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Arthur

Specialty Definition: Arthur

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Specialty Definition: Arthur

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur or Arthur can mean:

• King Arthur, the legendary British ruler
• Arthur (1981 film)
• Arthur (concept album)
• Arthur (computer operating system)
• Arthur (Canadian TV series)

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur."

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Arthur (cartoon)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is the eponymous main character of the popular PBS cartoon show based on the Marc Brown books.

A member of the aardvark species, Arthur is a third-grader with two younger sisters: precocious four-year-old D.W. and Baby Kate. Arthur's sibling rivalry is often a theme of the show.

Arthur's best buddy is his friend Buster (a rabbit and a big Bionic Bunny fan). His other two best B's are the school brain (Brain, a bear) and the (former?) school bully (Binky, a burly bulldog).

The Arthur series is unusual among children's cartoon shows in having a wide variety of distinct and memorable characters. Grandma Thora is based on Brown's own Grandmother Thora, who encouraged him by saving his childhood drawings in a bottom drawer.

Each show begins with the catchy Walking Down The Street reggae theme songe and contains two self-contained episodes, separated by a live-action vignette of schoolchildren doing a project -- often related to a cartoon theme.

Links:

• Arthur's friends

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur (cartoon)."

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Arthur (movie)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is a 1981 film which tells the story of a drunken playboy millionaire who can only inherit if he marries. It stars Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Jill Eikenberry.

The movie was written and directed by Steve Gordon. It won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (John Gielgud) and Best Music, Song (for Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen for Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)). It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Dudley Moore) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

Arthur was followed by a 1988 sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur (movie)."

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Arthur (operating system)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is an early GUI operating System (OS) that was used on Acorn ARM-cpu-based computers from about 1987 until the much-superior RISC OS 2 was completed and made available in April 1989. It was the operating system of the earliest Archimedes ARM machines.

A screenshot of Arthur's gui desktop
and its bundled accessory applications

The desktop is very primitive. It features a colour-scheme typically described as "technicolour". Its earlier revisions were very buggy, and was only really meant to be a placeholder until RISC OS 2 (a name chosen instead of Arthur 2) was completed. The "Arthur" name was supposedly dropped from version 2 because of the release at the time of a movie called Arthur 2: On the Rocks. Arthur is said to actually stand for "A Risc-based operating system by THURsday". Supposedly Arthur was put together in break-neck speed because a revolutionary operating system they had under development ("ARX") wasn't going to be ready in time.

Most software made for Arthur can be run under RISC OS. A few titles will not work, however.

External links

• "Arthur Lives!" - a guide by Ben Jefferys
• Arthur OS Emulator

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur (operating system)."

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Arthur Wakefield

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Captain Arthur Wakefield (1799 - 1843) was the second brother of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, founder of the New Zealand Company.

Arthur Wakefield joined the British Navy at age ten. He saw action in the Dutche east Indies, he was part of the force that captured and burnt Washington during the War of 1812. He took part in the Battle of Algiers, one of the bloodiest battles fought by the British Navy in this era. In post Napoleonic period he was stationed off South America involved in diplomatic duties during the various wars of independance. He then spent several years off the coast of West Africa as part of the flotilla engaged in the suppression of the slave trade. He also saw duty in the North Atlantic, the West Indies and the Mediterranean. He was eventually given command of his own ship, the steam frigate Rhadamanthus. However, in 1837 he was passed over for promotion and then, recognizing that his career was going nowhere, he resigned from the Navy in 1841.

He was immediately recruited by his brother to join the New Zealand Company and lead the new settlement at Nelson. His task was to select a party of settlers, escort them to New Zealand and to supervise the growth of the new town. They sailed on the Whitby and arrived in Nelson in February, 1842.

The settlement of Nelson got off to a good start with Capatain Wakefield doing everything he could to promote the orderly development of the colony. Although he seems to have been rather paternal in his attitude to the settlers he also seems to ave been respected and admired.

However the new colony was soon in serious difficulties. The New Zealand Company and particularly his brother, Edward Gibbon, had made extravagent promises to the setllers about the availability of land, offering one acre (0.4 hectares} of urban land, fifty acres, 20 hectares of suburban land and one hundred and fifty acres of rural land to each settler family. They had nothing like that amount of land available and the existing owners, the Maori, the native people of the country, were very reluctant to sell their land and not inclined to trust the New Zealand Company promises.

In 1839 a whaling ship, the Caroline under Captain John Blenkinsop, had visited Wairau and taken on board water and wood. He then sailed to Kapiti Island seeking out the chief, Te Rauparaha in order to pay for the wood. He got Te Rauparaha to sign a receipt for the sale and then left, hurriedly. Te Rauparaha showed the receipt to another trader who told him he had been defrauded, that the receipt was in fact a bill of sale for the whole of the Wairau Plain.

At the time this was a fairly pointless crime because Te Rauparaha was the law in the area, the only law that existed. Not even the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi a year later changed this situation. Blenklinsop was drowned at sea and his widow sold the Bill of Sale to Edward Wakefield who used it to claim that the New Zealand Company owned most of the bottom of the North Island and the top of the South Island. When they eventually arrived in New Zealand they soon discovered that their survival was dependent on the goodwill of the Maori who held all the power. Furthermore the new government of William Hobson in Auckland was not at all sympathetic to their problems.

One of the basic tenets of the Treaty was the understanding that the Crown would protect the Maori from attempts to defraud them of their land. Some of the New Zealand Company and many of the settlers on the other hand saw the Maori as ignorant savages who had no right to stand in the way of honest British colonists. This was a period when the growing British Empire was very aware of what it saw as its manifest destiny, to rule the native peoples of the world.

In the meantime, Arthur Wakefield found he had far more settlers than he had land for and they were not happy. They believed they were owed the land and the Maori occupants had no right to stand in their way. For once Edward Gibbon Wakefield urged caution, but he was in Wellington and his brother Arthur was the man on the spot.

The Chief Magistrate in Nelson, Henry Thompson, was a very hot tempered arrogant amn who was not prepared to accept that the Nelson settlement did not own and control the Wairau Plains. Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata visited Nelson and made it very clear that they would not allow the settlers to occupy the Wairau Plain. Despite that Wakefield and Thompson sent out surveyors. The Maori very firmly but without violence escorted tham off their land.

Thompson immediately issued a warrant for the arrest of the two chiefs. He and Wakefield then recruited a group of special constables and lead them off to carry out the arrest. The result was the Wairau Massacre, in which Arthur Wakefield and twenty three of the party were killed by the Maori.

It is difficult to apportion the blame for this disaster. Henry Thompson appears to have been the driving force behind the attempt to arrest Te Rauparaha and he already had a reputation for headstrong, irratioal impulses. But Wakefield was supposed to be in command of the settlement. His brother had told him that the claim to land was invalid. It seems that he yielded to the pressures and expectations of the people around him and particularly to Thompson. If he had been a stronger man, if he had listened to his conscience rather than expediency, he would not have died at Wairau. And yet he could hardly have been a weak man, he had been an officer in the British Navy for many years and had risen to command his own ship with apparent success. He had seen a great deal of active service and he should have recognized the folly of accosting Te Rauparaha and his warriors at Wairau

The subsequent Government enquiry found the whole expedition had been illegal and exonerated the Maori. This of course did not sit well with the Colonists who immediately began a political campaign against the Governor, Robert FitzRoy that contributed to his early dismissal

The new settlement is now a thriving city, while a few kilometers away is the community of Wakefield.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur Wakefield."

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Arthur Weasley

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur Weasley is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series. He is married to Molly Weasley and they have seven children:

• Bill Weasley - (c. 1964 - ).
• Charlie Weasley - (1968 - ).
• Percy Weasley - (1977 - ).
• Fred Weasley - (April, 1979 - ).
• George Weasley - (April, 1979 -).
• Ron Weasley - (March 1, 1980 -).
• Ginny Weasley - (1982 -).

Arthur Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department. He is obsessed with learning about muggle customs and inventions. For this and perhaps other reasons, his career advancement appears to be at a standstill. He has been a consistent opponent of Lord Voldemort.

Arthur Weasley's youngest son Ron is one of Harry Potter's best friends. Harry and his other best friend Hermione Granger enjoy spending time with the Weasley family and they seem to have been accepted as unofficial members of it.

Warning: Spoilers follow

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mr. Weasley is a member of the Order of the Phoenix and is attacked by a snake being controlled by Voldemort. Harry, who is mentally connected with Voldemort, manages to see this in a dream and is able to warn the Hogwarts authorities and Mr. Weasley is saved just in time and sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

The name Arthur Weasley is reminiscent of the birth name of Arthur Wesley, better known in later life as Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, though at this point in the story it is difficult to know if he will be a similarly heroic figure.

External link

• A more detailed profile of him

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur Weasley."

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Arthur, Illinois

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is a village located in Douglas County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2,203.

Geography

Arthur is located at 39°42'55" North, 88°28'12" West (39.715323, -88.470071)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²). 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,203 people, 915 households, and 619 families residing in the village. The population density is 664.5/km² (1,726.7/mi²). There are 951 housing units at an average density of 286.9/km² (745.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 99.64% White, 0.05% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.09% from two or more races. 0.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 915 households out of which 28.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% are married couples living together, 7.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% are non-families. 30.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.34 and the average family size is 2.90. In the village the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.1 males. The median income for a household in the village is $37,438, and the median income for a family is $47,827. Males have a median income of $32,358 versus $20,948 for females. The per capita income for the village is $19,683. 6.0% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.8% are under the age of 18 and 4.4% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur, Illinois."

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Arthur, Iowa

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is a city located in Ida County, Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 245.

Geography

Arthur is located at 42°20'7" North, 95°20'48" West (42.335225, -95.346658)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²). 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 245 people, 112 households, and 62 families residing in the city. The population density is 630.6/km² (1,600.1/mi²). There are 117 housing units at an average density of 301.2/km² (764.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 100.00% White, 0.00% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 112 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% are married couples living together, 3.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% are non-families. 42.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 29.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.19 and the average family size is 3.08. In the city the population is spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city is $25,833, and the median income for a family is $36,250. Males have a median income of $28,750 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,007. 8.0% of the population and 4.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 6.7% are under the age of 18 and 10.2% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur, Iowa."

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Arthur, Nebraska

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is a village located in Arthur County, Nebraska. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 145. It is the county seat of Arthur County⁶.

Geography

Arthur is located at 41°34'20" North, 101°41'27" West (41.572244, -101.690738)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²). 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 145 people, 62 households, and 43 families residing in the village. The population density is 180.6/km² (460.5/mi²). There are 88 housing units at an average density of 109.6/km² (279.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 97.93% White, 0.00% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 2.07% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 62 households out of which 29.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% are married couples living together, 12.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% are non-families. 27.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.34 and the average family size is 2.84. In the village the population is spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.2 males. The median income for a household in the village is $24,821, and the median income for a family is $31,458. Males have a median income of $25,417 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income for the village is $15,196. 18.4% of the population and 13.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.8% are under the age of 18 and 0.0% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur, Nebraska."

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Arthur, North Dakota

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is a city located in Cass County, North Dakota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 402.

Geography

Arthur is located at 47°6'17" North, 97°12'60" West (47.104640, -97.216613)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²). 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 402 people, 129 households, and 82 families residing in the city. The population density is 102.1/km² (265.2/mi²). There are 140 housing units at an average density of 35.6/km² (92.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.53% White, 0.00% African American, 2.24% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.24% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 5.22% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 129 households out of which 38.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% are married couples living together, 6.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% are non-families. 32.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.56 and the average family size is 3.30. In the city the population is spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 2.5% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 29.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the city is $36,250, and the median income for a family is $41,875. Males have a median income of $28,750 versus $19,583 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,948. 9.1% of the population and 7.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 15.9% are under the age of 18 and 11.7% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur, North Dakota."

