There is much on this topic at numerous university libraries. King Edward III had an order of knights in emulation of King Arthur's Round Table - I believe called the Order of the Green Garter. This would speak to item b.
For item a, you should look into the national identity views of the Welsh during this time and research the acts of Henry II against the Welsh in his expansion of English power over Wales and Scotland. Upon conquering the Welsh, he had a campaign of slaughtering the bards because they kept all the cultural heritage going in the country.
Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur was really only a literary relic of the period and not nearly as impacting as the oral tradition that the bards kept alive. Squelching the oral tradition was Henry II's goal.
Later, the Tudor's used the Arthurian tradition to legitimize their claim to rule the Welsh by claiming lineage to King Arthur. You must locate a book entitled Arthurian Propaganda - which is, sadly, more then 30 years old and likely difficult to find (and I cannot remember the name of the author). It deals specifically with this.
So, yes, there is a lot of impact of the Arthurian myth cycle on the course of English history and national identity. It is strange that although the English overtook the Welsh for power in Britain, culturally, the Arthur legend endures to this day - a legend that has a Welsh king fighting the culture that conquered the Welsh culture and yet is revered by the conquerors. That's an interesting topic to pursue as well. How did it happen that the conquerors adopted a hero from the culture they conquered and not their own?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-06-18 05:03 pm (UTC)For item a, you should look into the national identity views of the Welsh during this time and research the acts of Henry II against the Welsh in his expansion of English power over Wales and Scotland. Upon conquering the Welsh, he had a campaign of slaughtering the bards because they kept all the cultural heritage going in the country.
Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur was really only a literary relic of the period and not nearly as impacting as the oral tradition that the bards kept alive. Squelching the oral tradition was Henry II's goal.
Later, the Tudor's used the Arthurian tradition to legitimize their claim to rule the Welsh by claiming lineage to King Arthur. You must locate a book entitled Arthurian Propaganda - which is, sadly, more then 30 years old and likely difficult to find (and I cannot remember the name of the author). It deals specifically with this.
So, yes, there is a lot of impact of the Arthurian myth cycle on the course of English history and national identity. It is strange that although the English overtook the Welsh for power in Britain, culturally, the Arthur legend endures to this day - a legend that has a Welsh king fighting the culture that conquered the Welsh culture and yet is revered by the conquerors. That's an interesting topic to pursue as well. How did it happen that the conquerors adopted a hero from the culture they conquered and not their own?