Round Table
In the legend of King Arthur, the Round Table was a mystical table in Camelot around which King Arthur and his knightss sat to discuss matters crucial to the security of the realm. In some versions, the wizard Merlin also has a seat.Many different stories account for its origin: everything from an enchantment by Merlin, to a gift from some unknown duke.
There is no "head of the table" at a round table, and so no one person is at a privileged position. Thus the several knights were all peers and there was no "leader" as there were at so many other medieval tables. There are indications of other circular seating arrangements to avoid conflicts among early Celtic groups. However, one could infer importance on the basis of the number of seats each knight was removed from the king. Perhaps at each meeting King Arthur let his knights be seated at random without knowing where he might sit that day. The siÃÂège pÃÂérilleux ("dangerous chair") was reserved to knights of pure heart.
There are many different estimates of the total number of the knights of the round table. If there were 25 knights, then the diameter of the table would have been around 25 feet, which is a rather large separation across which to maintain a polite conversation. If there were 100 knights, knights sitting across the table from each other would have been around 100 feet apart. Some students of this arcane subject say that the table was constructed in segments and had a hollow center. Such a construction would have saved greatly on raw materials, and could have facilitated serving food to the knights. Since not even a picture of the round table remains from the time that Arthur is said to have reigned, the whole matter is one of total speculation.
Also in inspiration of this legend, "a combination of joisting, feasting and dancing" called a Round Table was performed as an organized activity in conscious imitation of King Arthur and his court during the late Middle Ages. Participants would dress in the costume of such well-known knights as Lancelot, Tristan, and Palamedes. The first recorded instance of this activity was in 1223, when the Crusader lord of Beirut held one in Cyprus to celebrate the knighting of his eldest sons.
Round Tables were an aristocratic activity throughout Europe from the 13th century in to the 15th century. They are recorded as occuring in France from 1235 to 1332. In Aragon they were held as early as 1269 in Valencia to as late as 1291 in Calatayud in 1291. According to R.S. Loomis, "Popes and prelates thundered against these costly, dengerous, and sometimes licentious frivolities, and denied Christian burial to those who took part."
Even the middle classes were caught up in this spectacle. In 1281, a burgher of Magdeburg announced a Round Table in that town. Another was set up by the burghers of Tournai in 1330.
England came late to this craze. Edward I held one in 1284 to celebrate his conquest of Wales, and is recorded as sponsoring several as late as 1304. One artifact that has survived from this craze in England is the "Winchester Round Table" in the Great Hall at Winchester Castle. This table is currently dated to the reign of King Edward I, though a royal provenance is not proven so far. The present "Winchester Round Table" was painted in 1522 under an order of King Henry VIII. The places at the table are divided up with alternating green and white panels with the name of each of the knights written in gold. However it is King Henry VIII's portrait that is painted at King Arthur's place and the Tudor red rose that adorns the table's center.
In 1345, a Round Table in England led to the founding of an order of 300 knights, which later became the Order of the Garter.
References
The Round Table Club is a charitable institution, founded in Norwich, England, in 1927, Round Table is a club for young men aged between 18 and 45 (originally 40, which is still retained as the age limit outside the United Kingdom and Ireland) that provides a selection of social and community service related opportunities for its members. Members come from all parts of the community.
The name "Round Table" is not drawn from Arthurian Legend; rather both its title and its maxim comes from a speech made to the British Industries Fair in 1927 by the then Prince of Wales - 'The young business and professional men of this country must get together round the table, adopt methods that have proved so sound in the past, adapt them to the changing needs of the times and wherever possible, improve them'. The phrase "adopt, adapt, improve" is a key facet of the organisation, and is often seen on Round Table literature and regalia.
The design of the Round Table emblem is, however, an adaptation of the table which hangs in the Great Hall in Winchester. Although this is claimed to be the Round Table of the mythical court of King Arthur, it is in fact a representation which was made in the 13th century.
The founder, Louis Marchesi, was a young member of Norwich Rotary Club who felt a need existed for a club where the young business men of the town could gather on a regular basis. At their meetings they could exchange ideas, learn from the experiences of their colleagues and play a collective part in the civic life of Norwich. Within a year of inception the membership of this Round Table had grown to 85 and interest was being shown in establishing Round Tables elsewhere.
A second Round Table was established in Portsmouth and subsequent growth was rapid, with 125 Tables and a membership of 4,600 by 1939. Round Table proved it had international appeal with the first overseas Table formed in Copenhagen in 1936. During the war years Round Table continued to expand in Denmark although in the British Isles activity was restricted and was in the nature of a 'holding operation'.
After 1945 the pattern of growth was rapidly re-established with Tables being 'chartered' all over the UK. Today there are about 900 Tables with a membership of around 10,000. Round Table now flourishes in the majority of European countries, throughout Africa, the Middle East, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand and America. From a very early stage it was agreed that Round Table would be a non-religious, non-political club and this has continued to this day.
The focal point of Round Table is its regular meetings. Normally, most Tables meet twice a month, usually in the evening and often with a meal. The regular meeting is the forum for speakers and many other forms of activity and entertainment. Visitors and potential members are always made particularly welcome as Round Table provides an ideal opportunity to establish new friendships. Another opportunity of the Round Table, rarely acknowledged by its members, is that it allows its members to socialize and form lasting friendships.
Round Table is frequently associated with its charitable fund raising activities and community service projects. In the UK many Round Tables operate these activities through charitable trusts which are registered with, and regulated by, the Charities Commission.
Round Table is also the name of a large chain of pizza parlours in the western U.S., Asia and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1959 opening its first restaurant in Menlo Park, California and now has more than 500 locations. Although the decoration of the restaurants reflects a fictitious heraldic pattern, the first restaurant was in fact named after the only piece of furniture in it.