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Arthur, Prince of Wales

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur Tudor (20 September, 1486 - 2 April, 1502) was the eldest son of Henry VII of England. Henry named his eldest son Arthur after the hero of Arthurian legend partly as a sign of his hopes for a rebirth of English greatness, and partly to emphasise the Tudor family's links to Wales.

Arthur was born to Henry and his queen, Elizabeth of York, at Winchester in September 19 or 20, 1486, but was never a robust child. The hopes of the newly-established Tudor dynasty were nevertheless pinned on him. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on November 29, 1489.

At the age of two, a marriage was arranged for Arthur, to the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon. They were married in November, 1501, and departed for Ludlow on the Welsh border, where Arthur normally resided in his capacity as Prince of Wales and President of the Council of Wales and the Marches. The following spring, he died of a fever, possibly caused by the damp weather conditions. The question of whether his marriage to Catherine was ever consummated would have a powerful effect on the subsequent history of Britain.

Arthur was buried in Worcester Cathedral; the memorial to him, `Prince Arthur's Chantry', was erected in the cathedral in 1504. His younger brother, Henry, inherited his titles, eventually acceding to the throne as King Henry VIII of England. In due course, a papal dispensation was obtained, enabling Henry to marry his brother's widow, Catherine. The grounds cited for their eventual divorce was the circumstances of her previous marriage to Arthur.

Additional Reading

Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives of Henry VIII (ISBN 0749314095)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur, Prince of Wales."

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Arthur, Wisconsin

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Arthur is a town located in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 710.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 111.6 km² (43.1 mi²). 111.2 km² (42.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 710 people, 258 households, and 192 families residing in the town. The population density is 6.4/km² (16.5/mi²). There are 275 housing units at an average density of 2.5/km² (6.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.73% White, 0.14% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 0.42% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 258 households out of which 38.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% are married couples living together, 5.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% are non-families. 21.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.75 and the average family size is 3.22. In the town the population is spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 114.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 109.5 males. The median income for a household in the town is $40,000, and the median income for a family is $44,464. Males have a median income of $25,446 versus $21,830 for females. The per capita income for the town is $15,570. 13.4% of the population and 13.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 17.3% are under the age of 18 and 11.5% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Arthur, Wisconsin."

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Chester A. Arthur

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Chester A. Arthur \Order: 21st President Term of Office: September 20, 1881 - March 4, 1885 Followed: James Garfield Succeeded by: Grover Cleveland Date of Birth October 5, 1830 Place of Birth: Fairfield, Vermont¹ Date of Death: November 18, 1886 Place of Death: New York City, New York Wife: Ellen Lewis Herndon First Lady: Mary McElroy (sister) Occupation: lawyer Political Party: Republican Vice President: none

Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1830 - November 18, 1886) was the twentieth Vice President (1881), and the twenty-first (1881-1885) President of the United States.

Arthur became President when James Garfield was assassinated. Before being chosen as Vice President, he had been collector of customs for the port of New York. As such, he was assumed to be benefiting from bribes and corruption. Hence many were surprised when he became an advocate of civil service reform and presided over the passage of the Pendleton Act.

Biography

Arthur was born in Fairfield, Franklin County, Vermont¹ on October 5, 1829. He attended the public schools and was graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1848. He became principal of an academy in North Pownal, Vt. in 1851. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1854, and commenced practice in New York City. He took an active part in the reorganization of the State militia.

During the Civil War, Arthur served as acting quartermaster general of the State in 1861. He was later commissioned as inspector general, and appointed quartermaster general with the rank of brigadier general, and served until 1862. He resumed the practice of law in New York City, and was appointed by President Ulysses Grant as collector of the port of New York 1871-1878.

In 1878 Arthur resumed the practice of law in New York City. He was elected Vice President of the United States on the Republican ticket with President James Garfield for the term beginning March 4, 1881. Upon the death of President Garfield, Arthur became President of the United States on September 20, 1881, and served until March 3, 1885. He returned to New York City where he died November 18, 1886, Interment is in the Rural Cemetery in Albany, New York.

