The New International Encyclopædia/Arthur (duke)

​ARTHUR (1187-1203). Duke of Brittany,grandson of Henry II. of England and nephewof Richard I., Cœur-de-Lion, who, in 1190,declared him heir to the English throne. He wasproclaimed king by the nobles of Anjou,Touraine, and Maine, on Richard's death in 1199,although the English barons decided in favor ofJohn, Richard's younger brother. He wasknighted by Philip II. of France, and investedwith Brittany and the French possessionsappertaining to the English crown. In the sameyear, John landed in Normandy. In support ofArthur, Philip took the field against him. Soon,however, Philip's unscrupulous conduct gaveoffense to the Angevin friends of Arthur, andin 1200 a peace was concluded between Johnand Philip. In 1202 war again broke out.Poitou rose in insurrection against England,and Arthur, who had marched to besiege thecastle of Mirabeau, was taken prisoner. He wasremoved in 1203 to Rouen, where he mysteriouslydisappeared — drowned in the Seine, somesaid, by John's own hands. The story of Arthurappears in Holinshed. Shakespeare, in KingJohn, used Holinshed as a basis, but supplementedthe old chronicle with imaginativedetails of his own. See John.