A Medieval Love Triangle

There is a kind of magic that surrounds the figure of King Arthur – everyone thinks of him as the man
who pulled a sword from the stone, who rose from a beggar to a King, who had a round table
surrounded with knights and even a wizard as at his disposal. They imagine him standing tall and proud
with his legendary sword, Excalibur at his side and his faithful knight, Lancelot, at his back.

Guinevere was the Queen of King Arthur in the court of Camelot, and she plays a central part in the tales
and folklore of the castle and the Knights of the Round Table. She was said to have fallen in love with Sir
Lancelot, King Arthur's most trusted knight. This story makes up perhaps the most famous Love Triangle
ever known.

Her origins are thought to be Welsh. She was said to be descended from an aristocratic family of
Romans and was "the loveliest woman in the entire island". In some texts, she is portrayed as
Leodegrance's daughter (the previous owner of the Round Table). Her affair with Sir Lancelot is a
crushing blow to Arthur. It is Lancelot, not Arthur, who rescues Guinevere from Méléagant.

When Guinevere and Arthur met, Merlin the Wizard comes into play. Merlin warns Arthur that
Guinevere is not wholesome enough to be his wife, and predicts that she and Lancelot will have an
affair, but Arthur is smitten by her, so Merlin agrees to go to Camelot to arrange the marriage with
Leodegrance who delivers Guinevere to London with the Round Table with "100 fine knights".

After the marriage, "all knights are sworn to the Round Table" and this event marks the beginning of the
Court of Camelot.

To this day the stories of Arthur continue to flourish, especially the tale of Arthur, his wife Guinevere,
and the love she had for her husband’s most trusted friend. The stories vary slightly depending upon
which story one is hearing, but the gist of it is always the same.

Lancelot is considered the bravest and most honorable of Arthur’s Knights. The son of a King and Queen
himself, he was supposedly raised by Vivienne of the Lake. He is always portrayed as handsome and
gallant, respectful of women and he’s probably what most people envision when they hear the term
“knight in shining armor.”

When Lancelot first came to King Arthur’s court, Arthur, impressed by his courage and character, made
Lancelot his trusted confidant. However, when Lancelot laid eyes on Arthur’s wife, he fell in love. Soon
after he set off on an adventure of his own, he asked Guinevere to name him her knight and champion,
which she did.

Like most romances, their love bloomed slowly. At first, Guinevere ignored Lancelot. But not for long
and she soon succumbed to his charms and they became lovers.

Later, Guinevere is abducted by Mordred, Arthur's nephew, while he is in Europe campaigning. Sir
Lancelot comes to her rescue, and he repeatedly defends her honor throughout her life. And all the
while, Lancelot and Guinevere fall hopelessly for each other, seemingly unable to stop a train of events
that would ultimately lead to tragedy.

In one incident, Sir Lancelot climbs into Guinevere's bedroom by forcing the window bars and injures his
hand.

In the morning Méléagant sees a blood stain on Guinevere's sheets and claims Guinevere had been lying
with one of her wounded knights. Lancelot stands up for the Queen, denying any responsibility, but
protecting her honor, and Méléagant challenges him by throwing the gauntlet, which Lancelot accepts.

This led Lancelot to issue a challenge to Méléagant to dispute the charge. But in such a contest, Sir
Lancelot became the victor when he cleaved his opponent’s head in half. Sir Lancelot and Queen
Guinevere's honor were restored. But rumors continued to abound and several other knights became
suspicious of Lancelot and Guinevere's romantic trysts. Sir Agravain and Sir Mordred, King Arthur's
nephew gathered 12 knights and stormed Guinevere's chamber, catching her with Lancelot in bed.

Sir Lancelot tried to escape and fought his way out of the castle, but guards seized Guinevere who was
tried and later condemned to burn to death for her infidelity.

Upon hearing the news of his beloved's imminent execution, Sir Lancelot attempted to rescue her. He
killed several of King Arthur's knights in the process.

Angered, King Arthur gathered a troop of men and attacked Lancelot's castle, but they failed.

Lancelot ended his days as a hermit and Guinevere became a nun at Amesbury where she died.

As the story goes, it was Lancelot’s relationship with Guinevere that doomed Arthur’s realm. The
scandalous nature of their affair became a catalyst for the events that would destroy the fellowship
between the Knights of the Round Table.

References

A Medieval Love Affair - http://m.datehookup.com/list.aspx?p=ARTICLE&url=%2Fcontent-a-medieval-

love-affair.htm

Queen Guinevere http://www.avalon2.net/guinevere/

The Love Story of Lancelot and Guinevere http://www.historyandwomen.com/2010/10/love-story-of-

lancelot-and-guinevere.html?m=1