Supreme Court appointments

• Horace Gray - 1882
• Samuel Blatchford - 1882

Related articles

• U.S. presidential election, 1880

Significant events during presidency

• Standard Oil founded (1882)
• Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
• Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883)
• Civil Rights Cases (1883)

Footnotes

1. There is some evidence that Arthur was actually born in Quebec. When running for Vice-President his political enemies hired a New York attorney named Arthur Hinman to investigate these rumors. Most historians have dismissed his claims, but there is still some doubt.

Preceded by: James Garfield

Presidents of the United States

Succeeded by: Grover Cleveland

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Chester A. Arthur."

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King Arthur

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. He is the central character in Arthurian legends (known as the Matter of Britain), although there is disagreement about whether Arthur, or a model for him, ever actually existed and in the earliest mentions and Welsh texts he is never given the title "king". High medieval Welsh texts often call him amerauder "emperor".

King Arthur

The Arthur of History

One school of thought believes Arthur to have lived some time in the late 5th century to early 6th century, to have been of Romano-British origin, and to have fought against the Saxons. His power base was probably in either Wales or the west of England, but controversy over the centre of his power and the extent and kind of power he wielded continues to rage.

Some members of this school, most notably Geoffrey Ashe and Fleuriot, have argued for identifying Arthur with one Riothamus, "King of the Brettones", who was active during the reign of the Roman Emperor Anthemius. Unfortunately, Riothamus is a shadowy figure of whom we know little, and scholars are not certain whether the "Brettones" he led were Britons or Bretons.

Another school of thought believes that Arthur is at best a half-forgotten Celtic deity devolved into a personage (citing sometimes a supposed change of the sea-god Lir into King Lear) or a fictive person like Beowulf. Subscribers to this school of thought argue that another Roman Briton of this period, for example Ambrosius Aurelianus, led the forces battling the Saxons at the battle of Mons Badonicus.

Earliest Traditions of Arthur

Arthur first appears in Welsh literature. In the earliest surviving Welsh poem, the Gododdin, the poet Aneirin (c. 575 - 600) writes of one of his subjects that 'he fed black ravens on the ramparts, although he was not Arthur' -- but this poem as it currently exists is full of interpolations, and it not possible to decide if this passage is an interpolation from a later period.

Another early reference to Arthur is in the Historia Brittonum, attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius, who is said to have written this compilation of early Welsh history around the year AD 830. In this work Arthur is referred to as a 'leader of battles' rather than as a king.

Arthur also appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, a narrative that is usually associated with the Mabinogion.

Later parts of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, or Welsh Triads, mention Arthur and locate his court in Celliwig, which is located in Cornwall. Celliwig was identified by older Cornish antiquaries with Callington, but Rachel Bromwich, the latest editor of the Welsh Triads, matched it to Kelly Rounds, a hill fort in the Cornish parish of Egloshayle.

King Arthur is sometimes depicted as the leader of the Wild Hunt in not only the British Isles, but in Brittany, France and Germany.

The Arthurian Romance

In AD 1133, Geoffrey of Monmouth produced a manuscript called the Historia Regum Britanniae. This work was the medieval equivalent of a 'best seller' and helped draw the attention of other writers, such as Robert Wace and Layamon to these stories, who then expanded on these tales of Arthur.

In 1191, monks of Glastonbury Abbey announced that they had found the burial site of Arthur and Guinevere. Their grave was shown to many people, and the reputed remains were moved to a new tomb in 1278. The tomb was destroyed during the Reformation, and the bones lost. The antiquary John Leland reports that he saw the cross found with the remains, and transcribed its inscription as

Hic iacet sepvltvs inclytvs rex artvrivs in insvla avalonia -- "Here is buried the famous king Arthur in the Island of Avalon"

While many scholars believe that Geoffrey is the source for medieval interest in Arthur, at least one scholar, Roger S. Loomis, has argued that many of the tales surrounding Arthur actually come from Breton oral traditions, which were spread through the royal and noble courts of Europe by professional storytellers known as jongleurs. The French medieval writer, Chrétien de Troyes, recounted tales from the mythos during the mid-12th century, as did Marie de France in her narrative poems called lais. In any case, the later stories told by these two writers and by many, many others, appear to be independent of what Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote.

