Sir Thomas Malory
and the merging of
the streams
What has happened since 1400?
• England has won and lost great amounts of
territory in France
• War of the Roses has divided England
politically, economically
• Rise of the middle classes
• Increased literacy among the laity
• Printing invented on the Continent (by
Laurens Koster!!!!)
Outline of Wars of the Roses
Henry VI of Lancaster a very
weak king with a French wife;
suffered from bouts of
insanity; had difficulty
ensuring succession. Ruled by
his nobles
Richard Duke of York (better
claim to throne but through
female descent); assured
military leader and politician;
had heirs; eldest son becomes
Edward IV
The
Genealogical
Mess
Major Questions for Thinking People
• What does it mean to be a king and leader?
• What is the nature of loyalty?
• What is the appropriate relationship between
a king and his nobles?
• Can a knight serve God and his king?
• What is the nature of a royal marriage?
• What does it mean to be chivalric?
• How has the world changed from Arthur’s
(perceived) time to the 15th century?
So who was Thomas Malory?
• We’re just not sure!
• What we know for certain is that he was a
knight, a prisoner, and that he finished his
book between 3 March 1469 and 3 March
1470
• Best candidate is Sir Thomas Malory of
Newbold Revel, Warwickshire
What do we know about him?
• Probably born between 1405-1410
• Starts showing up in local records in late
1430s
• Probably served in Gascony in early 1440s
• In 1445 elected M.P. for first time
• Supporter of Earl of Warwick, who runs afoul
of Duke of Buckingham in late 1440s
• M.P. again in 1449 during worst of Henry VI’s
Parliamentary struggles
This is where it gets complicated…
• Accused of cattle theft by a supporter of
Buckingham’s in 1444
• Organized an ambush against Duke of
Buckingham in 1450
• Two separate charges of rape (of the same
woman) in mid-1450 (charges brought by
Hugh Smith, supporter of Buckingham)
• Arrested and imprisoned in London in 1452
but no jurors appeared
• Through various machinations, gets out of jail
in 1453
• October 1453—Henry VI’s son born while
Henry is confined for insanity & York is regent
• 1454—Malory back in Tower of London but
again, no jurors will appear against him
• 1455—Battle of St Albans—York takes over
government; shortly thereafter, Malory
released
• 1456—Henry VI briefly back in power. Malory
re-imprisoned in Newgate for debts.
• When Yorkists finally win the throne & capture
Henry VI in 1460, Malory released and cleared of
all previous charges
• Ended back in prison when Warwick fell out with
the Yorkists in mid-1460s; Malory specifically
excluded from pardons issued by Edward IV for
political prisoners
• Warwick goes over to Lancastrian side and
Malory probably released from jail in 1470 during
temporary Lancastrian return to power
• Listed as dying in 1471 and being buried in
Greyfriars, London (most fashionable church in
London)
Transmission of
the Story
Printed by William
Caxton in 1485; two
copies still survive
-John Rylands
Library,
Manchester
(imperfect)
-Pierpont
Morgan Library,
New York City
(perfect)
Transmission of
the Story
The “Winchester
Manuscript”
discovered in
1934—very
different layout,
chapter divisions,
etc.—edited by
Eugene Vinaver
What did Malory do?
• Tried to unify all the previous versions of the
story he could find, including French traditions
which had pretty much been forgotten in
England
• Advanced the moral stream into a reflection
on loyalty and responsibilities of noblemen
(“Mirror for Magistrates” tradition)
• Treated Arthur as a historical figure from a
mythic English golden age
Impact?
• Single most important instance of the
Arthurian tradition for literature and art
• Adds episodes (Gareth, Sir Urry) and
interpretations
• Often cited as the beginning of English literary
prose narrative