King Arthur's most famous and central love interest, and his wife, was Guinevere (Gwenevere, Gwynnever), but in some earlier tales and variations, he had other significant women, including his half-sister Morgan le Fay, with whom he fathered his son Mordred, and the enchantress figure of the Lady of the Lake, though these relationships often predate or occur alongside his marriage to Guinevere.
In the Welsh Triads, some of the earliest known manuscripts that mention Arthur, our old king had three different wives named Guinevere. He also had three “favorite” mistresses, predicating the existence of “not-favorite” mistresses.
Guinevere is a mysterious but very bold girl, having no problems being assertive and forthright about her desires, calling Lancelot her lover and kissing him.
In the legends, Guinevere and Arthur marry for political reasons not for love and she is his equal. As a matter of fact, sometimes she's described as coming from a more ancient lineage than he.
Throughout her life, Guinevere had a number of male suitors, and when she married King Arthur she was not faithful to him. It is unclear whether Guinevere seduced Lancelot or whether he lured her into a romance.
Sir Lancelot was King Arthur's most trusted companion and loyal friend, but the closeness of their relationship made Lancelot's ultimate betrayal all the more painful.
Mordred is the only son of King Arthur. In most versions of the legend, Mordred's mother is Arthur's half-sister, making him a product of incest.
Just to clarify for any readers in case there was any confusion, the three wives of Arthur in Welsh tradition were indeed named Guinevere (or rather, Gwenhwyfar), but the three mistresses had their own names.
Lancelot, one of the greatest knights in Arthurian romance; he was the lover of Arthur's queen, Guinevere, and was the father of the pure knight Sir Galahad.
In the Arthurian legends, Nimue's most prominent role is that of the woman who magically imprisoned Merlin. According to Malory, Merlin fell in love with her, and in an effort to win her favor, began teaching her his magic.
However, Mordred's faith in Arthur and Camelot was shattered after the imprisonment and death of his beloved Kara. Believing that Arthur had betrayed him and metaphorically spat on their friendship, Mordred turned against the king and joined Morgana once more.
She was undressed, veiled and "reverently" laid in bed, while Arthur, "in his shirt, with a gown cast about him," was escorted by his gentlemen into the bedchamber as viols and tabors played. The Bishop of London blessed the bed, and prayed for the marriage to be fruitful, after which the couple were left alone.
Lancelot is named after Lancelot of the Lake, one of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian mythology where he typically figures as King Arthur's greatest companion and one of his greatest knights, and his parents were King Ban of Benoic and Queen Elaine.
Lancelot was one of the Knights of the Round Table in the court of the legendary King Arthur. He was raised by the Lady of the Lake, who taught him to fight. Lancelot's most important relationships are his friendship with Arthur, his love affair with Guinevere, and his connection to his son, Galahad.
King Arthur was married to Guinevere in most legends. Early traditions of abduction and infidelity follow Guinevere, who in some stories was carried off by Arthur's rivals and in others had an adulterous affair with the knight Lancelot.
After initially denying the charges against her and changing her story several times, the queen eventually confessed her guilt to Cranmer. As evidence accumulated, it became obvious that Catherine had been not only indiscreet before her marriage to Henry, but also unfaithful to him afterward.
The nature of Courtly Love is the romance between a nobleman, often a knight errant among his peers, and a married noblewoman to whom the knight pledges his victories towards. Word for word Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere fit this narrative well.
Overall, the most attractive wives were said to be Catherine of Aragon in her youth, and Katherine Howard. Catherine of Aragon was said to be very beautiful when she was a young woman, but she apparently aged horribly. This was due to her many pregnancies and poor lifestyle, which included constant fasting.
Merlin loves Arthur due to their intertwined destiny, where Merlin's magic exists to protect Arthur and guide him to become the great king he's fated to be, fostering a deep bond of friendship, loyalty, and profound care that evolves from obligation to genuine love, with some interpretations suggesting romantic love as well, especially given their willingness to sacrifice everything for each other.
But Guinevere learns of their affair, and becomes furious when she finds that Elaine has made Lancelot sleep with her by magic trickery for a second time and in Guinevere's own castle. She blames Lancelot and banishes him from Camelot.
In the 1995 novelette Namer of Beasts, Maker of Souls, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Merlin has a twin-sister called Ganicenda, described as "Divine Wisdom, with her head in heaven and her feet in Sheol".
At the end, only Arthur and his knight Sir Bedivere were left on their side. Mordred was the only one left on his side. Arthur rushed to kill Mordred, but accidentally dropped Excalibur and the enchanted scabbard. Arthur killed Mordred with a spear, but not before Mordred delivered a deadly blow to Arthur's head.
In his eulogy, Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to William Marshal as the greatest knight who had ever lived. But what's of particular note is that even his latter day enemy, Philip II of France, praised him.
Mordred was known to be Arthur's greatest enemy, sent to destroy him. His parents are Arthur's half-sister Morgause and Arthur himself. His step-father is King Lot of Orkney, and his half-brothers are the knights Gawain, Agravine, Gaheris, and Gareth.