Sir Thomas Malory

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Sir Thomas Malory
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Life

• Soldier
• Loyalist
• Rebel
• Criminal
• Fugitive

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Life

• Born 1403-1413
• 1445 Member of Parliament in Warwickshire
• 1462 Campaigned in Northumbria w/ Earl of Warwick

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15th Century

• Wars of the Roses (1455-1487)
• York (white rose)
• Lancaster (red rose)
• Over throne of England
• Earl of Warwick sided with Lancaster
• Malory probably went with him

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Imprisonment

• 1450-51 charged with
• ambushing and attempted murder of Duke of
  Buckingham
• stealing from abbey of Blessed Mary of Coombe
• insulting the abbot
• stole property and raped wife of Hugh Smyth
• cattle raiding
• extortion

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Imprisonment

• Imprisoned 8 times
• escaped on 27 July 1451
• escaped in October, 1454
• Probably died in prison
• 14 March 1471
• wrote Le Morte Darthur in prison

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Le Morte Darthur

• Printed by William Caxton in 1485
• Was only edition known until 20th century
• Winchester Manuscript discovered in 1934
• seems to be closer to Malorys text
• illustrates Caxtons edits

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Winchester Manuscript IN Arthurs dayes whan he
helde þe Rounde table moste plenoure hit
fortuned the kynge commaunded that þe hy3e feste
of Pentecoste sholde be holden at a cite and a
castell In tho dayes that was called Kynke
Kenadonne vppon þe sondys þat marched ny3e walys
Caxton Whan Arthur held his round table moost
ple//nour/ it fortuned that he commaunded that
thehyhe feest of Pentecost shold be holden at a
cyte and a Castel the whiche in tho dayes
wascalled kynke kenadonne vpon the sondes
thatmarched nyghe walys
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Sources

• Alliterative Morte Arthur (14th c)
• Tale of King Arthur
• Various French works
• prose Arthurian cycle (including Lancelot)
• Stanzaic Morte Arthur