In these versions, which gained popularity beginning in the 12th century, Arthur gathered the Knights of the Round Table (Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, and others). At his court, most often held at Camelot in the later prose romances, could sometimes be found the wizard Merlin. Arthur's knights engaged in fabulous quests as for example the Holy Grail. Other stories from the Celtic world came to be associated with Arthur, such as the tale of Tristan and Isolde. In the late prose romances the love affair between Arthur's champion, Lancelot, and the Queen, Guinevere, becomes the central reason for the fall of the Arthurian world.

In Robert de Boron's Merlin, later followed by Thomas Malory, Arthur obtained the throne by pulling a sword from a stone and anvil. In this account, this act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword was presumably the famous Excalibur and the identity is made explicit in the later so-called Vulgate Merlin Continuation. However in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin Excalibur was taken from a hand rising from a lake and given to Arthur sometime after he began to reign by a sorcerous damsel (confused by post-medieval writers with The Lady of the Lake). In this Post-Vulgate version the sword's blade could slice through anything and its sheath made the wearer invincible.

Arthur was a casualty in his last battle, the Battle of Camlann, which he fought against the forces of Mordred. The Prose Lancelot and the later prose cyclic romances state that Mordred was also a Knight of the Round Table and the child of an incestuous union between Arthur and his sister. In almost all accounts Arthur was said to be mortally wounded, but after the battle he was taken away to Avalon (sometimes identified with Glastonbury in Somerset, England), where his wounds were healed or his body was buried in a chapel. Some texts refer to return of Arthur in the future.

The Arthurian mythos spread far across the continent. An image of Arthur and his Knights attacking a castle was carved into an archivolt over the north doorway of Modena Cathedral in Italy sometime between 1099 and 1120. A mosaic pavement in the cathedral of Otranto, near Bari also in Italy was made in 1165 with the puzzling depiction of Arturus Rex bearing a sceptre and riding a goat. 15th century merchants set up an Arthurian hall in his honour in Danzig, Poland.

Retellings of the Arthurian cycle include the works of Gottfried von Strassburg, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur.

Arthur in Modern Literature, Film, and Television

There are many number of books written about King Arthur and the court of Camelot.

• Alfred, Lord Tennyson's The Idylls of the King
• Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
• Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Mists of Avalon
• T.H. White: The Once and Future King cycle, the first volume of which is The Sword in the Stone, well-known for the Disney adaptation.
• Bryher set her historical novel Ruan in Britain immediately after Arthur's death.
• The several books by Norma Lorre Goodrich are very popular, but are only loosely based in Arthurian legend and medieval history.
• The Merlin books of Mary Stewart: The Crystal Cave sets up the background for the Arthurian legend. The Hollow Hills encompasses most of Arthur's lifespan, including his childhood with Merlin as his tutor.
• Helen Hollick
• Persia Woolley
• Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Seeing-Stone and At the Crossing-Places.
• Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles, a trilogy with a completely different take on Arthur. "There is a sword and there is a stone, but one is not in the other", is Cornwell's own summary.

A number of popular films have been made as well. Some of the more notable include:

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail is an irreverent, comical interpretation of the legend of King Arthur and his famous quest.
• Camelot is the film adaptation of the popular stage musical, based on The Once and Future King.
• Excalibur
• Lancelot du Lac
• First Knight
• Disney's The Sword in the Stone is a very loose adaptation of the first book of The Once and Future King.

The late 1960s Australian animated cartoon series Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table was a typically wacky take on Arthurian legend.

The 1970's British television series, Arthur of the Britons, starring Oliver Tobias, sought to create a more "realistic" portrait of the period and to explain the origins of some of the myths about the Celtic leader.

In 1937, a newspaper comic strip by Hal Foster, Prince Valiant was first published, with the byline "In the Days of King Arthur". Since the death of Foster in 1982, John Cullen Murphy has continued producing this comic strip.

The Arthurian myth makes an appearance in many stories, including Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence.

See also: Sites and places associated with Arthurian legend

External links

• A Collection on Britannia.com of brief sketches of personages and writers associated with the legend of King Arthur
• Timelines of British history on Britannia.com
• A site devoted to the history and legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
• Merrie Haskell's King Arthur Website Has a number of interesting scanned images.
• The h2g2 encyclopedia article on The Medieval Development of Arthurian Literature

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "King Arthur."

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Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert of Great Britain and Ireland, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Earl of Sussex (May 1, 1850 - January 16, 1942) was the third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

His mother's favorite, Prince Arthur was created Duke of Connaught¹ and Strathearn in 1874. He completed a military career which included formal education at the British Royal Military College, followed by service in South Africa, Canada, during the Red River Rebellion of 1870, Ireland, Egypt in 1882 and in India from 1886 to 1890. In 1893, Connaught became a full general, and a Field Marshal in 1902. He served in various important positions thereafter, as Commander-in-Chief in Ireland (1900-1904); Inspector-General of the Forces (1904-1907), and as Governor-General of Canada (1911-1916). In 1879 Connaught married Princess Louise Marguerite of Prussia, a grand-niece of the German Emperor William I. They had three children - two daughters (Princess Margaret of Connaught and Princess Patricia of Connaught, and one son, Prince Arthur of Connaught. They lived in India for many years prior to his appointment as Governor General.

During the Duke's term of office, Sir Robert Borden was Prime Minister and Canada continued to grow and mature as a nation. In 1914, however, World War I gave Canada one of its greatest challenges. The call to arms as a colony of Britain between 1914 and 1918 taxed Canada's human and physical resources. At the same time, it was a chance to strengthen Canadian nationalism and to create a larger role for Canada internationally. Against the background of war, the Duke of Connaught stressed the importance of Canadian military contributions, but also sought to enhance charity at home. The Connaughts also made an effort to contribute to the social life of the capital, making Rideau Hall a major site for events for Canadians from across the country.

The Duke of Connaught went to his office in the East Block of Parliament Hill daily when he was in Ottawa. He also travelled throughout Canada with his family, meeting all kinds of Canadians, who received them with great enthusiasm. Port Arthur, now part of Thunder Bay, Ontario, was named in his honour. He emphasized military training and readiness for Canadian troops departing for war, and gave his name to Connaught Cup for the Royal North West Mounted Police, to encourage pistol marksmanship for recruits, a competition originally established in 1912 as the Revolver Challenge Cup. He was active in auxiliary war services and charities and conducted hospital visits, while the Duchess of Connaught worked for the Red Cross and other organizations to support the war cause. She was also Colonel-in-Chief of the Duchess of Connaught's Own Irish Canadian Rangers battalion, one of the regiments in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Their daughter, Princess Patricia, also lent her name and support to the raising of a new Canadian army regiment -- Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Princess Patricia personally designed its badge and colours for the regiment to take overseas to France. As the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief, she played an active role in the regiment until her death. She was succeeded in 1974 by her cousin and god-daughter the Rt. Hon. Lady Patricia Brabourne, who became the Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

For Christmas in 1915, the Duchess sent a card and a box of maple sugar to every Canadian serving overseas. She also had a knitting machine on which she made thousands of pairs of socks for soldiers. The Duke of Connaught and his family grieved the loss of many of their personal staff serving overseas during the war. Following the war, he commissioned a stained glass window in their memory which is located in St. Bartholomew's Church next to Rideau Hall, which the family attended regularly.

Princess Patricia was an avid skater and became a society favourite in Ottawa. She started a tradition of dress dinners where guests arrived in various national dress and she hosted numerous skating parties at Rideau Hall. With her husband, she held many fancy dress balls and organized huge children's parties, and he continued the 'Lord Grey Competitions for Music and Drama'. In September of 1916, he laid the cornerstone for the new Parliament buildings in Ottawa, after the old building was almost completely destroyed by fire in February of the same year.

