I'm
sure everyone is familiar with the
names King Arthur,
Siegfried, Richard the Lion-Hearted, and William Tell. Because,
of
course, they are four extremely famous medieval heroes.
But do
you all
know the stories surrounding these men? Do you know why it is
that
these men have been remembered throughout the years, and why they are
considered to be heroes? Well, if you only know the names but not
the
stories, don't worry! This storybook is focused on telling the
stories
of these four men, so that we can all get a little taste of their
adventurous and heroic lives.
The first story in my
storybook is about King
Arthur. It's highly debated as to whether or not King Arthur was
a
real person. It's possible that he was a Romano-British leader
who
lived in the 5th or 6th century and battled the invading
Anglo-Saxons.
There are a few texts that support this idea, but it is not known
whether these sources are reliable. Whether he actually lived or
was created by imagination, King Arthur
became a
highly popularized figure by the English people, who longed for such a
king. In the 1100s, Geoffrey of Monmouth capitalized on the
phenomenon
of Arthur by writing about him in a book. Ever since then,
Arthur has
been an everlasting and popular character. This storybook tells
about how Arthur came to be king, and about his marriage to Guenevere a
few years later.
The
second story in my storybook is about Siegfried. The stories of
Siegfried
began as myths that were very popular with the people of the Germanic
world. Over time, the myths of Siegfried were recorded in books,
but
he is still not a very well-known character. Perhaps he never
became
very popularized because he was not based upon any living person.
Siegfried was a good man, knight, and
prince who lived in the northern-most lands of Europe. This story
is about his
search for the perfect bride, and the adventures he had to go through
to finally make her his wife.
The third story in my storybook is about
Richard the
Lion-Hearted. Richard the Lion-Hearted was actually King Richard
I of
England. He reigned from July of 1189 until his death in April of
1199. Richard is remembered as a courageous leader and skilled
warrior. Throughout his life, King Richard was involved in many
wars
and battles, but my story focuses on the time Richard spent in the
Holy Land in 1191 during the Third Crusade. More specifically,
this story is about the battle for Acre and Richard's struggle to work
with King Philip of France.
The last story in my storybook is about
William
Tell. Tell is in the same boat as King Arthur, in that it's a
highly
debated and discussed issue as to whether or not William Tell actually
lived. Real or not, Tell is a legendary hero in
Switzerland because the stories about him suggest that he was a huge
player in the movement to help Switzerland gain independence from
Germany. Tell is
known for his skill with the crossbow- in fact, most refer to him as an
expert marksman. Tell's skill comes in handy, and the reason why
is explained in my story about William Tell.
One last bit of information: Did you know that people actually carried Blackberries in the Middle Ages? Oh yes, all of those kings, queens, and knights were crazy for e-mail and text messaging! Their collective love for electronic communication lets us peek in on their lives to see what was going on in King Arthur's, Siegfried's, King Richard's, and William Tell's adventures, romances, battles, and lives in general!
Image Information: "Arthur's Sword." Weblink: Chris's Space.