King
Lear — immortalised by Shakespeare as the mad old King who loses everything. It
is nothing short of a tragedy.
But
did you know that Shakespeare's King Lear is based on the 'historical' King
Leir of Britain? As with many Kings of this era, Leir's stories cannot be found
in the history books, but instead, his story resides in folklore.
 |
| A watercolour of King Lear and the Fool in the storm from Act III, Scene ii of King Lear ~ Wikipedia |
The story of King Leir
(c. 800 BC)
As
King Leir neared death, he feared for his Kingdom — the Kingdom of Briton. To
help ease his troubled mind, he decided to split up his kingdom between his
three daughters. But first, he wanted to know just how loyal they were to him
and more importantly, how much they loved him.
 |
| King Leir and his daughters, a marginal illustrationin the Chronica Majora, c. 1250 ~ Wikipedia |
His
first daughter, Gonorilla flattered her father, she said she loved him more than
any precious stone. Leir was pleased with her answer and basked in her words.
His
second daughter, Regan, also saw the wisdom of complementing her father. She
flattered her father with words of love. Regan promised that she would always
love him more than any other man on the face of the earth. This was exactly
what Leir wanted to hear.
Feeling
blessed, King Leir turned to his third daughter. Cordeilla was his favourite
child, and he waited with pleasure for the compliments he was sure his daughter
was going to bestow on him. Cordeilla, however, was not one to give any man
false flattery, so she simply said...
"I
love you just as a daughter should."
 |
| Cordelia in the Court of King Lear (1873) by Sir John Gilbert ~ Wikipedia |
King
Leir was left speechless by Cordeilla's response. He thought her response cold
and callous. Soon anger replaced the shock. So great was his rage that he
decided not to give her a share of the kingdom, neither would she have a dowry, he then unmercifully banished her. He wanted nothing more to do with her.
She was dead to him.
Cordeilla
fled to France. Here she met King Aganippus, the King of the Franks. Despite Cordeilla
having no dowry, Aganippus loved her so much that he married her anyway.
Meanwhile,
King Leir gave Gonorilla and Regan half of his kingdom. They would receive the
rest once he was dead. It was then that he discovered that his daughters did
not love him as much as they had said they did. In fact, they didn't really
love him at all. Gonorilla's husband, Duke Maglaurus of Albany, overthrew Leir and seized power. Leir was a defeated and broken man.
Duke Maglaurus generously allowed Leir to keep a retinue of 60
knights, but this was too many knights for Gonorilla's liking. She banished a further 30 of her father's men.With only 30 knights left, Leir fled to Regan's household, but Regan was no better than
her sister and soon Leir was left with only one knight to protect him.
 |
| King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806–1864) — Wikipedia |
It
was then that Leir realised what a terrible mistake he had made. Cordeilla had
not stroked his ego by offering false flattery. Instead, she had been speaking
truthfully and from her heart. With his head hung in shame, he made the arduous
journey to France to plead for forgiveness.
Leir's
journey was challenging and long for an old man of poor health. He was no King
now, and he was not treated with the respect he had once been shown. He
realised, too late, that the people were not loyal to a person, but a crown. It
was a very sobering discovery.
Leir
feared what kind of reception he would receive when he was finally reunited with
his estranged daughter. Would she turn her back on him as he had done to her?
Cordeilla, meanwhile, had found happiness in France. She was married to a man she loved and who loved
her in return. She was, despite the pain it had caused, thankful that her
father had banished her. If he had not, then she would not have met and married the love of
her life.
Leir
was welcomed to the French court with open arms. His daughter forgave him,
and his honour was restored. King Aganippus mustered an army, and they
journeyed to Briton together to retake the land. The war was bloody, but Leir was victorious. Leir's daughters and their
husbands paid for their treachery with their lives.
King
Aganippus restored Leir to his throne, and Leir ruled for three years until his
death.
 |
| A 1793 painting of King Lear and Cordelia by Benjamin West ~ Wikipedia |
Cordeilla buried her father under the River Soar and founded a city nearby in his name. She called this city...
Leir-under-the
Soar.
(Leicester)
Cordeilla
ruled the Kingdom Of Briton with a tender heart. She is remembered, in
folklore, as being a just and beautiful queen.
This
story can be found in Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Briton
(late 12th Century). Of course, the most famous retelling of the story was by
William Shakespeare, and that is how King Lear is now remembered. But as you can
see, the story from days of old, is not so much a tragedy, it is a tale of
an old man learning that false flattery is no flattery.
Is
Leicester really named after King Leir?
Probably
not, but it is a great story, isn't it...?
Reference:
All pictures, unless otherwise stated, can be found on Pixabay
If you fancy finding out what happened after the death of King Arthur then why not check out my award-winning historical fantasy series — The Du Lac Chronicles.
Read for free with
No comments:
Post a Comment
See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx