Customer Reviews

The Holy Kingdom: The Quest for the Real King Arthur

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read through the reviews of "The Holy Kingdom", most favourable and some not. It does not surprise me, however, that our critics are vitriolic in their attacks. I have seen for myself how Wilson and Blackett have been the subject of character assasination for daring to lift the lid on what is still a sensitive subject: the Arthurian legacy.

I would just like to put the record straight on one or two issues. Wilson and Blackett may be difficult individuals at times (they have plenty of reason) but they are neither fools nor charlatans. If I had thought they were I would have had nothing to do with them. They are two of the most original thinkers I have ever met and they deserve more recognition for their outstanding research.

I myself have been criticised for the style of the book. I could, of course, have written it as an academic treatise but the nature of this work and the detailed arguments needing to be presented would have been daunting for most readers. Instead I have written it in the form of a modern day Arthurian Quest. The difference is that this is not fiction: it is fact. Everything happened as I have described it. Years later and after further research, I see that this was but the tip of the ice-berg. In time I shall have to write more on the subject!

One other thing: please note that there is more than one author called Adrian Gilbert. I do not write books on warfare, sniping, tanks or anything else of the ilk. My work is mainly concerned with Hermetic mysteries. If you would like to know more, visit my website at www.adriangilbert.co.uk or join the discussion forum I have setup on yahoo. You can reach this through the "forum" link on my website.
Adrian Gilbert.

I was intrigued at first, for the comments were mysterious--was something indeed discovered here? The writers next to Gilbert have made some interesting points about the sorry squandering of Welsh and British historical inheritance, which I am the first to concede. But Gilbert has been lulled into believed that his co-authors indeed found some historical sources with an explosive discovery--nothing is less true! They use Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Welsh Bruts for real history, something one of course cannot possibly do with later medieval writings! Most of these sources are complete fantasies (though with interesting original scraps), but the authors completely ignore or denounce accredited earlier sources who just happen to state things differently, as willful pro-Roman frauds. Thus they fantasize that the Romans never occupied Britain as a whole, that they built Hadrian's Wall for the benifit of 'the Royal House of Britain', that it was the Celts who really built all the Roman Roads, that the Roman Legions were a 'ragtag band of indisciplined murderers', etc, etc. This is too much for anyone with but a scrap of historical knowledge, something I must conclude the main author does not possess to judge from his own account. Sometimes fun to read, but only if you're interested in the process of unraveling how they can possibly believe this stuff. Sometimes pure indignation takes over. Though I admit that the reaction by some professional scientists to their 'discoveries' is 'not done', I must say that they authors have only themselves to blame if they are ignored like that!

A vital book.

The smear of misread manuscripts is not new and one that various powerful interests have tried through the ages. Anhun, or Annhun Nigri, was indeed Arthur lst as the whole picture presented by an understanding of the interlocking Welsh genealogies shows.

Blackett and Wilson have stuck to the ancient record and tried to understand how one Arthur figure could have battled and beaten the Romans at Soissy in 383 and also defeated the Saxons circa 560. Obviously there were two men!

Annhun's story is the same at that of Arthur 1st, whose burial stone Blackett and Wilson discovered several years ago near Atherstone (Arthr's Twyn, or Arthur's burial site?) in the West Midland, within the Old Bury ancient site founded circa 250 AD as the record states. The legend on the stone read Artorius - in other words Arthur. The site is at the heart of an old Welsh kingdom where experts in place names like Margaret Gelling have clearly said "English and Welsh lived together".

Hence we should not be surprised that during a period of Welsh dominance, mistakenly described as the "latter period of Roman domination" (there was no such thing), Welsh place names, burial sites and other artefacts should be discovered in the modern West Midlands within the ancient bishopric of Lichfield.

So Annhun, who died circa 388 and who was a direct descendent of Arthur/Arthwys ll ap Meurig ap Tewdrig, was indeed a vitally important figure within the Khumric dynasty and whose authenticity is not in doubt. We now know that it was Arthur, specifically, due to the discovery of the stone and evidence presented very clearly, and unambiguously, in The Holy Kingdom.

You do not need to rely simply upon one manuscript with Blackett and Wilson; all references are stated and given in copious detail in The Holy Kingdom and are available to see. All Welsh historians dating back to at least 1760 (I have the books here) and back into the 1500s, moreover, (haven't got them!) stated that Arthur was a Welsh king. Their work was based upon manuscript research; many of the authors were theological types based at Oxford University.

