King Arthur: The Mystery Unravelled

by Chris Barber

This book is the culmination of over thirty years of work and research by the author, who is a King Arthur specialist and bestseller.The book brings new information to light by examining through a jigsaw of connections throughout Dark Age Britain, especially Wales and Cornwall, as King Arthur is revealed to have been a hereditary King of the ancient land of the Silures in South Wales. In this way, Chris Barber has set out to reveal the true identity of King Arthur, whose identity has been obscured by the mists of time and the imaginative embellishments of romantic writers through the ages. After sorting fact from fiction, he not only identifies the Celtic prince who gave rise to the legend of Arthur, but reveals his family background, 6th century inscribed stones bearing his name and those of his contemporaries; locations of his courts, battle sites such as Badon Llongborth and Camlann; the identity of his enemies, the ancient Isle of Avalon and his final resting place.

Genres: History, Religion, Arthurian, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 5, 2016

Reviews

[Oh My Bookness · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many of you, like me, as a kid ever dreamed of a place called Camelot, a King called Arthur, the round table and its knights. Or played pretend. As a kid maybe you were a  knight fighting for Camelot and the Round Table. I know when Merlin was on television I watched every episode ofis it, of course that was a nonfiction tale of Arthur, but who didn't love it? 

 kids of being a knight fighting for Camelot and the Round Table. I know when Merlin was on television I watched every episode of it, of course that was a nonfiction tale of Arthur, but who didn't love it? King Aurthur was portrayed in many different forms in many nonfiction books and television. The legend of Aurthur pulling the sword out of the stone is legend, but who is he really? Did he ever exist? Sure the History Channel did its research on the legend of King Aurthur, but they didn't really have the answers  either. The legend of King Aurthur is known world wide, Chris Barber had done years of research with many of his colleagues helping him to find the answer. It took years for them to research if England really had a King name Aurthur, or was there a King that went by a different name and somebody wrote about him under a false name? I know I would really like to know so I can stop watching all these documentaries on King Aurthur and they don't know any more than the first minute of the program!

 This book is based on facts of research, dates, Roman soldiers, manuscripts dating back to the ninth-century and earlier. Statements of Aurthur leading his troops into battle, some say he was something less. This book entitles different publications of comments of King Aurthur, also his name was spelled in many different ways, no one knew which was the correct one. Chris goes back to when Britain had fought the Romans and not to mention many other battles. They suggested in King Authurs error there were about twelve battles, there are some historians who have negative views on the subject.

 I am not going to tell you what they discovered, if they did uncover the real King Aurthur or not, you will have to read the book. This book is a little complicated for some to sit down and enjoy, but if that is your preference then this is the book for you. This book “King Aurthur” has a lot of interconnected parts, many dates and complex names for some to get through. This book is composed of various diverse opinions related to King Aurthur, Chris and his team did a wonderful job of completing a exhausting and tremendous research to find out the facts  if there truly is a King name Aurthur. 

[GRANT · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part is that this is the Southeastern Welsh interpretation of Arthur. As that is where my people arise, I'm all in. The author does well in developing and presenting his case. Still, as in most historical analyses of Arthur, the ends tend to justify the means. It does well in analyzing the early Welsh kingdoms and genealogical tables but if my other reading has done me any good, there is too much reliance on the Book of Llandaff which I understand is highly suspect in serious academic circles in attempting to justify the medieval dominance of that see as one of early establishment. And similarly, there is a lot of reliance on highly questionable, medieval hagiography of the early Welsh Saints. The author does concede this problem a little by arguing that it is not the religious miracles but the underlying cultural and historical references that give substance to his arguments as a whole. What can be done is to see this as the descendants of the Kingdoms of Morganwg, Gwent, Brycheiniog, and Brittany would in honoring their past - myths, heroes, and all.

[Mairwen]

Haven't read it yet. I want to, as I have Welsh ancestry (along with Irish and French). But I really don't understand what Chris Barber means when he says that it's difficult for many English to accept that Arthur was a Welshman! Of course, he was probably a Welshman. He dedicated his life to fighting the Germanic invaders. However the Cornish have an equally valid claim that Arthur was a Cornishman, with Dozmary Pool being the place where the Lady of the Lake presented Excalibur to Arthur. I've been to Dozmary Pool many times. Contrary to what the word 'pool' suggests, it's a reasonably large lake, in the most desolate surroundings. A friendly war between the Cornish and the Welsh has been going on for years concerning each country's respective claim to having 'given birth' to Arthur.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a scholarly work whose aim is to unravel the true identity of King Arthur. The author’s exhaustive research has unearthed the lineage of King Arthur and untangled the myth and legend from the historical facts. Starting with Arthur’s ancestors he uncovers the family linkages and then tracks his life with chapters on his birth, crowning, the Round Table, and significant battles that marked his reign.

I found this book to be thoroughly researched and documented. The book introduced me to people and places that I had no idea were related to King Arthur. This book is a good choice for anyone who is intrigued by the legend of King Arthur. Another great history from Pen & Sword Books, who provided me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The research that went into this book is truly impressive and the amount of detail provided by the author is incredible. Unfortunately, it makes for a very dull and confusing read. There is an additional problem that the author seems to assume that anyone reading this book has read his previous writings on the subject. Another problem is his stated assumption that his conclusions are not widely accepted while a cursory review of many other books on the subject clearly show that many scholars have reached the same conclusion he does. My negative review may be partially colored by the fact that I was expecting a book geared more to someone not intimately involved in the research of King Arthur and was disappointed in the unidirectional and overly studious text.

[Rich East · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent if you're interested in the history of dark age Gwent. If you're interested in Arthur not so great.

Too many statements with no evidence and square pegs hammered into round holes to be truly convincing.

[Stephen Robert Kuta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for anyone with an interest in history and the legend of King Arthur. This book has plenty of ancient pedigrees recorded in its pages too, as a genealogist I find that very interesting and a great source whilst researching old lineages.

[Sam Bartrum · Rating 1 out of 5]

Speculation