Mordred

The legendary figure Mordred is known in the Matter of Britain[?] as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the battle of Camlann[?], where he was killed, and Arthur fatally wounded. Tradition differs on his relationship to Arthur, which variously reports that he was Mordred's uncle or father.

The earliest mention of Mordred is in the Annales Cambriae, a chronicle that forms part of one of the recensions of the Historia Britonum. Mordred is mentioned again in Welsh tradition in the Welsh Triads[?]: in one triad, based on Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, provides an account of his betrayal of Arthur; in another, he is described as the author of one of the "Three Unrestrained Ravagings of the Isle of Britain" -- he came to Arthur's court at Kelliwic[?] in Cornwall, devoured all of the food and drink, and even dragged Gwenhwyfar (better known as Guinevere) from her throne and beat her.

Geoffrey of Monmouth introduced the figure of Mordred to the world beyond Wales. He tells of when Arthur set forth to wage war on Rome, he left Mordred behind to rule his kingdom and to protect Guinevere; during his absence Mordred made himself king and married Gwenevere, forcing Arthur to return to Britain, where he and Mordred fought at Camlann.