Many improvements were made to Rideau Hall during the Connaught's term. The present facade, which includes the Royal Coat of Arms carved in stone, was added to the front of the building. The Long Gallery was built, the greenhouse was extended, and a new cloakroom also added. A police guardhouse, the present three-car garage, and a second staff residence were also added to the grounds, in addition to the hundreds of deciduous trees that were planted.

As his term drew to a close in 1916, he publicly stated his regret on leaving Canada, as he and his family had grown very comfortable here.

After his term at Rideau Hall, the Duke of Connaught returned to military service for the remainder of the war. The Duchess, who had been ill during their years at Rideau Hall, died in March 1917. The Duke withdrew from public life in 1928, and died 14 years later in 1942, at the age of 92. He was succeeded (briefly) in his dukedom by his grandson, Alastair Arthur Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught, the son of Prince Arthur and his wife, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, a granddaughter of King Edward VII.

Footnote

¹ The title Duke of Connaught owed its origins to Ireland's membership of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1922. By tradition members of the sovereign's family received titles associated with England, Scotland and Ireland, the three kingdoms that made up the United Kingdom.

Adapted from http://www.gg.ca

Preceded by: Earl Grey

List of Canadian Governors General

Succeeded by: Duke of Devonshire

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught."

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Photos: Arthur More pictures...

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Photo Album: Arthur

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Members of the first National Advisory Cancer Council at the groundbreaking ceremonies at the NCI's building 6 in June, 1938. (Left to right) Francis Wood, C.C Little, James Ewing, Arthur Compton, James Conant, Thomas Parran, and Ludwig Hektoen. This new building, erected on land donated by Mrs. Luke J. Wilson was the fourth to be constructed in the complex that is now the National Institutes of Health. The structure was unique in that year of 1939, with its physical equipment and facilities designed solely for scientific research in a specialized field of science. Building 6 was to house the National Cancer Institute, the first of the nine specialized institutes that would comprise NIH. See also ar003810. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist.		Shows photo of formal portrait, realistic artist rendering of Arthur Canfield Upton, National Cancer Institute director from July 1977 to December 1979. The orginal piece of art hangs in the 11th floor hallway in Building 31 on the National Institute of Health campus. Painting dated 1979. Credit: Betsy Upton (Artist).
	Arthur Godfrey, popular entertainer and smoker who later died of lung cancer, touts Chesterfield cigarettes as safe and "best for me." Tobacco, smoking. Credit: CDC.		Lt. Arthur Wardwell standing watch on HYDROGRAPHER in Aleutians All watches stood outside during war. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.
	OCEANOGRAPHER hosting Princess Grace of Monaco Captain Arthur Wardwell to her left Inport at Monaco on first leg of around the world expedition OCEANOGRAPHER around the world cruise. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.		Figure 40. Seligo bottle used to sample a few centimeters below the surface and to avoid floating debris. This was designed in about 1900 by Arthur Seligo. This example was made by Max Marx in 1912. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.
	Farm manager Arthur Ayala and plant pathologist Carolee Bull discuss commercial variety trials being conducted at the farm of Dale and Christine Coke in San Juan Bautista, California. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer..		Watercolor painting of Emperor Geese by Arthur M. Cook, a Minnesota freelance artist. (Deceased) Return to the Federal Duck Stamp Office Home Page.
	Acrylic painting of three Redheads flying low over water in late afternoon by Arthur G. Anderson, North 5995 CTH O.T., Onalaska, Wisconsin 54650. A freelance artist and collector of antique cars. In addition to waterfowl, Anderson likes to paint bald eagles, white-tailed deer, and other species inhabiting the area near his home. *first time a sleeve was used instead of a plate. Return to the Federal Duck Stamp Office Home Page.		Caption: Contestant in the 1930 Edison Scholarship Contest, Arthur O. Williams, Jr., of Rhode Island, Winner of the Contest; 1930; {13.200/38} (jpg).
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Arthur
 

"Arthur" by Filip Schneider Commentary: "Sitting chimpanzee arthur. b&w."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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