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{{short description|Table in the Arthurian legend}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox fictional artifact
|name            = The Round Table
|image           = Holy-grail-round-table-ms-fr-112-3-f5r-1470-detail.jpg
|imagesize       =  
|caption         = A 1470 reproduction of [[Évrard d'Espinques]]'s illumination of the [[Vulgate Cycle|Prose ''Lancelot'']], showing [[King Arthur]] presiding at the Round Table with his [[Knights of the Round Table|Knights]]
|alt             = 
|source          = [[Arthurian legend]]
|source_type     = 
|company         = 
|first           = [[Roman de Brut]]
|first_ep        = 
|first_type      = 
|date            = 1155
|creator         = [[Wace]]
|type            = Legendary table
|genre           = [[Chivalric romance]]
|owner           = [[King Arthur]]
|traits          = 
|uses            = The meeting of Arthur's court, known as the [[Knights of the Round Table]]
}}
The '''Round Table''' ({{lang-cy|y Ford Gron}}; {{lang-kw|an Moos Krenn}}; {{lang-br|an Daol Grenn}}; {{lang-la|Mensa Rotunda}}) is [[King Arthur]]'s famed [[table (furniture)|table]] in the [[Arthurian legend]], around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike conventional rectangular tables where participants order themselves according to rank. The table was first described in 1155 by [[Wace]], who relied on previous depictions of Arthur's fabulous retinue. The symbolism of the Round Table developed over time; by the close of the 12th century, it had come to represent the [[chivalric order]] associated with Arthur's court, the [[Knights of the Round Table]].

==Origins==
Though the Round Table is not mentioned in the earliest accounts, tales of [[King Arthur]] having a marvellous court made up of many prominent warriors are ancient. [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]], in his ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (composed c. 1136) says that, after establishing peace throughout [[Britain (place name)|Britain]], Arthur "increased his personal entourage by inviting very distinguished men from far-distant kingdoms to join it."<ref name="Geoffrey222">Geoffrey, p. 222.</ref> The code of [[chivalry]] so important in later medieval romance figures in it as well, as Geoffrey says Arthur established "such a code of courtliness in his household that he inspired peoples living far away to imitate him."<ref name="Geoffrey222"/> 

Arthur's court was well known to [[Wales|Welsh]] storytellers; in the romance ''[[Culhwch and Olwen]]'', the protagonist [[Culhwch]] invokes the names of 225 individuals affiliated with Arthur.<ref>Padel, p. 17.</ref> The fame of Arthur's entourage became so prominent in Welsh tradition that in the later additions to the [[Welsh Triads]], the formula tying named individuals to "Arthur's Court" in the triad titles began to supersede the older "Island of Britain" formula.<ref>Bromwich, p. lxvii.</ref> Though the code of chivalry crucial to later continental romances dealing with the Round Table is mostly absent from the Welsh material, some passages of ''Culhwch and Olwen'' seem to reference it. For instance, Arthur explains the ethos of his court, saying "[w]e are nobles as long as we are sought out: the greater the bounty we may give, the greater our nobility, fame and honour."<ref>Padel, p. 21.</ref>

Though no Round Table appears in the early Welsh texts, Arthur is associated with various items of household furniture. The earliest of these is Saint [[Carannog]]'s mystical floating [[altar]] in that saint's 12th-century ''Vita''. In the story Arthur has found the altar and tries unsuccessfully to use it as a table; he returns it to Carannog in exchange for the saint ridding the land of a meddlesome dragon.<ref>Padel, p. 42.</ref> Elements of Arthur's household figure into local topographical folklore throughout Britain as early as the early 12th century, with various landmarks being named "[[Arthur's Seat (disambiguation)|Arthur's Seat]]", "Arthur's Oven", and "Arthur's Bed-chamber".<ref>Padel, p. 102.</ref> 

