From prehistory to Tudor and Stuart times, South-West Britain has been a crucible of resistance to invaders and occupiers. In the post-Roman period the mysterious and quasi-historical figure of King Arthur looms large, alongside those of the early saints who helped construct Christian kingdoms and illuminated ‘the dark ages’.
Arthur’s name still haunts the marshes, hilltop-forts, and cliffs of the region. In the 9th century, King Alfred used the Isle of Athelney in Somerset as a refuge from which to plan and launch the successful West Saxon fightback against the Danes. In the 10th century Alfred's successors sought to expand West Saxon power into the ancient Celtic kingdoms of Cornwall and Wales.
Following the Norman Conquest, Arthur began to feature increasingly in the historical origin narratives and courtly literature of both the Angevins and the Celts, from Welsh bards to troubadours. Royal regimes and their challengers vied in citing Arthur as a ‘family member’ to legitimise their rule or political and cultural ideologies. The Arthurian myth even went on to inform 20th-century constructs such as the Star Wars projects of both President Reagan and George Lucas!
The material legacy, from inscribed early Christian stones to medieval manuscripts, and archaeological sites such as Tintagel, South Cadbury and Glastonbury will be examined, alongside other historical evidence.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- To appreciate the interaction between history and historical myth.
- To understand how and why a long-lived historical myth evolves and is manifested.
- To comprehend how aspects of Anglo-Celtic relations were forged in the aftermath of the fall of the Roman Empire in the West.
Classes
1. The Age of Arthur
This session looks at the end of Roman Britain and its aftermath, continuity and conflict between the Britons and the advent of the English; it will consider the historical ambiguities and the origins of the creation of the Arthurian myth.
2. The Age of the Saints
This session studies the conversion and Christianity in Cornwall, Dumnonia, and Wessex and their relations with other Celtic regions.
3. The Viking Age
This session examines the impact of the seawolves, the rise of the kingdom of Wessex, the creation of a united England and relations with its Celtic neighbours, notably Cornwall and Wales.
4. The Anglo-Norman and Angevin appropriation of Arthur
This session looks at how the British Arthurian genre developed and its Angevin and Celtic contexts. It will examine how key early sites such as Glastonbury and Tintagel were reinterpreted and reconstructed to accord with manufactured history and hagiography focusing upon ‘the once and future king’.
5. Legitimising and Challenging the Tudors
This session considers Arthur’s role as royal ancestor and legitimiser of the incoming Tudor regime and his use as a rallying point for Celtic resistance to English centrality.
Required reading
Brown, Michelle P., How Christianity Came to Britain and Ireland. Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2006; Reissued as Pagans and Priests: The Coming of Christianity to Britain and Ireland. London: Reader’s Digest, 2007.
Brown, Michelle P., The Word and the Shaping of Cornwall Before the Reformation. London: Francis Boutle, 2021.
Lupack, Alan. The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
White, Richard. King Arthur in Legend and History. London: Routledge, 1998.
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.
