Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era: Authenticating the Enemies and Allies of Britian's Post-Roman King [Hardcover]

Frank D. Reno (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786406488 | ISBN-13: 978-0786406487 | Publication Date: February 2000

While literature is replete with tales of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, pinpointing the identity of the real King Arthur has proven to be a vexing chore for historians. In separating the fiction from the history, the author demonstrates in an earlier McFarland book that the true Arthur was a Celtic king of post-Roman Britain who lived in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. In an effort to further authenticate the Celtic Arthur as the legendary king, the author examines here the roles of six major figures of the period from A.D. 383 to 518-Vortimer, Vitalinus, Cunedda, Cerdic, Octha, and Mordred. Through an extensive analysis of Arthur's 12 battles listed in the Historia Brittonum, this work explores not only the influences of the High King's allies, but also examines the switch of allegiance by some Britons who joined forces with Arthur's enemies. A battle list is included that provides possible geographic locations for each of the battles, including a new site for Arthur's fateful battle at Camlann determined by the author's firsthand research.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank D. Reno, of Lafayette, Colorado, recently toured Britain with an independent filmmaker to create a visual representation of his research. He is also the author of The Historic King Arthur (1996).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786406488
• ISBN-13: 978-0786406487
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,226,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent extension of Frank Reno's exploration of Arthur, March 23, 2002

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Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era: Authenticating the Enemies and Allies of Britian's Post-Roman King (Hardcover)

"Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era" is Frank Reno's follow-up to his "The Historic King Arthur"... The work presented here extends Reno's explorations into the real world of "King Arthur" as found in the ancient written texts. It's a detailed, challenging book which should be of great interest to anyone who strongly wishes to better understand what lay behind all those centuries of legend and myth.

4.0 out of 5 stars Dizzying, February 25, 2009

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Scion of Bellerphon "Doc71" (OEF VI) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era: Authenticating the Enemies and Allies of Britian's Post-Roman King (Hardcover)

It is a very articulate plunge into the murky mystical waters of the Authurian Legend and reconciling it with true historical evidence. It is not a hack piece of work at all very precise and it will make you head spin with the amount of evidence presented in trying to find the real figures in the shadows behind the romantic legends. It is a part of my ever expanding historical library on the Arthurian/ Sub-Roman Britian.