King Arthur's Death, commonly referred to as the Alliterative Morte Arthure, is a Middle English poem written in Lincolnshire at the end of the 14th century. A source work for Malory's later Morte d'Arthur, it is an epic tale which documents the horrors of war, the loneliness of kingship and the terrible price paid for arrogance.
The poem tells of the arrival of emissaries from Imperial Rome demanding that Arthur pay his dues as a subject. Arthur's refusal leads him on a quest to confront his foes and challenge them for command of his lands.
His venture is not without cost. Although he defeats the Romans, his decision to leave Mordred at home to watch over his realm and guard Guinevere, his queen, proves to be a costly one. He must now face Mordred for control of his kingdom – a conflict ultimately fatal to the pair of them.
Combining heroic action, insight into human frailty and great attention to contemporary detail, King Arthur's Death is not only a lesson in effective kingship, it is also an astonishing mirror on our own times, highlighting the folly of letting stubborn dogma drive political decisions.