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King Arthur:

The Man Who Conquered Europe

By Caleb Howells

Who was King Arthur? That question has puzzled researchers for hundreds of years, yet still, no consensus has been reached. However, whether it is concluded that he was a Celtic king or a Roman officer, or something in-between, there is one conclusion that virtually all investigators agree on: he was some kind of war leader who fought against the Saxons in Britain. This is a fair conclusion, but it misses ‒ or ignores ‒ something crucial. In the legends of Arthur, he engages in a monumental campaign into Europe and wages war against the Roman Empire. Few researchers even attempt to offer an explanation for this, most simply dismissing it as fiction. The few theories that have been offered to explain the historical origin of this part of the legend are invariably unconvincing and do not address the scale of Arthur's campaign in the legend.

In this book, the historical event behind this legend is revealed. Arthur's enemies are identified as real historical figures. Most importantly, the identity of the man who conquered Europe is discovered and it is shown exactly how he came to be known as King Arthur.

Searching for Arthur....

It can safely be said that one of the figures of legend and folklore who has been written about the most is King Arthur. As well as countless versions of the legend being told and retold, it seems that researchers are on a never-ending quest to discover the truth behind the legends. All of this investigating has done little, if anything, to change the consensus of scholars. All that is agreed is that Arthur, if he ever even really existed, was some kind of military leader who fought the Saxons during the late-fifth or early-sixth century. However, there is a very large part of the Arthurian legends which is almost never entertained as possibly being authentic. This is Arthur's campaign into Europe and war against the Romans.

The King Arthur statue at Tintagel. The statue is called Gallos, which is Cornish for power. The sculpture is by Rubin Eynon.

While this aspect of the story does not appear in the earliest records of Arthur, it does appear in the first full account of Arthur's life, which is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Brittaniae. This describes how Arthur, after dominating all of Britain, decided to set out to conquer various parts of Europe, primarily Gaul (roughly modern-day France). After succeeding in this, several years pass and then, due to provocation from Rome, he mounts a campaign against the Romans themselves, beating them in battle at a valley called Siesia.

Arthur — A Legendary King?

The majority of scholars today consider this large part of the Arthurian legend to be totally fictional, Geoffrey of Monmouth having invented this account for one reason or another. However, there are some scholars who do attempt to offer a genuine explanation for this story. One popular theory is that it originated with a British king named Riothamus who, in c. 470, led an army against the Visigoths near central France. However, I have never found this theory to be very convincing, due to the extreme dissimilarity between this historical event and the Arthurian legend; in the former, Riothamus was working with the Romans and only engaged in one battle against his enemy, which he lost. In the latter, Arthur fought against the Romans and succeeded in conquering a huge portion of Europe.

Other explanations have been proposed at times, but they all fall short for the same reasons. They are too small scale. They never really match what happens in the Arthurian legend. Thus, an alternative explanation must be necessary. In my book, released on May 15, I present my case for the true origin behind this legend. Unlike all previous attempts, the explanation outlined in my book is able to explain each and every event involved in the tale of Arthur's European campaign. For example, the confrontation between Arthur and Frollo, a Roman tribune in command of Gaul, is tied down to a specific historical event. Arthur's complete conquest of Europe is covered, as is his final war against Rome itself.

The war against Rome...

In short, all of the events involved in Arthur's legendary war against Rome can be identified as historical events that took place during a genuine conquest of much of western Europe more than 1500 years ago. The main characters of the legend, such as the Roman tribune Frollo, Arthur's main enemy Lucius, and the Roman Emperor Leo are all identified as real, historical figures involved in this conquest. Most importantly, the central figure of Arthur himself is identified as a historical figure, and it is also shown where he appears in other British records under several different names...

To find out more Pick up a copy of

King Arthur:

 The Man Who Conquered Europe

Amberley Publishing

Caleb Howells

Caleb Howells is an author from the south coast of England with a passion for discovering the truth behind the legends of King Arthur. He has spent years pursuing his dedicated interest in this topic and in other myths and legends from around the world.