King Arthur There has been a lot of material written about the legendary King Arthur and although he has been a popular figure inliterature for over 800 years, not a lot is known about the real Arthur. It is believed that Arthur was a 5the-century British King named Riothamus (meaning "high king") who ruled from 454 - 470 A.D. and led an army into Gaul where he was defeated by the Goths of Burgundy. Two men by the names of Jordanes (6the century) and William (11the century) contributed to the legend of Arthur. Their input was perhaps the real basis of future adaptations of the story. Arthur appeared in literature as a national hero in a book written in Latin by Geoffrey of Monmouth called Hi