Thomas Malory

Sir Thomas Malory was the author of Le Morte d'Arthur, one of the leading Arthurian romances of the Middle Ages.

History

Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur was one of the books that King Arthur consulted for research purposes during his quest for Merlin.

Real World Background

Sir Thomas Malory lived in England during the 15th century, and wrote - or at least completed - his famous book during the reign of Edward IV (1461-1483), while in prison. He is generally thought to have been the same as a Sir Thomas Malory from Newbold Revel, Warwickshire, who lived at the right time (he died on March 14, 1471), and who spent much time in prison (for a series of offenses that seem astonishing for the author of a work as devoted to chivalry as Le Morte d'Arthur, including rustling cattle, attempting to ambush and kill the Duke of Buckingham, and raping the wife of a certain Henry Smyth). Malory's work is nowadays one of the leading primary sources of the Arthurian legend, and has inspired many modern fictional works on King Arthur and his court, including T. H. White's The Once and Future King (White even gave Malory a cameo at the end of the book, as Arthur's young page, sent away by the old king before the final battle with Mordred to keep the memory of Camelot alive).

See Also

• Thomas Malory at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia