Despite his reputation as a great king, Arthur’s reign was not without its problems. One of these was Mordred, Arthur’s illegitimate son by his half-sister Morgan le Fay.
Morgan was the daughter of King Uther Pendragon, who had been married to Igraine, Arthur’s mother. Uther was still married to Igraine when he fell in love with another woman, but Morgan helped him seduce Igraine so that he could marry her and pass on his throne to his son by her. When he discovered that she was pregnant with Mordred, he tried to kill him, but she hid him away in a forest where he grew up under the protection of fairies.
Mordred betrayed Arthur by joining forces with the Saxons against him. He killed Arthur at the Battle of Camlann and took over as King of Britain.
Some stories say that Mordred was killed by Arthur’s nephew Gawain, others say he was killed by Lancelot while trying to rape Guinevere on her wedding day to Lancelot, but there is no conclusive evidence either way.
Some stories also say that Mordred survived the battle and lived out his life peacefully in Wales or Scotland (he may be the origin of the legend of Merlin the magician). His fate is unknown but some believe he died shortly after becoming King but others believe he carried on ruling Britain until he was assassinated by Mordred’s bastard son, Melehan (Melwas).
