Le Morte d'Arthur

Le Morte d'Arthur Summary | Book 1 Summary

Book 1 recounts the conception of Arthur, his coming to power, his coronation, his fights to establish the empire, and the foretelling of his ultimate demise.

King of England, Uther Pendragon, calls his enemy, the Duke of Tintagil, and his wife, Igraine, for an audience. King Uther desires Igraine so much that he plans a deception in order to sleep with her. Uther's armies surround Tintagil's castle, and Uther falls "ill for love of Igraine," and Merlin is sent for. Merlin promises to help Uther and give him all his desires if Uther agrees to Merlin's demands. The price Merlin demands is the child of the union of Igraine and Uther. Merlin plots with Uther to disguise himself as Tintagil after Uther kills him. Igraine does not know her husband is dead and accepts the guise that Uther is her husband, conceiving Arthur three hours after Tintagil's death. Uther marries the widow, Igraine, who still does not know that it was the king who came to her bed.

Igraine gives birth to Arthur. Merlin demands his promise from Uther and takes Arthur away to be raised by Sir Ector as his own child. King Uther's health declines as his kingdom is being overtaken by enemies. Right before his death, Uther, at Merlin's urging, proclaims that Arthur should be his heir and King.

Much discontent exists after Uther's death with many people vying for power. At Merlin's insistence, the Archbishop of Canterbury invites all the lords and powerful men of the land to London at Christmas where the true king would be chosen. In the churchyard in London was a huge stone with a sword in it with the inscription, "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England." No one could pull out the sword, until Arthur's adopted brother, Sir Kay, loses his sword, and Arthur pulls the one out of the stone. Ector admits that Arthur is not his son by blood and kneels in allegiance. After numerous "proofs" of his righteousness as king, pulling the sword named "Excalibur" in and out of the stone at Candlemas and Easter, he is crowned.

Six Kings from the North, Lot, Uriens, Nentres and others, contest Arthur and refuse to bow to his throne. Merlin acts as defender and promoter of Arthur, as well as controller of situations by providing counsel. A battle between Arthur and his followers and the six Northern kings ensues where Arthur proves his might and prowess by killing many men with Excalibur.

Merlin advises Arthur to join with King Ban and King Bors to fight the six kings who will come back to fight again. Arthur pledges to help Ban and Bors fight Claudas if they will align themselves with him. The men of Ban and Bors prove themselves worthy through jousts and tournaments with Arthur's knights.

Arthur, Ban and Bors gathered their armies and secretly rallied together, at Merlin's advice, in the forest of Bedegraine. The six kings who fled after Arthur's coronation gather additional forces in five more Northern kings, bringing a force of fifty thousand men against Arthur at Bedegraine.

Arthur's forces are told by Merlin when and where the eleven kings would strike, and are able to attack them by surprise at night when they were sleeping. Merlin provides counsel and battle strategy for Arthur, Ban, and Bors, and mighty (and gory) tales of battle ensue. Arthur proves himself in battle, doing "so marvelously in arms that all men had wonder." The feats of individual knights are recounted.

Much explanation is given of the stages of battles and the valiant fights of Arthur's army. Many men die, but the 11 kings are still alive, and King Lot unites them all against Arthur by having them swear loyalty to each other.

Merlin comes in, rebuking Arthur for not stopping the battle, claiming that out of 60,000 men Arthur has only left 15,000 alive. He counsels them to withdraw because the 11 kings will not be overthrown at this time, but predicts three years of peace. Arthur rewards his knights, Ban and Bors. King Arthur sees Lionors, an earl's daughter, when she comes to pay homage, and he impregnates her with a child named Borre, who will become a knight of the Round Table. King Rience makes war on Arthur's friend, Leodegrance, and so he, Ban and Bors depart for war in Northern Wales.

Arthur's army fights King Rience, who flees after ten thousand are killed. Shortly after, Arthur sees the King of Cameliard's daughter, Guenever. Ban, Bors and Arthur part, leaving Ban and Bors to protect the north. Merlin prophesies the demise of the eleven kings (at the hands of Balin and Balan) who have gone back to their kingdoms to fight other battles against invaders.

Arthur sees Margawse (Lot's wife who was sent to spy on Arthur.) He slept with her, not knowing that she was his half-sister, (Igraine and Tintagel's daughter). This union begets Mordred, Arthur's child. Arthur then dreams of griffins and serpents fighting him, but after a long battle, he slays these creatures. To forget the dream, Arthur goes on a hunt and chases a huge hart (a large male deer) until his horse dies. While he waits for a new horse to be brought to him, a strange beast comes followed by a knight named Pellinore. The knight's horse had been killed by the beast, so Arthur gives him the horse that had been brought, and Pellinore continues to follow the questing beast. Arthur offers to take up the quest for Pellinore, but Pellinore believes that the beast can only be captured by him or his kin.

Merlin comes to Arthur in the guise of a 14-year-old boy and an 80-year-old man and predicts the destruction of the kingdom because Arthur "laid" with his own sister. Merlin also predicts his own "shameful" death by being "put into the earth quickly." To find out if Merlin is right about Margawse, Arthur sends for his mother, Igraine, who testifies that she did not know Arthur was the son of the king since Uther had been disguised when he came to her.

Griflet, a squire, enters the court and asks Arthur for a knighthood so that he could fight the knight who had killed his master, but when he meets him, the knight severely wounds Griflet and takes him back to court, where Griflet recovers.

Twelve ambassadors from Rome come asking Arthur for money and allegiance, which he declines to give. Arthur finds a knight in the woods who will not let anyone pass unless they joust, and Arthur fights this man, Pellinore. Pellinore breaks Excalibur in half and intends to kill Arthur. Merlin appears and puts a spell on Pellinore which causes him to sleep. When Pellinore wakes up, he will become one of Arthur's followers, and will eventually reveal to Arthur the name of his own son by Margawse who will destroy the kingdom.

Merlin tells Arthur that another sword is held above the water by a white-clothed arm for him. The Lady of the Lake says that Arthur can have her sword if he will give her a promise when she asks it. Merlin tells Arthur that the scabbard of the sword he just acquired is more important than the blade because as long as he has that scabbard, he will never lose any blood.

Merlin tells Arthur that a child born on May Day will be his destruction, so Arthur sends for all the children born on that day and, based on Merlin's instructions, sends the children away on a ship. Mordred, the child of Arthur and his half-sister, Margawse, was put out to sea with the other children, but the ship wrecked and Mordred survived, saved by a good man who found him and raised him until he was fourteen.