Testing the Roman King Arthur theory

Tony Sullivan's book begins by examining how Roman political identity opposed kingship even as imperial rule accumulated king-like power. The reading follows the Roman memory of Brutus, yearly consuls, emergency dictators, and the gap between republican ideals and later practice. That context matters because Roman titles and institutions cannot be mapped casually onto medieval legend. Lucius Artorius Castus was a real Roman officer, but a resemblance of names does not make him King Arthur. Sullivan separates the historical evidence from later legend and the mythology used by the 2004 film.