Biography: King Arthur - His Life and Legends on AllMovie

This edition of Biography, the long running documentary series from A&E, explores the life of semi-legendary sixth century king of the Britons King Arthur. He may originally have been a Roman-British war leader in called Arturus; but he is represented as having united the British tribes against the invading Saxons, and as having been the champion of Christendom as well. He is said to have fought against the invaders in a series of momentous battles, starting with a victory at Mount Baden and ending with defeat and death at Camlan, after which he was buried at Glastonbury. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle makes no mention of him, however; he first appears in Welsh chronicles long after the event. The story of Arthur blossomed into a huge literature, interwoven with legends of the Holy Grail and courtly ideas of the Round Table of knights at Camelot, in such writers as Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chrétien de Troyes, Layamon, and, most notably in English, Sir Thomas Malory.