Wilson and Blackett have allowed the past to speak and for an Arthurian "renaissance" to take place. They, it turns out, have led this new movement based on ancient and unimpeachable evidence.

This is a massively important book and one that I can only highly recommend. As a Welshman, and welsh speaker, living in Louisville, Kentucky, I understand the issues, the reasons for attacks on the author's work and the powerful interests that would rather this all just went away.

So please purchase the Holy Kingdom from amazon.com today!

Another of these conspiracy books based on sketchy details and plenty of imagination. The author doesn't show much material on which he can make so much of his assertions and in the areas which he does their source is doubtfull.

So having wasted a week reading this book I was glad to move to another one! I gave it two stars because my interest in Medieval British history is limited, so to conver what possible biases I may have had I added an extra star.

Contrary to readers below, there is nothing in this book that blew me away. Usually with the conspiracy books (even the most out of this world ones) they have to convince me for 5 minutes for me to enjoy the book. This book did not do that.

As many readers will not be aware of the readings of Welsh manuscripts I thought it would be interesting to show how this work has misrepresented them. The Holy Kingdom relies upon the identification of two names from South Wales Genealogies, being Arthur I and Arthur II. The genealogies are given below as per the manuscript and then with the interpretation of them by the authors.
Their genealogy for Arthur I is taken from a very reliable source dating from c.958 known as the Harleian Genealogies (MS 3859), which is given below from Early Welsh Genealogical Manuscripts (EWGT hereinafter), Peter Bartrum, 1966, as per the original manuscript. (map, m., or ap means "son of")
Eidinet map Anthun map Maxim guletic qui occidit Gratianum regem Romanorum.
The Holy Kingdom gives the above manuscript as:
Eidinet ap Arthun ap Maxim Gulc tic qui occidit Gratian cum regum Romanorum
You will see that they have changed Anthun into Arthun who they claim is Arthur I. There is no maybe or possibly, just "-that is, Arthur" They then go on to claim that Annun Du (Annun Black) is the same person as Arthun (their Arthur I) who they call quite inaccurately Arthun Du.
"A thousand years old, these [the Brecon Manuscripts] are contained in the British museum Vespasian A. XIV and the Harleian 4181 collections. They are invaluable records, much quoted and referred to but, according to Alan and Baram, never actually read by those who quote them. Three times the statement is made, in Welsh as well as Latin, that Arthun the Black, known as the 'King of Greece', was a son of Macsen Wledig - Magnis Maximus."
Below are the exact transcriptions of the three manuscripts from EWGT.
Annhun rex Grecorum (in Cotton MS. Domitia I, folios 157v-158v §10, EWGT p.18)
Annun niger regis Grecorum (in Cotton MS Vespasian A xiv folios 10v-11v §10, EWGT p.14)
Annwn du, vrenhin Groec (in Jesus College MS20 §1, EWGT p.42)
...As can be seen from the above nowhere do the manuscripts say Arthun Du.
With this point proved the rest of their argument falls to bits. I could go on for pages, but this is not the place. The rest of the book contains inaccuracies and leaps of faith based on the works of South Wales antiquarians from the 19th century. These works where some of the earliest attempts to look at welsh history, but are woefully inadequate by today's standards. The Holy Kingdom may appear a good story to those not familiar with Welsh manuscripts, but by ignoring most of the modern academic works on Welsh history the authors have achieved very little.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I have a minor in history, but I don't know enough about this period or the research methods to tell whether all of the arguments presented have basis in fact. Still, I think it's been proven throughout history that the history of disenfranchized cultural groups is often dismissed as myth or fairy tale. Later it often turns out that there was more fact than fiction in the stories these people tell about themselves. Thomas Jefferson's black descendants insisted for years that he fathered his slave Sally's children and mainstream historians dismissed the oral history as inaccurate. DNA evidence proved he was related to at least one of Sally's children years ago. American Indian history is similarly dismissed and their languages were suppressed and children were punished for speaking it at boarding schools, just as Gilbert recounts that the Welsh language was suppressed. I don't find it at all impossible that the Welsh have a claim on King Arthur and the Holy Cross, as their historical records in their own language suggest. This is a book well worth reading. Decide for yourself.

What a book. I mean where have Wilson and Blackett been all my life? Their book is excellent with cogent argument, the power of years of on-site research and clear identification of source material.

Forget Morris, Ashe and Alcock. The latter had to admit that all the sites around the supposed "camelot", Cadbury Hill, Somerset, were forged in the 1500s by John Leland. A casual glance at Wilson and Blackett's chapter on "The Glastonbury Hoax" plus some research of my onw indicated that the "Glastennen" referred to in ancient Manuscripts dated to circa 250 AD. The fake tourist and music festival site of Glastonbury, Somerset, was founded in 941, so it can't be the same place!

Wilson and Blackett are really onto something and this book is but the tip of their particular iceberg. No wonder David Ford, Robert Vermaat and friends are panicked. Take away the Avalon and "mystical Arthur" material so favoured by the dreamers and you get to the truth.

That truth, about the real Arthurian Dynasty of the ancient Britons, warts n all, is for all to read. I do hope people will get their copy soon, to avoid disappointment!

I really enjoyed reading The Holy Kingdom and although I'd be interested to read more about Prince Madoc in America this book acts as a great introduction to the work of Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett's Ancient British Historical Project.

I am heartened that the Holy Kingdom is now available in the USA; this project is of immense significance and if we are to flesh out the history of Madoc and Arthur in America in the sixth Century then we need to know where we're coming from...

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It does indeed seem as if Adrian Gilbert caught on to Wilson and Blackett rather late and had an editorial role, whereas they have done all the meaningful research.

Let's hope this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship between the publishers and these British historians. Rich in detail, racy in its commentary and sober in its reflection, The Holy Kingdom takes you to the sites of every relevant King Arthur story and even provides a twist in the tale in its debunking of the current Glastonbury hoax...

This is a great book, in so many ways...

Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett have been studying the real history of the two King Arthurs for over 40 years and their research is based only upon hard fact. Their work allows you to access every manuscript, visit every historic site and touch every stone and artefact.

Adrian Gilbert simply wrote up their voluminous research and put it into a more reader friendly style, for which we should be grateful.

No wonder the academics are scared of Wilson and Blackett. By using the ancient British (in the Welsh and Latin language) manuscripts they have been able to conclusively prove the existence of two King Arthurs, the reality of an early Christian church in Wales that predates St. Augustine (597) and, for example, that Southern Wales was the scene for Arthur 2nd's famous battle at Baedan (Mynydd Baedan). Note that modern Ordnance Survey maps omit many of the real and important historical sites. This happened as a result of the authors initial research.

Wilson and Blackett's research shows the deliberate and malicious misdating of ancient monuments and stones by supposed "experts" at the University of Wales, CADW and the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaelogical Trust Ltd, all of whom combined from the early 1980s to shut down the historians' project. Happily, with our full support, they soldier on in true Arthurian style!

The truth has always been that they are 100% correct in their conclusions and even Gilbert, ever the skeptic, has had to admit as much. Hence his late involvement in the Ancient British historical project.

Against the background of political intrigue and state-funded hostility to their work, many of us are eternally grateful that we will be able to pass on the true history of these lands and our people onto our children. We will be able to take them to see places in Wales and the West Midlands and stand in awe at sites where British history was made.

Latterly, we have begun to understand the migration histories of the Khumry-Welsh (wrongly spelled Cymry) who descended from Brutus. The reality of this "invisible kingdom", stretching from Wales through Europe to the middle East, is a remarkable story that logically follows from this important book.

Go out and BUY this book - it'll change your perception and you'll overdose on truth!

Gilbert et. al like many people whatever their socio-economic status marital status age etc. seem fascinated with Arthurian legend. So much so in fact that they quested to trace the genealogical roots of the two kings Arthur. They trace the Welsh Kings' origins from Caesar's invasion through the unstable Roman occupation through to Britain's medieval history.

Gilbert's first person voice is welcome as he describes the research and archaelogical work done to discover the man/men behind the myth. He brings the reader with him to sites of Arthur's fortress kingdom and grave.

Some reviewers have expressed disdain for the research and theories documented inside the book myself I am not knowledgable enough in the subject area to dispute any facts offered. Instead I enjoyed learning a part of history not nearly documented enough in spite of the obvious interest. I am sure I am not alone in stating Arthurian Legend fascinates me and the fact that this is more than a "documentary" look at the Once and Future King is a recommendation in itself.

Gilbert and his co-authors covered a varied and dense period in Britain in a very accessible and exciting text not only delivering on promise of tracing Arthur's roots but also springing some surprises on the lucky person interested enough to read this book.