LA ESPADA DE LANCELOT DU LAC
Sir Lancelot du Lac or
Lancelot of the Lake lived in the Middle Ages, during a period dominated by
knights which lasted from the 12th to the 14th century AD. Sir Lancelot is
the protagonist of a series of legendary tales which are part of the
Arthurian cycle. The central figure of the stories is the famous King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table. As is commonly known, Arthur was the
mythical King of Camelot who played a leading role in many adventures, with
the help of his most loyal knights, such as the search for the Holy Grail.
One of these knights, who was equal in fame and honour to Arthur, was Sir
Lancelot. The legend goes that Sir Lancelot was the son of Ban of Benwick, a
French monarch who was an ally of King Arthur, and of Elena. As he was young,
when his parents died, Sir Lancelot was put into the care of the legendary
Lady of the Lake, wife of the wizard Merlin. She was the one who taught him
knightly ideals, trained him to use the sword and educated him on British
customs. However, there are versions that state that Sir Lancelot was
actually the son of the Lady of the Lake and of King Ban.

The figure of Sir Lancelot has inspired the creation of the Lancelot sword
When Sir Lancelot reached his youth he was taken by the
Lady of the Lake to King Arthur's court. Amazed by his honour, his skill
with the sword and his bravery in combat, King Arthur decided to accept him
as a knight of the Round Table. This was how Sir Lancelot became a loyal
knight, companion and friend of King Arthur. Together they went on to
experience multiple adventures. However they did not only share wartime
adventures but also a lover, Queen Guinevere.
The romance between Lady Guinevere and Sir Lancelot
began when King Arthur sent him in search of Guinevere to her castle to
bring her to Camelot where she would marry Arthur. During the journey the
two young people fell in love; this moment undoubtedly marked the beginning
of the end of order in the kingdom of Camelot. Sir Lancelot decided to
remain chaste in respect and loyalty to his queen and king. He continued to
go on adventures accompanied by his inseparable sword as a true medieval
knight.
Representation of Guinevere
arming knight with Sir Lancelot's medieval sword
The basic equipment of a medieval
knight consisted of several essential items. Firstly, as defensive material,
the medieval warrior had a coat of mail which the soldier wore over a tunic,
with a rather small pointed shield; and a cylindrical helmet which he could
wear with or without a nose protector. As regards offensive weapons, he
could be equipped with a crossbow or lance. However the most important
weapon for a knight was the sword which enabled him to engage in hand to
hand combat. The most common medieval sword had a straight blade with a
double cutting edge and was over one metre in length. The sword was used
with a single hand, so the hilt was short; with the other hand the soldier
held the shield.

Lancelot sword, the medieval knight's essential weapon

Design of knight Lancelot of the Lake's sword with scabbard
In his adventure in search of the Holy Grail, Sir
Lancelot reaches the fortress of King Pelles, who guarded the holy relics.
In this castle lived Elaine, King Pelles' daughter. The princess fell at the
feet of the handsome knight and declared her love for Sir Lancelot. The
latter refused, maintaining his strict attitude of remaining loyal to
Guinevere. However, Elaine drugged the knight, making him spend the night
with him. From this meeting another famous knight from Arthurian tales would
be born, Sir Galahad.
After this the shamed Sir Lancelot returned to Camelot, where Queen
Guinevere, green with envy, expelled him from. The knight accompanied only
by his sword went on to roam for months through the British woodland until
Queen Guinevere granted his pardon. Shortly after, Arthur along with his
knights embarked on the journey in search of the Grail. During this
adventure many knights died, to such an extent that Arthur's power was
seriously damaged. At this time, Arthur's court entered into crisis. Some of
the knights of the Round Table disapproved of the foreign Sir Lancelot,
envying his relationship with the king; therefore, they started a civil war
against King Arthur. The excuse was to be a trap that they prepared for Sir
Lancelot and Guinevere. King Arthur discovered the forbidden love and
condemned both lovers. The war between the followers of the queen and those
of the king was significant. The confrontation ended with the pardon of
Queen Guinevere by the king and the exile of Sir Lancelot, who returned to
France.
The Knights of the Round Table
armed with their swords
Ever since that battle, Camelot
never recovered. It was Mordred, son of Arthur, fruit of his incest with
Morgana, who usurped the throne from his father, thereby starting a new
civil war. At this time, some knights loyal to Arthur and companions of Sir
Lancelot asked the latter to come to the aid of the monarch. The loyal
soldier accompanied by his sword came to the aid of King Arthur but failed
to arrive on time. Arthur died and lost Camelot.
After this difficult event, Queen
Guinevere decided to join a monastery and commend the rest of her days to
the Lord. The path of Sir Lancelot was to be similar, as he became a hermit
guarding the coffin of Arthur in the same chapel where he lay. One of his
final achievements before dying was that of burying the body of the deceased
Queen Guinevere next to King Arthur so that both could sleep together for
eternity.

Fight of knights armed with
swords with Camelot in the background
The story of the adventures of Sir Lancelot belongs to
legend, however, it is likely that the author Chrétien de Troyes, who wrote
one of the key works on the figure Sir Lancelot in the 12th century, based
his tale on popular memory relating to a true fact concerning the adventures
of a warrior king and his court of loyal knights. Therefore, although the
facts may not have taken place as the legendary tales tell us, as these have
been adorned by men of letters throughout history, perhaps there is some
truth in the seed of the tale. It could be that at some point at the
beginning of the Middle Ages there was a knight of French origin who was a
great companion and loyal servant to a British king. In any case, it is a
difficult mystery to get to the bottom of, so until then we can hold on to
the imagination and fantasy that allow us to recall the knight Sir Lancelot
sword in hand and enjoy the adventures of this medieval hero.
Sir Lancelot
du Lac armed with helmet, spear and sword
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