camelot. Although it was reused about 500 AD there is no clear
evidence that it was Arthur and his knights who used it.
• Glastonbury Abbey was where Arthur was supposed to have been
buried. The grave, bones, and cross which the monks say they found
in 1190 AD no longer exist.
• Arthur’s Seat was actually named after a local hero of the same
name.
• There is a Tintagel Castle, the place where Arthur was supposedly
born, but the date of the ruins are about six or seven hundred years
after he was supposed to have lived.
• The Winchester Round Table was made in 1552 to impress an
emperor. There is no evidence, except in stories of an earlier table
which was supposed to seat 1600 people.
Writing an Information Report
Paragraph 4: Conclusion
Topic Sentence
• While there are many stories about King Arthur there
is no real proof that he existed.
Supporting Sentences
• The written evidence suggests that perhaps there
were many men who could have been Arthur. But they
come from different time periods.
• There is no real archaeological evidence for Arthur,
Camelot or the Round Table.
• It is possible that the stories about Arthur grew over a
period of time and while they might have been based
on things real people did they have been changed and
now form a legend about an heroic leader and a time
when men believed in a noble way of life.
CONCLUSION
While we should not just dismiss legends
it is important that we do not just accept
them as true.
We must look carefully at the available
evidence and form an opinion based on
it. This is an informed opinion and
can be proven.
Some people will still believe in these
stories because they would like to think
that it true. This is also an opinion,
but one that cannot be proven.
End of Presentation