Ambrosius Aurelianus (Welsh: Emrys Wledig; Anglicised as Ambrose Aurelian and called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere) was a war leader of the Romano-British who won an important battle against the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, according to Gildas. He also appeared independently in the legends of the Britons, beginning with the 9th-century Historia Brittonum. Eventually, he was transformed by Geoffrey of Monmouth into the uncle of King Arthur, the brother of Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, as a ruler who precedes and predeceases them both. He also appears as a young prophet who meets the tyrant Vortigern; in this guise, he was later transformed into the wizard Merlin.
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In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Ambrosius Aurelianus
- Ambrosius Aurelianus in the context of Merlin
- Ambrosius Aurelianus in the context of De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
Ambrosius Aurelianus in the context of Merlin
Merlin (Welsh: Myrddin, Cornish: Merdhyn, Breton: Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a magician, along with several other main roles. The familiar depiction of Merlin, based on an amalgamation of historical and legendary figures, was introduced by the 12th-century Catholic cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth and then built on by the French poet Robert de Boron and prose successors in the 13th century. Geoffrey’s account presented Merlin as both a prophet and royal advisor.
Geoffrey seems to have combined earlier Welsh tales of Myrddin and Ambrosius, two legendary Briton prophets with no connection to Arthur, to form the composite figure that he called Merlinus Ambrosius. His rendering of the character became immediately popular, especially in Wales. Later chronicle and romance writers in France and elsewhere expanded the account to produce a more full, multifaceted character, creating one of the most important figures in the imagination and literature of the Middle Ages.
View the full Wikipedia page for MerlinAmbrosius Aurelianus in the context of De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (English: On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain) is a work written in Latin in the late fifth or sixth century by the British religious polemicist Gildas. It is a sermon in three parts condemning the acts of Gildas' contemporaries, both secular and religious, whom he blames for the dire state of affairs in sub-Roman Britain. It is widely acknowledged by historians that the text cannot be straightforwardly used to construct a reliable narrative history of fifth- and sixth-century Britain. It nevertheless is one of the most important sources for the history of Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries, as it is the only significant historical source for the period written by a near contemporary of the people and events described.
Part I contains a narrative of British history from the Roman conquest to Gildas' time; it includes references to Ambrosius Aurelianus and the Britons' victory against the Saxons at the Battle of Mons Badonicus. Part II is a condemnation of five kings for their various sins, including both obscure figures and relatively well-documented ones such as Maelgwn Gwynedd. Part III is a similar attack upon the British clergy of the age.
View the full Wikipedia page for De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae