1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in history class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: I'm editor Candice Gibson, joined to day by the ever 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: valiant and ever noble and true Sir Josh Clark. Hey, Cannie, 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: thank you, thank you for nighting me just now. Very welcome. 6 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: It's like the third time this month. I know, I'm 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: really trying to get on josh Is good side. You've 8 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: just been so so darn chivalrous and nice. I just 9 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: had to do something, you know, quid pro quo. The 10 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: cape over the puddle is what you're referring to. And 11 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: you held a door for me about two weeks. Again, 12 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: that's true. I guess I have been kind of chivalrous 13 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: king indeed, and you know we could use a little 14 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:46,919 Speaker 1: bit more of that in our daily lives. I'm not 15 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,639 Speaker 1: saying we all have to go around whipping out swords 16 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: from stones like my favorite legend of all time, King Arthur. 17 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: But there are certain principles and values from the Artherurian 18 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: legend that I like to apply to my daily life. Well, 19 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: they're actually kind of universal, they are there. What are 20 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:10,119 Speaker 1: these qualities? Again? We have honor and encourage um. Uh, 21 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: maybe not stealing the king's wife. That's a good thing. 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: It's a nice one too. You know. What's what's odd 23 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: is that UM a lot of these these um parts 24 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: of chivalry are a lot of the values that fall 25 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: under the umbrella of chivalry. Also UM kind of jive 26 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: with UM like Christian values as well. They do kind 27 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: of which is kind of significant because I remember part 28 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: of the Eutherian legend is that UM, when England needs 29 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: the most, Arthur will rise from the dead to come 30 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: back to save it. Which it's an awful lot like 31 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: another person, who is that? I know who you're hinting at. 32 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: Jesus you did know, wow, I I did, And you 33 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: know it's there's a very good reason that it sounds 34 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: a lot like Christian stories. And that's because when the 35 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: legend of Arthur was first put on paper, it was 36 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: back with Jeffrey of Monmouth. He started penning it down 37 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 1: back in the yeah as well, centuring the eleven hundred, 38 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: and then after Jeffrey of Monmouth, Christian Christian of Troy 39 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: or kretin Deta he picked it up and penned his 40 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: own version. And after Kretindi there was the Vulgate cycle, 41 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: and this was a version of the legend of Arthur 42 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: that married the story with very Christian concepts. And then 43 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: after that version was written, Sir Thomas Mallory adopted that 44 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: and created his very famous, very well reputed and known 45 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: Lemore d'Arthur or The Death of Arthur, and that was 46 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: the version that everyone was working from. So if there's 47 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: certain principles of Christianity that seemed to give at the 48 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: Artherian legend, that's why. Well, yeah, I think it was 49 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: kind of the two were married together because about the 50 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: time that it was being put to paper, Christianity was 51 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: being introduced to Western Europe. You know, Prior to this time, 52 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: peasants had really no reason to toil, and then all 53 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: of a sudden they have Christianity, which says, uh, you know, 54 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: the harder you work on earth, of the the worshier 55 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: lot on earth, the better it is in heaven. All 56 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: of a sudden they toil a little harder in the 57 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: feudal you know, kings were saying keep at it, you know, 58 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: thanks a lot. So it's it makes a lot of 59 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: sense that that this national hero would be married with 60 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: those same kind of Christian values. As well, And just 61 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: to give you a little background on this national hero. 62 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: I know you probably have some ideas of who Arthur was, 63 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: whether you see him as Sean Connery or the very skinny, 64 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: scrawny prepubiscent cartoon from Disney Sword and Stone. My preferred 65 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: version really, um, but Arthur. You know, it's really hard 66 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: to tell the story of Arthur because there's so many 67 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: disparate versions, but pretty much, um, he was a young 68 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: lad growing up in England at a time when it 69 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: had recently been invaded and their former leader had been dethroned, 70 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: and he saw a sword and a stone, he pulled 71 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: it out, and by virtue of that he became king 72 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: because that was ex Caliber. Indeed, indeed, other versions of 73 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: this story have the Lady of the Light handing him 74 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: the sword and telling him that he was to rule 75 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: the country. So from there he took his trustee sword 76 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: ex Caliber, and built the mighty Fortress Camelot as stronghold 77 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: for his for his kingdom. And once inside he started 78 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: devising a very innovative and egalitarian concept called the round table. 