In his book The First Kingdom: Britain in the Age of Arthur (2021), historian and archaeologist Max Adams offers a compelling and nuanced reimagining of the so-called “Dark Ages” in Britain. He delves into the turbulent centuries that followed the withdrawal of Roman authority from Britain, a period traditionally shrouded in myth, obscurity, and legend. Rather than focusing narrowly on the fabled King Arthur, Adams seeks to uncover the social, political, and cultural landscape of post-Roman Britain—a time when the foundations of the English nation were being laid.

A Landscape Without Rome

The collapse of Roman power in Britain around AD 410 left a vacuum. For centuries, Britannia had been a Roman province, marked by roads, villas, forts, and a network of imperial administration. When the Roman legions departed, the infrastructure remained, but authority and protection did not. What followed was not an immediate descent into barbarism, but a slow unraveling of Roman systems and a transformation of society.

Adams challenges the traditional narrative of abrupt collapse. Instead, he describes a gradual evolution—a reorganization of society from centralized Roman administration to localized power structures led by emerging elites. These leaders were often Romanized Britons or hybrid figures who maintained some Roman customs while forging new paths.

Arthur: Between Myth and Memory

While the title of the book references the “Age of Arthur,” Adams approaches Arthur with scholarly skepticism. He acknowledges the deep cultural importance of Arthurian legend but separates the mythical King Arthur of medieval romance from the possible historical warlord or leader who may have lived during the late 5th or early 6th century.

Rather than seeking to prove Arthur’s existence, Adams uses the idea of “Arthurian Britain” to explore the power dynamics, warfare, and cultural exchanges of the era. The figure of Arthur serves more as a narrative lens through which to examine the period, rather than a central historical actor. shutdown123