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1400Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
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1400Illegal English Bible
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1412Chaucer’s influence
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1419English: language of government
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1425Medicinal plants
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1430Chess playing
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1440Recipe for 'custarde'
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1455Gutenberg Bible
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1469The Legend of King Arthur
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1473First English printed book
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1476Caxton's Chaucer
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1477Valentine's day love letter
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1480The Fabillis of Esope
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1487Heretics burned at the stake
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1490Caxton's 'egges' story
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1493Medieval phrase book
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Intro
This manuscript tells the famous legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, centring around their quest for the mystical Holy Grail. It was written by Thomas Malory in 1469 while he was imprisoned for a series of violent crimes.
This page opens the third book. It starts, 'In the begynnyng of Arthure, after he was chosen kynge by adventure and by grace...' ['In the beginning of Arthur, after he was chosen king by adventure and by grace']. The chivalry of Arthur's world a long way from the reality Malory's own life, which was torn apart by the War of the Roses. Despite the upheavals of Malory's day, there was a strong revival of interest in chivalry and Britain's past. The adventures of Arthur's knights seemed to represent all the old fashioned noble values that were being eroded by the war.
Shelfmark: Add. MS 59678, f.35.
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