A [[henge]] at [[Eamont Bridge]] near [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]], [[Cumbria]], is known as "[[King Arthur's Round Table]]".<ref>Thomas, pp. 428–429.</ref> The still-visible Roman amphitheatre at [[Caerleon]] has been associated with the Round Table,<ref>{{cite book|last=Ottaway|first=Patrick|title=A traveller's guide to Roman Britain|year=1987|publisher=Historical Times|isbn=978-0-918678-19-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MtkOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA35|author2=Michael Cyprien |page=35}}</ref> and it has been suggested as a possible source for the legend.<ref>{{cite book|last=Castleden|first=Rodney|title=King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend|year=1999|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-19575-1|url=https://archive.org/details/kingarthurtruthb00cast|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/kingarthurtruthb00cast/page/148 148]}}</ref> Following archaeological discoveries at the Roman ruins in [[Chester]], some writers suggested that the [[Chester Roman Amphitheatre]] was the true prototype of the Round Table;<ref>Evans, Martin (July 11, 2010). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7883874/Historians-locate-King-Arthurs-Round-Table.html "Historians locate King Arthur's Round Table"]. www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved July 15, 2010.</ref> however, the [[English Heritage]] Commission, acting as consultants to a [[History (UK TV channel)|History Channel]] documentary in which the claim was made, stated that there was no archaeological basis to the story.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pitts|first=Mike|date=November 2010|title=Britain in Archaeology|journal=British Archaeology|location=York, England|publisher=Council for British Archaeology|issue=115|page=8|issn=1357-4442|quote=The claims...have no basis whatever in the archaeological evidence}}</ref>

==Legend==
{{see also|Knights of the Round Table}}

The Round Table first appeared in [[Wace]]'s ''[[Roman de Brut]]'', a [[Norman language]] adaptation of Geoffrey's ''Historia'' finished in 1155. Wace says Arthur created the Round Table to prevent quarrels among his barons, none of whom would accept a lower place than the others.<ref name="NAE">Kibler, William W. (1991). "Round Table." In [[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (Ed.), ''The New Arthurian Encyclopaedia'', p. 391. New York: Garland. {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}.</ref> [[Layamon]] added to the story when he adapted Wace's work into the [[Middle English]] ''[[Brut (Layamon)|Brut]]'' in the early 13th century, saying that the quarrel between Arthur's vassals led to violence at a [[Yule|Yuletide]] feast. In response, a [[Cornwall|Cornish]] carpenter built an enormous but easily transportable Round Table to prevent further dispute.<ref name="NAE" /> Wace claims he was not the source of the Round Table; both he and Layamon credited it instead to the [[Bretons]]. Some scholars have doubted this claim, while others believe it may be true.<ref name="NAE" /> There is some similarity between the chroniclers' description of the Round Table and a custom recorded in Celtic stories, in which warriors sit in a circle around the king or lead warrior, in some cases feuding over the order of precedence as in Layamon.<ref name="NAE" /> There is a possibility that Wace, contrary to his own claims, derived Arthur's round table not from any Breton source, but rather from medieval biographies of [[Charlemagne]]—notably [[Einhard]]'s ''Vita Caroli'' and [[Notker the Stammerer]]'s ''De Carolo Magno''—in which the king is said to have possessed a round table decorated with a map of Rome.<ref>Walters, Lori J., "Re-examining Wace's Round Table", in: Keith Busby, Christopher Kleinhenz (eds.), Courtly arts and the art of courtliness, DS Brewer, 2006, pp. 721–44.</ref>

[[File:Apparition saint graal.jpg|thumb|left|300px|King Arthur's knights, gathered at the Round Table, see a vision of the [[Holy Grail]]. From a manuscript of ''Lancelot and the Holy Grail'' (c. 1406)]]

The Round Table takes on new dimensions in the romances of the late 12th and early 13th century, where it becomes a symbol of the famed order of chivalry which flourishes under Arthur. In [[Robert de Boron]]'s ''[[Merlin (Robert de Boron poem)|Merlin]]'', written around 1200, the magician [[Merlin]] creates the Round Table in imitation of the table of the [[Last Supper]] and of [[Joseph of Arimathea]]'s [[Holy Grail|Grail]] Table. Made of silver, the Grail Table was used by the followers of Arimathea after he created it as directed by a vision of Christ,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bybtr90cGbcC&pg=PA79|title=The Cambridge History of French Literature|isbn=9780521897860|last1=Burgwinkle|first1=William|last2=Hammond|first2=Nicholas|last3=Wilson|first3=Emma|date=24 February 2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref> and was taken by him to [[Avalon]] (later identified with [[Glastonbury Tor]], but this connection was not mentioned by Robert<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.matterofbritain.com/htmlpages/legendliterature2.html|title=King Arthur: Literature of the Legends--Robert de Boron|website=www.matterofbritain.com}}</ref>). This version of the Round Table, here made for Arthur's father [[Uther Pendragon]] rather than Arthur himself, has twelve seats and one empty place to mark the betrayal of [[Judas Iscariot|Judas]]; this seat, must remain empty until the coming of the knight who will achieve the Grail. The Didot ''Perceval'', a prose continuation of Robert's work, takes up the story as the knight [[Perceval]] sits in the seat and initiates the Grail quest.<ref name="NAE"/>

