The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Arthur (duke)

For works with similar titles, see Arthur.

ARTHUR, duke of Brittany, the grandson of King Henry II of England: b. 1187; d. 1203. On the death in 1199 of his uncle, Richard I, who had declared the boy his heir, Arthur was proclaimed King of England by the nobles of Anjou, Touraine and Maine, while the English lords decided in John's favor. King Philip of France supported the claims of Arthur, but a peace being presently concluded between John and Philip, Arthur came later into the hands of his uncle, King John, and soon mysteriously disappeared. According to general belief Arthur was murdered by command of his uncle. The story of Arthur forms a portion of Shakespeare's ‘King John.’ See John.