Knights of the Round Table
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The Knights of the Round Table were those men awarded the highest order of Chivalry at the Court of King Arthur in the literary cycle the Matter of Britain. The table at which they met was created to have no head or foot, representing the equality of all the members. Different stories had different numbers of knights, ranging from only 12 to 150 or more. The Winchester Round Table, which dates from the 1270s, lists 25 names of knights.
Sir Thomas Malory describes the Knights' code of chivalry as:
- To never do outrage nor murder
- Always to flee treason
- To by no means be cruel but to give mercy unto him who asks for mercy
- To always do ladies, gentlewomen and widows succor
- To never force ladies, gentlewomen or widows
- Not to take up battles in wrongful quarrels for love or worldly goods
Origins of the Round Table
The first writer to describe the Round Table was Wace, whose Roman de Brut was an elaboration of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. The company was used by many subsequent authors. However, even the earliest writers ascribe to Arthur a following of extraordinary warriors; in Geoffrey, Arthur's court attracts the greatest heroes from all of Europe. In the Welsh Arthurian material, much of which is included in the Mabinogion, Arthur's men are attributed with superhuman abilities. Some of the characters from the Welsh material even appear under altered names as Knights of the Round Table in the continental romances, the most notable of which are Cai (Sir Kay), Bedwyr (Sir Bedivere), and Gwalchmai (Sir Gawain).
List of Knights of the Round Table
- Sir Aglovale, son of King Pellinore of Listinoise
- Sir Agravaine, son of King Lot of Orkney
- Sir Bedivere (Bedwyr)
- Sir Bors, King of Gannes (Gaul)
- Sir Breunor, also known as "La Cote Male Taile"
- Sir Cador
- Sir Caradoc, called "Caradoc Vreichvras", or "Caradoc Strong Arm"
- Sir Colgrevance
- Sir Constantine, son of Cador, who became king after Arthur's death
- Sir Dagonet, the court jester
- Sir Daniel
- Sir Dinadan, the son of Sir Brunor Senior and brother of Sirs Brunor le Noir 'La Cote Mal Taillée' and Daniel.
- Sir Ector, Arthur's foster father and Sir Kay's father
- Sir Ector de Maris, the son of King Ban of Benwick
- Sir Elyan the White, the son of Sir Bors
- Sir Erec, (see also Geraint)
- Sir Gaheris
- Sir Galahad (whose seat was the Siege Perilous)
- Sir Gareth
- Sir Gawain (Gawaine, Walganus, Balbhuaidh, Gwalchmai)
- Sir Geraint (see also Erec)
- Sir Gingalain, called at first Sir Le Bel Inconnu ("The "Fair Unknown"), Gawain's son
- Sir Griflet
- King Hoel
- Sir Kay (Cai, Caius)
- Sir Lamorak
- Sir Lancelot (Launcelot du Lac)
- King Leodegrance, Guinevere's father and keeper of the Round Table
- Sir Lionel
- Sir Lucan
- Sir Maleagant, who abducted Guinevere
- Sir Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son and destroyer of the kingdom
- Sir Morholt
- Sir Palamedes the Saracen
- Sir Pelleas
- King Pellinore
- Sir Percival (Perceval, Peredur), son of Pellinore
- Sir Safir, brother of Palamedes
- Sir Segwarides, brother of Palamedes
- Sir Tor
- Sir Tristram (Tristan)
- King Uriens
- Sir Ywain (Owain), son of King Uriens of Gore
- Sir Ywain the Bastard, also son of Uriens
Knights of the Round Table was also a 1953 movie based on the Arthurian legend.de:Tafelrunde fi:Pyöreän pöydän ritarit fr:Chevaliers de la Table Ronde ja:円卓の騎士 pl:Rycerze Okrągłego Stołu