People today believe that there lived a King Arthur, and his Knights Of the Round
Table really existed, but no one really knows for certain.  If there had been a King Arthur
and the legend were true then England would have experienced the greatest, era ever,
perhaps the most peaceful and just period in their history.  As it is well known the legend
of King Arthur and his Knights has been passed down from generation to generation
leading us to believe that there probably is a bit of truthfulness and history in it.
 During the twelve century there lived a king, by the name of Arthur.  Arthur
wasn’t really royal, but he became king one night when this miracle occurred.  When
Arthur was a little bot of twelve he was training to be a squire for his brother Kay.  On a
night of a battle Arthur had forgotten to bring Kay’s sword, so he was demanded to run
back to there home and fetch his sword.  On the way home Arthur saw a great marble
stone in the churchyard with a naked sword stuck in the middle of it in an anvil of steel.
And about the sword was written: Whoso pulleth out the sword from the stone is born the
rightful King of England.  Arthur decided to save his trip all the way home and borrow
the sword, he didn’t mind what it read.  Arthur tried with all his might to pull the sword
out and succeeded after two trials.  When he returned to Kay and gave him the sword
everybody noticed where the sword had come from.  From that day on little Arthur was
King of England.  As legend has it he was the kindest most generous king ever to rule
England.  Arthur rule for a quantity of years in Camelot.  Merlin was a magician who had
become friends with Arthur long before he pulled the sword out of the stone.  Merlin had
taught Arthur everything he knew from right to wrong.  As the years went by Arthur met
Guinevere a beautiful lady, which he married her at the age of nineteen.  Together they
lived like towns people and they participated in all of the town’s activities.  Year past and
the greatest time were rejoiced in Camelot, the best era ever.  Until one day Arthur
thought of the wonderful idea of gathering a round table with over 80 knights to re-unite
in the great fortress before leaving for some far off expedition.  The table was round so
that nobody would think that they were favored or had superiority over the others.
Lancelot from France came to join the knights at the round table.  Lancelot became the
best and most trusted knight of the king.  Soon Sir Lancelot desperately fell in love with
Guinevere, the most beautiful Queen.  They fell in love and by treason were sentenced
to death, Guinevere to burn at the steak and Lancelot to be hanged.  Arthur loved both of
them so dearly and he didn’t want to do this to them, but he had to he was the King and
by law was forced to follow the rules.   Lancelot managed to escape before his hanging.
He returned to the castle with the knights that were trustworthy and honest, not the ones
that followed Mordrid, the evil nephew of Arthur.  The twenty knights managed to
distract the people while Lancelot took the Queen on his horse, they vanished off.
Arthur burned with sadness for the next few days.  Finally the day before a battle Arthur
got a letter from Lancelot to meet him at the secret forest, where Merlin had taught him
everything.  When Arthur got there Guinevere and Lancelot pleaded for forgiveness, and
being the kindest King ever he forgave the two people dearest to him.  Sir Lancelot then
banished off, and was never to return to Camelot again. Guinevere joined the Holy
Sisters and live in a Convent for the rest of her life. It is said that after seeing Guinevere
and Lancelot for the last time, Arthur went to fight a battle back in Camelot Palace
Legend has it that King Arthur died in this battle, and that day England lost the one thing
dearest to them.
 The story of King Arthur and his Knights was first mentioned in Wace of Jerseys
Roman de Brut in 1155.  These poems talked about the adventures that were lead by the
king and his queen.  Many other poems were written at different periods in time during
the feudal ages.  One of which is very famous is where Lancelot , Arthur’s chief knight
rivals for the love of Queen Guinevere.  This poem was written be Geoffrey of
Monmouth in 1179.  Most of these poems and many others follow the same story pattern,
which concludes to how the entire legend was pieced together.
 Being part of the round table was not an easy task, one had to complete the
difficulties of knighthood.  Most medieval knights were professional cavalry warriors.
Some owned land, and others did not.  Ranking however was not important, but when
entering knighthood the ceremony was formalized.  At the age of seven a child had to
serve his father as a page.  Then at the age of twelve education and mental thinking were
required.  Finally after following all these steps, and gathering enough money for
knightly equipment the man was dubbed a knight.  The dubbing of a knight could take
place at a royal occasion or right there on the battlefield.  The knights also were suppose
to choose any formula appropriate that was preferred.  The most common element at the
dubbing of the knights at the round table was the flat blade of a sword touched on either
shoulder.  There were many different obstacles of which a knight had to follow such as,
respect for the church, loyalty to one’s feudal or military superiors, and personal honor.
All of Arthur’s knights had to have finished all these steps and commitments to be
accepted at the Round Table.
 In the words of Sir Thomas Molory of England lies this statement: Yet some may
say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our lord
Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come again and shall win the holy
cross.  I will not say that it shall be so, but rather I will say, here in this world he
changed his life.  But many men say that there is written upon his tomb this verse: Hic
Iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus.  Latin for, Here lies Arthur the once and
future King.