Mordred (517-537) was the illegitimate son of King Arthur and his sister Morgause and the short-lived King of Dumnonia in 537. He usurped the throne from his father at the instigation of Morgan le Fay, only to be slain in battle with Arthur at the Battle of Camlan, where Arthur was mortally wounded.
Biography[]
Mordred was born in 517, the product of an incestuous relationship between King Arthur and his sister Morgause, who had been unaware of Arthur's relation to her. King Lot believed that he was his legitimate son, and he was the half-brother of Gawain. He was welcomed to Arthur's Round Table as a knight, but his treacherous aunt Morgan le Fay convinced him to seize the throne for himself in 537. Mordred revealed Queen Guinevere's infidelity with Lancelot, causing Arthur to order Guinevere executed. Lancelot killed his fellow knights Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth (Mordred's other half-brothers) before rescuing Guinevere, and their surviving brother Gawain convinced Arthur to pursue the eloped lovers to France. While Arthur was away, Mordred seized power for himself. After Arthur defeated and killed Lancelot, he returned to Britannia to face off against Mordred. The two armies met at the Battle of Camlan, where Arthur and Mordred mortally wounded each other. Mordred was slain instantly, but a mortally wounded Arthur was carried off to Avalon, never to be seen again.
According to Derfel Cadarn's chronicle, Mordred was born on 2 December 479, the posthumous child of Prince Mordred ap Uther and his wife Norwenna, making him Uther Pendragon's grandson and heir, and Arthur's nephew. He succeeded his father on his death on 20 October 480, and his final battle with Arthur was dated to 6 June 504.