Arthur Pendragon

## Arthur I

**Arthur I** (Breton: *Arzhur Iañ*; French: *Arthur Ier*) (29 March 1187 – 10 March 1240), also known as **Arthur Pendragon**, ruled as King of England from 1199 until his death. He is considered the greatest medieval English monarch, having overseen a period of extensive legal reform within the English realm, a successful Crusade conquering Egypt for Christendom, and the ascension of the Plantagenet dynasty to overlordship over the British Isles, as well as most of the French kingdom.

He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Geoffrey was a son of Henry II, King of England, younger than Richard the Lionheart but older than John Pale. In 1190 Arthur was designated heir to the throne of England and its French territory by his uncle, Richard I, the intent being that Arthur would succeed Richard in preference to Richard's younger brother John. Following Richard's unexpected death during the Siege of Chalus-Chabrol and legal controversy between Arthur and his uncle John, he ascended the throne of England, compensating his uncle with the titles Lord of Ireland, Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Cornwall.

Arthur was also titled Duke of Brittany, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Nantes,Count of Anjou, Count of Maine and Lord of the British Isles.

## Early Life and Ascension

Arthur was born in 1187, the son of Constance of Brittany and Geoffrey II of Brittany, who died before he was born. As an infant, Arthur was second in line to the succession of his grandfather King Henry II, after his uncle Richard. King Henry died when Arthur was 2 years old, and Richard I became the new king in his place.

While Richard was away on the Third Crusade, Arthur's mother Constance made actions to make the Duchy of Brittany more independent. On 11 November 1190, Richard betrothed Arthur to a daughter of Tancred of Sicily as part of their treaty. However, Emperor Henry VI conquered the Kingdom of Sicily in 1194, so the betrothal of Arthur came to nothing.

A marriage plan, originally aiming to establish an alliance between King Richard and Philip II, King of France, to marry Arthur's elder sister Eleanor to Philip's son Louis also failed. In 1196, Constance had the young Arthur proclaimed Duke of Brittany and her co-ruler as a child of nine years. The same year, Richard again nominated Arthur as his heir and summoned him, as well as his mother Constance, to Normandy, where Arthur was brought up as his uncle's protegée. Richard, planning already another crusade was vary of his ambitious brother John and sought to install his nephew as a weak proxy regent in his absence. While the two spent little time together, the young squire apparently made quite an impression on his royal uncle, leading to Richard reaffirming Arthur as his heir on his death bed on 6 April 1199. Nevertheless, John immediately claimed the throne of England, but much of the French nobility were resentful at recognising him as their overlord. They preferred Arthur, who declared himself vassal of Philip. Philip recognised Arthur's right to Anjou, Maine, and Poitou. Upon Richard's death Arthur led a force to Anjou and Maine. From 18 April, he styled himself as Duke of Brittany, Count of Anjou and Earl of Richmond. John meanwhile tried to rally the forces of England, familiar and loyal to him to his cause, but was thwarted in his attempts to get himself crowned, when his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine threw her support behind Richard's preferred heir Arthur, apparently swayed by what little accounts her late favourite son had sent her of the young Prince. John soon found his supporters abandoning him in droves, forcing him to enter into negotiations with king Phillip and Queen dowager Eleanor. In the Treaty of Rouen he agreed to cede all his claims to the English crown in return for his recognition as Lord of Ireland, Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Cornwall, as well as a prominent role at the English court. Arthur was subsequently ushered to Westminster to be crowned and acclaimed as sole king of England.