[[File:Sir Galahad is Brought to the Court of King Arthur.png|thumb|"Sir Galahad is brought to the court of King Arthur", [[Walter Crane]]'s illustration for ''King Arthur's Knights'', abridged from ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' by [[Henry Gilbert (author)|Henry Gilbert]] (1911)]]

The prose cycles of the 13th century, the [[Lancelot-Grail]] (Vulgate) Cycle and the [[Post-Vulgate Cycle]], further adapt the chivalric attributes of the Round Table but make it and its fellowship much larger, with many more seats and usually dozens of members at any given time. Here it is the perfect knight [[Galahad]], rather than Percival, who assumes the empty seat, now called the [[Siege Perilous]]. Galahad's arrival marks the start of the Grail quest as well as the end of the Arthurian era.<ref name="NAE"/> In these works the Round Table is kept by King [[Leodegrance]] of [[Cameliard]] after Uther's death; Arthur inherits it when he marries Leodegrance's daughter [[Guinevere]]. Other versions treat the Round Table differently, for instance Arthurian works from Italy like ''[[La Tavola Ritonda]]'' (''The Round Table'') often distinguish between the knights of the "Old Table" of Uther's time and those of Arthur's "New Table".<ref>Hoffman, Donald L. (1991). "Tavola Ritonda." In [[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (Ed.), ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', p. 444. New York: Garland. {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}. </ref> In the Post-Vulgate, the Table is eventually destroyed by [[Mark of Cornwall|King Mark]] during his invasion of [[Logres]] after the deaths of Arthur and almost all of the Knights, many of whom in fact had killed each other, especially in internal conflicts at the end of the cycle. {{clear left}}

==Round Table tournaments==
{{main|Round Table (tournament)}}

During the [[Middle Ages]], festivals called [[Round Table (tournament)|Round Tables]] were celebrated throughout Europe in imitation of Arthur's court. These events featured [[jousting]], dancing, and [[Banquet|feasting]], and in some cases attending knights assumed the identities of Arthur's entourage.<ref name="NAE2">[[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (1991). "Round Tables." In [[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (Ed.), ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', p. 391. New York: Garland. {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}.</ref>

==Winchester Round Table==
[[File:King Arthur's Round Table at Winchester Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, England.png|thumb|The Winchester Round Table featuring the names of S galahallt ([[Sir Galahad]]), S launcelot deulake ([[Lancelot|Sir Lancelot de Lake]]), S gauen ([[Sir Gawain]]), S pcyvale ([[Sir Percival]]), S Iyonell ([[Sir Lionel]]), S trystram delyens ([[Tristan|Sir Tristan de Lyoness]]), S garethe ([[Sir Gareth]]), S bedwere ([[Bedivere|Sir Bedivere]]), S blubrys ([[Bleoberis|Sir Bleoberis]]), S lacotemale tayle ([[Brunor|Sir La Cote Male Taile]]), S lucane ([[Sir Lucan]]), S plomyd ([[Sir Palamedes]]), S lamorak ([[Sir Lamorak]]), S bors de ganys ([[Sir Bors de Ganis]]), S safer ([[Sir Safir]]), S pelleus ([[Sir Pelleas]]), S kay ([[Sir Kay]]), S Ectorde marys ([[Sir Ector de Maris]]), S dagonet ([[Sir Dagonet]]), S degore (Sir Degore), S brumear ([[Brunor|Sir Brunor]]), S lybyus dyscovy ([[Gingalain|Sir Le Bel Inconnu]]), S alynore (Sir Alymore), and S mordrede ([[Sir Mordred]])|500px|center]]

