Retelling The History of the Kings of Britain
Arthurian
Introduction
This is the Mythopouch retelling of Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain, also called Historia Regum Britanniae. It is a modern educational reading of Geoffrey's legendary account of Britain, written for readers aged 15 and up.
The retelling follows the broad movement of Geoffrey's twelve books, from Brutus and the early kings through Leir, Rome, Vortigern, Merlin, Uther Pendragon and Arthur to Mordred, Cadwallader and the end of British rule. It is original Mythopouch wording and is not Geoffrey's Latin text or the 1842 English translation.
What this retelling is
The retelling is arranged as eleven chapters:
1. Prologue
2. Brutus and the Founding of Britain (Books 1-2)
3. Leir and the Early Kings (Books 2-3)
4. Belinus and Brennius: The Road to Rome (Book 3)
5. Caesar, Claudius, and the Christian King (Book 4)
6. Constantine, Maximian, and the Draining of Britain (Book 5)
7. Vortigern and the Coming of the Saxons (Books 5-6)
8. Merlin's Wonders and Uther Pendragon (Books 6-8)
9. The Reign of Arthur (Books 8-10)
10. Mordred and the Twilight of the Britons (Books 11-12)
11. Epilogue
The complete retelling is 9 pages including the title, contents and source-note pages. The chapter grouping and explanatory wording are modern Mythopouch presentation rather than Geoffrey's original chapter structure.
How to use it with the Sources page
Use The History of the Kings of Britain (Sources) when you want the historical English witness. The downloadable source is the public-domain 1842 edition translated by Aaron Thompson and revised and corrected by J. A. Giles.
Use this Retellings page when you want Geoffrey's large twelve-book narrative presented as a shorter modern educational reading. The retelling follows the same broad progression from Brutus to Cadwallader while concentrating on the episodes most important to Mythopouch, especially Leir, Vortigern, Merlin, Uther Pendragon, Arthur and Mordred.
Geoffrey's work is medieval legendary history rather than a reliable factual chronicle of ancient Britain. The source and retelling should therefore be read as evidence for the development of British and Arthurian tradition, not as a modern history textbook.
Summary
A modern 15+ Mythopouch retelling of Geoffrey of Monmouth's legendary history in eleven chapters, from Brutus and Leir through Merlin and Arthur to Cadwallader.
Copyright Note
Mythopouch original educational wording and layout. Copyright Mythopouch 2026. Geoffrey of Monmouth's medieval work and the 1842 Thompson/Giles English edition are public-domain source material. The historical source PDF is supplied separately on the Sources page.