79 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: And this really was pretty radical because before there had 80 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: always been positions of authority within the knighthood. And you know, 81 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: someone was always top night and somebody wasn't sort of 82 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: bottom wrong. But with Arthur, everyone was equal. It was 83 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: a round table round. It was a good way to lead, 84 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: it was. And because he was such a good leader, 85 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: everybody kind of wants a piece of him, you know, 86 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: the same way that the same way that the US 87 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: wants to claim Posh. And yet she still has British roots. 88 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: Everyone wants to say she's our girl. Everyone said, thought 89 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: about Arthur, the British, the Welsh, well, actually the British 90 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,239 Speaker 1: kind of um. One could make a case the British 91 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: Pilford Arthur um and propped him up as a as 92 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: a a poster boy for their their national values, you 93 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: know things that uh. He he was a famous figure 94 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: that um conquered evil and united you know that this 95 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: land wherever the land actually was during you know his time, 96 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: um and lead people out of this darkness and out 97 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: of danger and fear. Um. And he wasn't necessarily English. 98 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: The Welsh, on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly 99 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: content with Arthur remaining English. There's a guy out there 100 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: who's found some evidence that if Arthur did live, he 101 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: was a Welshman, and the Welsh aren't really doing a 102 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: whole lot to you know, pick up that gauntlet and 103 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: run with it. You know, it's funny that's evidence of 104 00:05:55,040 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: Arthur's existence. It's pretty touchy because if this is a 105 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: matter of national pride and people do want a piece 106 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: of Arthur, what they need is proof, and they're turning 107 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: to these supposed historical relics and they're saying, here it is, 108 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: here's proof that Arthur existed. And you were asking me 109 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: about one of these earlier, the round table you were 110 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: talking about it supposedly is hanging in a castle. Well, 111 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: there is a round table hanging in a castle in 112 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: England and it was supposedly Arthur. So I mean, wouldn't 113 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: that prove that, you know, he was an actual person 114 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: when they take him out of the realm of fiction 115 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: and put him into the room effect, Well, it would, 116 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: except for one tiny hitch. It's not authentic, so it's 117 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: fiction that would make it fiction. And a lot of 118 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: these historical relics and dates come from Thomas Mallory because 119 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: again he was the one who put this into context 120 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 1: and actually named landmarks in England. And you know pretty 121 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: much that Arthur was here, and that wasn't the case. 122 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,280 Speaker 1: And in fact, the place that he claimed was Arthur's 123 00:06:55,760 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: birthplace Tentacle Castle, that wasn't built until the eleven hundreds, 124 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: and that was centuries after Arthur was supposed to have lived. 125 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,799 Speaker 1: And a lot of people think now that the reason 126 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: he named that place is because it was affiliated with 127 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: his patron, who commissioned his work of literature. There you go, 128 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: And as for the round table in question, well here's 129 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: where your bubble is really going to be burst. Well, um, 130 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: some scholars carbon dated it and it only dated back 131 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: to Yeah. Yeah, so now they're starting to believe that 132 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: it was commissioned by Henry the eighth because people were 133 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: really fascinated by the Artherian legend and medieval culture and 134 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: he wanted a replica. Yeah, it's understandable. I could not 135 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: feel more disillusioned right now. But um, at least I'm 136 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: still at night. Well that is true, that is true. Well, um, 137 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: I would help scrape you up. I have a nice 138 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: story for you. It's called How King Arthur Worked, and 139 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: you can read all about it on how stuff works 140 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: dot com. For moral this than thousands of other topics 141 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: because at how stuff Works dot com. Let us know 142 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 1: what you think. Send an email to podcast at how 143 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. H