The First Kingdom. Britain in the Time of King Arthur

The book is dedicated to one of the least studied periods in British history — between the departure of Roman legions from this territory in the early 5th century and the arrival of Christian missionaries in the late 6th century, when the kingdoms of early medieval Britain were formed. This time is also referred to as the "time of King Arthur." The legend of King Arthur, the leader of the Britons of the 5th-6th centuries, who defeated the invading Saxons and created the society of the Knights of the Round Table, is well-known; however, specialists have not yet reached a consensus on whether there was a historical prototype for Arthur. Most researchers believe that the stories telling about him owe their origin to the actions of some other king and propose numerous versions. Max Adams sets aside such discussions and aims to show the era as a whole based on historical material rather than myths. He writes about Britain's attainment of independence, about connections with the rest of Europe, about archaeological research, including the "ecological context" of the lives and ways of generations. The book is illustrated with black-and-white images and maps.
"From the overall picture of those two centuries of British history that followed the crisis beginning around the year 400, which preceded the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, only fragments remain. It is difficult to piece these together into a clear sequence and tell the story of those turbulent, mysterious times — the story of how the first kingdoms of early medieval Britain arose. Nevertheless, the mountain of fragments collected by researchers over recent decades is astonishing in its size. Even if the original plot cannot be restored, there is an opportunity to see the scene where the drama unfolded and to populate it with characters... Even from individual snapshots, it is hard to look away: these are fragments of history, the beginning of which is lost in darkness, and the end is described several centuries later by the renowned scribe of the early Middle Ages, Bede the Venerable… The final episodes of this story are presented not from a retrospective point of view but in the context of the era of the emergence of new institutions and social relations, although the participants in the events left us very few testimonies. The narrative here has turned into a contemplative history." (Max Adams)