King Agwisance

King Agwisance is an Irish king whose place in the narrative is defined by two conflicts over sovereignty: first, his sworn participation in the northern kings’ attempt to destroy King Arthur, and later, his support for Arthur’s refusal to submit to Rome. At Bedegraine he fights against Arthur’s forces; in the Roman crisis he stands among the allied rulers who promise troops for Arthur’s campaign.

Identity and Background

King Agwisance is identified as king of Ireland and as one of eleven rulers who assemble against Arthur. The coalition’s members bind themselves by oath not to abandon one another until Arthur has been destroyed. Agwisance pledges five thousand mounted men, contributing to an army described as fifty thousand men-at-arms on horseback and ten thousand on foot. The scale of his commitment makes him a substantial military participant, not merely a name among the assembled kings.

The Campaign Against Arthur

The northern host gathers after the six kings take offense at the treatment they received at Carlion, then recruit five more rulers and march against Arthur. The coalition lays siege to Bedegraine Castle, which belongs to Arthur, but leaves only a small force to maintain the siege as the main host advances. Agwisance therefore enters a campaign built around a collective oath and a direct assault on Arthur’s rule.

In the battle, Agwisance is among the six kings whose forces are pressed by Arthur’s knights. Lucas attacks him with a short, heavy spear and knocks him from his horse. The fighting continues fiercely on both sides, and Arthur’s allies gradually recover their position. When King Bors’s forces enter the engagement, Agwisance and the Duke of Cambenet put Lionses and Phariance in serious danger, forcing the two knights to retreat. Their ability to withdraw safely keeps the encounter from becoming a straightforward victory for the coalition.

King Bors then advances to relieve the endangered knights. The opposing rulers recognize the danger his arrival poses; King Lot identifies Bors as a renowned opponent, and King Carados undertakes to meet him. Bors’s attack drives Carados to the ground, while the King with the Hundred Knights rescues him. Agwisance’s side has thus helped create a crisis for Arthur’s knights, but Bors’s counterattack reverses the pressure and exposes the coalition to formidable resistance.

Political Reversal and Significance

Agwisance’s later appearance among Arthur’s allies marks a striking change in political alignment. When twelve elderly ambassadors arrive from Rome to demand tribute for the emperor Lucius, the assembled kings and lords discuss resisting the demand. Agwisance is included among the rulers who promise aid against the Romans; the account records a specific troop commitment from the King of Scotland and other allies, but does not give Agwisance a separate number in this later muster. Arthur rejects Roman overlordship and declares his intention to claim the empire, while the allied rulers pledge support.

The contrast between the two episodes places Agwisance within the shifting politics of Arthur’s reign. He first swears to help destroy Arthur, then appears within the fellowship supporting Arthur’s resistance to Rome. The narrative records these opposed commitments without explaining when or why his allegiance changed. His role therefore illustrates how the book’s wars reorganize kingship through changing coalitions: the same ruler who once fought Arthur can later stand among the allies backing Arthur’s claim to sovereignty.