Vera historia de morte Arthuri (The True History of the Death of Arthur) is a short, anonymous 12th- or 13th-century Latin text relating the story of King Arthur's last journey to the Isle of Avalon – which, uniquely, it locates in North Wales – and the disappearance there of his body. It may have been written at Aberconwy Abbey. It has been seen as a reaction to the brief and uncircumstantial mention of Arthur's death given in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and perhaps also to Glastonbury Abbey's claim to be Arthur's place of burial. It survives in six manuscripts, but was unknown to 19th-century scholars and little known for most of the 20th century, not being published in English translation until 1979 or in the original Latin until 1981. Synopsis At the end of the battle between King Arthur and Mordred, Mordred and many others were dead and Arthur was dangerously wounded. Giving thanks to God and the Virgin Mary for his victory, he ordered four of his men to remove his armour, but was then further wounded with a poisoned elm spear by a handsome young man. Arthur retaliated with a spear of his own, killing the man. Knowing he had not long to live he ordered the four men to take him to Avalon in Gwynedd. There he was treated ineffectually by doctors and, in the presence of the Archbishop of London and two bishops (the Archbishop of Menevia being unavailable), bequeathed his kingdom to Constantine son of Cador and commended his spirit to his Redeemer. What a lamentable scene! The king's body was prepared for burial and taken, as he had always wished, to a nearby chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Arthur's body could not, on account of its great size, be got through the narrow chapel door, so was left outside. As the bishops performed the last rites a great storm broke out and a thick mist hid everything from view. When the storm and mist lifted the body was found to have vanished and a new stone tomb to have appeared. Even now there is disagreement as to what happened, some saying that Arthur is still alive and some that he is in his tomb. Arthur's reign lasted for thirty-nine years, and Constantine succeeded him. Manuscripts Six manuscripts of the Vera historia have been identified: London, BL Cotton Cleopatra MS D. III