Camelot was a mythical city in ruins, which would be located in Great Britain. This was where King Arthur held his court. It was the center of the Kingdom of Logres and in Arthurian legend would become the site of the round table that held 150 knights.
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Stories about King Arthur have been known since at least the 9th century. One of the most famous Arthurian writers was Geoffrey of Monmouth. He lived in the first half of the 12th century. In his book, "History of the Kings of Britain", Monmouth wrote several stories about King Arthur and Merlin, mentioning Arthur's birth in Tintagel.
However, Monmouth – and other ancient Arthurian writers – make no mention of Camelot. The earliest known mention of Camelot comes briefly in a poem. It was written at the end of the 12th century by Chrétien de Troyes. The first detailed description of Camelot would appear during the 13th century.
In the 13th-century Vulgate book cycle, Camelot becomes the chief city of Arthur's kingdom. Researcher Norris Lacy writes that the Vulgate Cycle was composed between 1215 and 1235 by an anonymous author or group of authors.
In these cycles, Camelot would be discussed in detail. The text says, in translation, that “it was the most adventurous city that ever existed.” Although located in Great Britain, his world was a place that included wizards, giants, dragons and, of course, many Knights.
The history of Camelot begins with Joseph of Arimathea. According to the Bible, he donated his tomb for the burial of Jesus. According to a Vulgate story, he came to Britain and then to Camelot, thinking it to be an Islamic city.
José managed to convert more than a thousand of its inhabitants to Christianity. Its king, a leader named Agrestes, is described as being the "cruelest man in the world". He would have been falsely converted. After José leaves, Agrestes chases the Christians, completely freaks out and throws himself into a bonfire.
However, Islam did not even exist in the first century. So the claim that 1st century Camelot was an Islamic city is unclear.
Camelot was described as a city surrounded by forests and meadows. It had plenty of open space for knight tournaments (which were held frequently). The city's defenses were formidable, surviving a war against the Saxons and another invasion in which Cornishmen aided the Saxons.
The text says that Arthur held court in a castle equipped with a main courtyard, rooms, areas for parties and, apparently, the Round Table. The castle is close enough to a body of water that, in one story, Arthur could see a boat entering Camelot holding what turns out to be a dead maiden.
While tournaments are held frequently, the people of Camelot also enjoyed other less violent forms of recreation. In one story, Lancelot gives King Arthur a fine set of chess, knowing that Queen Guinevere is a good player.
According to one story, an inscription was found saying that the quest for the Holy Grail should begin 453 years after Jesus' resurrection. this would be
the date when King Arthur supposedly ruled Camelot.
The most famous aspect of Camelot is certainly its Round Table, and the Vulgate cycles discuss in detail how King Arthur came to possess it.
According to the text, it was a wedding gift from Guinevere's father, King Leodagan of Carmelide, after Arthur asked for her hand in marriage. At the time, there were already 100 knights (out of 150) who were members of the bureau. This prompted Arthur to ask the wizard Merlin to choose the remaining members to complement her.
During the 15th century, the Arthurian legends, including Camelot, would be published in English thanks to the work of Sir Thomas Malory. His book, called "Morte d'Arthur", drew heavily on the cycles of the French Vulgate, in addition to other Arthurian sources.
Although little is known about Malory himself, his work influence has been considerable. Writers such as Alfred Tennyson, TH White, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain and countless others found the Arthurian world through some version of Malory's work and reinterpreted it.
Indeed, in the 20th century, the idea of Camelot was powerful, and after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the name was used as a term used to describe the years of his presidency.
