# Seeking the REAL King Arthur **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748 "2003-08-31T03:45:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748/21 "2003-09-01T20:02:58Z")
Why is King Arthur like a foot? … (wait for it) … becasue they are both legends :smack: ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748/22 "2003-09-01T20:04:15Z")
Why is King Arthur like a foot? … (wait for it) … because they are both legends :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748/23 "2003-09-01T21:36:13Z")
Hmmm…one post for _each_ foot, I see. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748/24 "2003-09-01T22:19:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > The King that revived Roman infantry tactics was Alfred the Great (r.871-899) (also connected with the Carolingians as his father was a lieutenant of Charlemagne), the first real King of England. Note that Alfred was merely a King of the West Saxons who added some of, e.g., Mercia and Kent to his domains. He never ruled all of England. He styled himself “King of the English” but that was more boast than fact and certainly wasn’t heeded in the Danish kingdoms. From the [official UK royal site](http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page25.asp): “Alfred had started the process by which his successors eventually extended their power over the other Anglo-Saxon kings; the ultimate unification of Anglo-Saxon England was to be led by Wessex.” Note, there is a big difference in being _an_ English king and _the_ King of England. Some in the pro-Wessex crowd call his grandfather Egbert the first King of England (but again note that the above UK royal site does not). I did not find any reference linking Alfred’s father Æthelwulf to Charlemagne. Since Æthelwulf married Charles the Bald’s daughter, perhaps there is a generation or two off there. Basically, there was no “King of England” from the abandonment by the Romans until Canute the Great. There were a lot of petty kings whose area of rule varied quite a bit. Arthur (ah, the OP!) could at most been just another petty king. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748/25 "2003-09-01T22:42:35Z")
Sorry it was his _Grandftaher_ Egbert who served as a Captain in Charlemagne’s guard. By the end of his reign Alfred was king of England half of England and he at least deserves the epithet the first King ofd the English at least. I’m trying to remember now but I also think that the Vikings of Danelaw also recognized his suzernarity at least ceremonially. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-the-real-king-arthur/198748.md?page=1)