When Arthur comes to the throne in Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur, his rule is challenged (as in some of Malory's sources) by forces both external and internal. In Malory, the internal resistance comes in two waves, related but in a slightly unclear way: an initial rebellion at his coronation by kings angry at the accession of ‘a berdles boye that was come of lowe blood’ (12.9–10), and a second following an act of political infanticide combined with an invasion from North Wales. This Welsh invasion is led by Ryons of North Wales and his brother Nero now in alliance with Lot of Lothian and the Orkneys (Lot being a driving force in the initial rebellion). After the final defeat of this combined force, Arthur orders the erection of a grandiose monument both to his victory and to the memories of the dead:

The reconciliation between Lot and Arthur, found in previous versions (as discussed below), is here replaced by unity through elimination, caught in an image of conquest and domination. The description of the tombs stands out in a Camelot otherwise only faintly sketched: we know more about this aspect of St Stephen's Cathedral, where this tomb is located (61.30–31), than any other physical location in the Morte.

In this essay, I will argue that this monument is far more important to Malory's over-arching purpose than has been previously acknowledged: its spatial location, at the heart of Arthur's most famous castle, anchors Arthurian claims to control over the various kingdoms and regions which make up his empire.