TY  - JOUR
AU  - Andrew Breeze
PY  - 2026
CY  - Berlin, Germany
PB  - Peter Lang Verlag
JF  - Mediaevistik
IS  - 1
VL  - 39
SN  - 2199-806X
TI  - Bernard Mees, King Arthur and the Languages of Britain. London: Bloomsbury, 2025, x, 205 pp., 8 figures.
DO  - 10.3726/med.2026.01.65
UR  - https://www.peterlang.com/document/1748962
N2  - Did King Arthur exist? Or is he legendary, like Merlin or Robin Hood? Thanks to his training as a Celticist and his thorough survey of recent scholarship (despite rejecting some of its conclusions), Dr. Mees does much to show that Arthur is historical: a North British commander (not a king) killed in 537 C.E. on Hadrian’s Wall, near Carlisle. Besides discussing Arthur, he updates us on Britain’s ancient languages: British, Pictish, Welsh, Cornish, Gaelic. His range is wide, from pre-Roman times to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s twelfth-century Arthurian forgeries. His book represents major progress. It should be read all those working on Britain’s early history.
ER  -