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King Arthur

The legend of King Arthur grew after his death.  Most historians agree that a leader called Arthur did live in the west of England about 1400 years ago. He fought and won a series of battles against the Saxon invaders. Arthur seems to have been a very clever leader who brought fifty years of peace to his people.

The legend of Arthur and his greatness grew. Several hundred years after Arthur's death, a monk named Geoffrey of Monmouth collected the stories of Arthur and wrote them down. He wrote about King Arthur.

HOW ARTHUR BECAME KING
There are many stories about King Arthur. They often involve a magician called Merlin. When Arthur was born, Merlin placed him in the home of Sir Ector who taught Arthur how knights and kings should behave and fight.

Actually, Arthur was the son of King Uther. When Uther died, many knights wanted to become king. Merlin arranged a test for the knights. Using magic, Merlin placed the blade of a sword into a large stone. On the stone was a message which said,  "He who pulls this sword from the stone shall become king."

Even the most powerful of the knights could not pull the sword from the stone. So it was suggested that a great tournament be held. The winner could become king. Arthur was then fifteen years old. He was a page for Kay who was the son of Sir Ector. Kay decided to enter the great tournament but he had forgotten his sword. He sent Arthur to fetch a sword.

Arthur hurried away to find a sword for his master, but he could not find one. Finally he saw the sword in the stone. Arthur had not heard how all the great knights had tried and failed at pulling the sword out of the stone. He walked up to the sword. grasped it by the hilt in two hands and pulled. The sword slid easily from the stone and Arthur carried it away for Kay to use in the tournament. When Kay and the other knights saw the sword, they realized what it was.

"Long live King Arthur," shouted Sir Ector. Reluctantly, the other knights joined in and young Arthur became King Arthur.

The new King gathered around him the best and most noble knights in the land. Then King Arthur built a huge round table. When the knights sat around the table, none of them could sit at the head of the table. In this way , all of the knights were made to feel equal.

From his castle named Camelot, Arthur ruled wisely for five decades.