The Winchester Round Table is a large tabletop hanging in [[Winchester Castle]] and bearing the names of various knights of Arthur's court, was probably created for a Round Table tournament.<ref name="Ashe">[[Geoffrey Ashe|Ashe, Geoffrey]] (1991). "Winchester." In [[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (Ed.), ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', pp. 518–519. New York: Garland. {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}.</ref> The table is {{convert|5.5|m}} in diameter and weighs {{convert|1.2|t|lb}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Round Table of Knights Fame|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/winchester-round-table|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en}}</ref> The current paintwork is late; it was done by order of King [[Henry VIII of England]]. The table itself is considerably older; [[dendrochronology]] calculates the date of construction to 1250–1280—during the reign of [[Edward I of England]]—using timbers that were felled over a period of years.<ref>{{cite book|last=Biddle|first=Martin |author-link=Martin Biddle |title=King Arthur's Round Table: an archaeological investigation|publisher=Boydell and Brewer|location=Woodbridge, England|year=2000|page=182|isbn=0-85115-626-6}}.</ref> Edward was an Arthurian enthusiast who attended at least five Round Tables and hosted one himself in 1299, which may have been the occasion for the creation of the Winchester Round Table.<ref name="Ashe"/> [[Martin Biddle]], from an examination of Edward's financial accounts, links it instead with a tournament King Edward held near Winchester on 20 April 1290, to mark the betrothal of one of his daughters.<ref>Biddle (2000: 361–392).</ref>

==Historical Round Table of Edward III==
On 22 January 1344, after a tournament at Windsor Castle, King [[Edward III of England]] (r. 1327–1377) swore an oath to restore the Order of the Round Table to the same as that of King Arthur. Receiving agreement from the earls and knights present, Edward announced that the order’s first meeting would take place during Pentecost. The plan never came to fruition, but the new [[Order of the Garter]] carried connotations from this legend by the circular shape of the garter.<ref>Tuck, Anthony (1985). Crown and Nobility 1272–1461: Political Conflict in Late Medieval England. London: Fontana. ISBN 0-00-686084-2, p. 133.</ref> Edward's wartime experiences during the Crécy campaign (1346–7) seem to have been a determining factor in his abandonment of the Round Table project. It has been argued that the total warfare tactics employed by the English at Crécy in 1346 were contrary to Arthurian ideals and made Arthur a problematic paradigm for Edward, especially at the time of the institution of the Garter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berard |first=Christopher |date=2012 |title=Edward III's Abandoned Order of the Round Table |journal=Arthurian Literature |volume=29 |pages=1–40 |isbn=9781843843337 |jstor=10.7722/j.ctt1x71zc}}</ref> There are no formal references to King Arthur and the Round Table in the surviving early fifteenth-century copies of the Statutes of the Garter, but the Garter Feast of 1358 did involve a round table game. Thus there was some overlap between the projected Round Table fellowship and the actualized Order of the Garter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berard |first=Christopher |date=2016 |title=Edward III's Abandoned Order of the Round Table Revisited: Political Arthurianism after Poitiers |url=https://boydellandbrewer.com/series/arthurian-literature/arthurian-literature-xxxiii-hb.html |journal=Arthurian Literature |volume=33 |pages=70–109}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Rachel Bromwich|Bromwich, Rachel]] (2006). ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain''. University Of Wales Press. {{ISBN|0-7083-1386-8}}.
* [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]; [[Lewis Thorpe|Thorpe, Lewis]] (1988). ''The History of the Kings of Britain''. New York: Penguin. {{ISBN|0-14-044170-0}}.
* [[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (ed.) (1991). ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia''. New York: Garland. {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}.
* [[Roger S. Loomis|Loomis, Roger S.]] (1959). "Arthurian Influence on Sport and Spectacle". ''Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages''. Oxford.
* [[Padel, O. J.]] (2000). ''Arthur in Medieval Welsh Literature''. University of Wales Press. {{ISBN|0-7083-1689-1}}.
* Rouse, Robert; and Cory Rushton (2005). ''The Medieval Quest for Arthur''. Tempus, Stroud. {{ISBN|0-7524-3343-1}}.
* {{cite journal |last1= Thomas|first1= Charles|year= 1953|title= Folklore from a Northern Henge Monument |journal= Folklore |volume= 64|issue= 3|pages= 427–429 |jstor= 1256826|doi=10.1080/0015587x.1953.9717383}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Round Table (Arthur)}}
* [https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/theme/round-table The Round Table | The Camelot Project]
* [http://www.hants.gov.uk/greathall/great-hall2.html The 14th Century Round Table in Winchester, Hampshire, UK]

{{Arthurian Legend}}

[[Category:Arthurian legend]]
[[Category:Tables (furniture)]]