Greg Jenner

I don't see how that's particularly useful.

And after this charmingly weird Mabinogion, we get our first English horse, Mary. And it's not entirely English, because Geoffrey of Monmouth... Is a bit Welsh?

And after this charmingly weird Mabinogion, we get our first English horse, Mary. And it's not entirely English, because Geoffrey of Monmouth... Is a bit Welsh?

Because he claims to be, he says he found a very ancient book of an ancient tongue.

Because he claims to be, he says he found a very ancient book of an ancient tongue.

But then obviously he doesn't name it and we don't have it. And you're like, did you?

But then obviously he doesn't name it and we don't have it. And you're like, did you?

Yeah, that's incredible.

Yeah, that's incredible.

Oh, that's, yeah, that's huge. That's, like, you know, for most of our text, we've got, like, 20, 25, 30 sometimes.

Oh, that's, yeah, that's huge. That's, like, you know, for most of our text, we've got, like, 20, 25, 30 sometimes.

Yeah, he's the John Grisham of the 13th century.

Yeah, he's the John Grisham of the 13th century.

It's hugely important, inspiring European intellectuals to think about history in a new way. So you suddenly get this sort of splitting of history into three categories. Matter of Rome, ancient history. The Matter of France, Charlemagne's empire. And the Matter of Britain... Because in Geoffrey of Monmouth's text, King Arthur unifies England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

It's hugely important, inspiring European intellectuals to think about history in a new way. So you suddenly get this sort of splitting of history into three categories. Matter of Rome, ancient history. The Matter of France, Charlemagne's empire. And the Matter of Britain... Because in Geoffrey of Monmouth's text, King Arthur unifies England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

And then he's like, that's not enough. I'm going to go conquer some stuff. And he adds to that Brittany, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Norway, France and Romania. He's basically a one man Eurovision. Wow. Yeah.

And then he's like, that's not enough. I'm going to go conquer some stuff. And he adds to that Brittany, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Norway, France and Romania. He's basically a one man Eurovision. Wow. Yeah.

There is a gap, isn't there? So this King Arthur is a conqueror and king of half of Europe, as well as king of Britain, a unified Britain, which is an interesting political idea, obviously.

There is a gap, isn't there? So this King Arthur is a conqueror and king of half of Europe, as well as king of Britain, a unified Britain, which is an interesting political idea, obviously.

And, of course, you've mentioned he's important, but Geoffrey of Monmouth, we would call him a chronicler, we would call him a historian, but he's hugely important for the literature aspects of what becomes Arthuriana. So do you want to talk us through that?