Le Morte d’Arthur: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Thomas Malory
Paperback
(Independently published, Sept. 8, 2017)
Le Morte d'Arthur (originally spelled Le Morte Darthur, Middle French for "the death of Arthur") is a reworking of existing tales by Sir Thomas Malory about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table. Malory interprets existing French and English stories about these figures and adds original material (e.g., the Gareth story). Le Morte d'Arthur was first published in 1485 by William Caxton, and is today one of the best-known works of Arthurian literature in English. Many modern Arthurian writers have used Malory as their principal source, including T. H. White in his popular The Once and Future King and Tennyson in The Idylls of the King. The exact identity of the author of Le Morte D'Arthur has long been the subject of speculation, owing to the fact that at least six historical figures bore the name of "Sir Thomas Malory" in the late 15th century. In the work the author describes himself as "Knyght presoner Thomas Malleorre" ("Sir Thomas Maleore" according to Caxton.) This is taken as supporting evidence for the identification most widely accepted by scholars: that the author was the Thomas Malory born in the year 1416, to Sir John Malory of Newbold Revel, Warwickshire. Sir Thomas inherited the family estate in 1434, but by 1450 he was fully engaged in a life of crime. As early as 1433 he had been accused of theft, but the more serious allegations against him were that of the attempted murder of the Duke of Buckingham, an accusal of rape at least twice, and that he had attacked and robbed Coombe Abbey. Malory was first arrested and imprisoned in 1451 for the ambush of Buckingham, but was released early in 1452. By March he was back in prison at Marshalsea Prison and then in Colchester, escaping on at least two occasions. In 1461 he was granted a pardon by Henry VI, returning to live at his estate. Although originally allied to the Yorkists, after his release Malory changed his allegiance to the Lancastrians. This led to him being imprisoned yet again in 1468 when he led an ill-fated plot to overthrow Edward IV. It was during this final stint at Newgate Prison in London that he is believed to have written Le Morte D'Arthur. Malory was released in October, 1470 when Henry VI came to the throne, but died only five months later.