Sir Patrick Stewart passed away on October 28th at the age of 86. That blows. You may remember him from one of his two most iconic roles: Jean-Luc Picard or Professor X. Not I. I remember him as Leodegrance, King of Cameliard and father to the future queen, Guinevere, in the 1981 movie classic Excalibur.

King Leodegrance: I Saw What I Saw!

It was Leodegrance (also Leondegrance or Léodagan) who first recognized young Arthur as king, and Leodegrance who gave Arthur the Round Table.

“The boy drew the sword. If a boy has been chosen, a boy shall be King!” ~ King Leodegrance.

“Are you with us or against us?” ~ some dumbass in armor.

“Against you!”

Regnula of the Day

Before Arthur became King of England and all the Britons, the British Isles were divided into numerous minor principalities. Some were real, some created in legend and fiction.

Grunts: regnula

The whole thing can be more than a little confusing because they combine sub-Roman and medieval Brythonic history with later Anglo-Norman romantic tales.

None of ’em, that I’m aware of, were autonomous collectives.

• Cameliard (also spelled Carmélide, Camilyard and about eleventy other names). It’s been connected to Cornwall and Brittany, but it’s actually a legendary fiction. Kind of like Atropia, only not as sweaty and lame.
• Dumnonia was roughly Devon and Cornwall. In Arthurian lore, King Mark ruled it. It is the setting of Tintagel Castle (where Arthur is said to have been conceived).
• Lothian and Orkney. Ruled by King Lot (Arthur’s brother-in-law), this region of the Scottish lowlands is where several storied knights hailed from (most notably Sir Gawain).
• Gorre (or Gor). We’re not talking about the counter-earth home of tarns and tharlarion here. This was the land of King Urien. It was also home to Prince Meleagant, who abducted Queen Guinevere: a terrible villainy, of course, but a pretty good day for Lancelot.
• Gwynedd. This was in North Wales and was ruled by King Rience (or Ryons), who was besieging King Leodegrance. That’s how it’s told in some of the lore, anyway. When Arthur showed up and broke the siege in the movie, it was Lot and Uryens attacking the place. (The latter fella’s got a damn unfortunate name for anyone, much less a king.) Anyway, in the movie, this is the scene where Arthur decides he wants to crown Guinevere and get into her regal britches.
• Rheged. An actual historical Brythonic kingdom in Cumbria, along the Scottish borders.
• Lyonesse. This one’s a mythical realm associated with Cornwall and the Scilly Isles.
• Benwick and Gaunes (and Armorica). These allied domains were in Armorica (modern Brittany and part of France). Benwick’s king was Lancelot’s pater familias. According to Arthurian lore, they rode with Arthur to relieve the siege of Cameliard.

The Siege of Cameliard

It’s a lot easier to hack your enemies to pieces with a big damn axe if you’re not in a Starfleet uniform (or stuck in a wheelchair). Look at this guy go. This ain’t chore chopping. He’s slaughtering dudes like he’s getting paid by the head…carving limbs off, spilling guts, and just generally making merry with blood and gore.

It’s a sublimely sanguinary ballet, and I’m here for it.

Sir Patrick Stewart’s Eulogy: by Patrick Stewart

The funny thing is, the man beat us to it. Years back he delivered his own eulogy, and he absolutely crushed it.

Patrick Stewart's self-eulogy is perfect. #patrickstewart pic.twitter.com/SQAQ8y2h1m

— Erik 'daibo' Kain (@erikkain) October 29, 2026

Strange Women Lying in Ponds

Dennis the Peasant has a pretty good point. Seems like it’d be hard to make a case for wearing a crown just ‘cuz some watery tart threw a sword at you.

The Stewart Before Him

Y’all might not know this, but Patrick Stewart’s daddy, Alfred Stewart, was an RSM who jumped into France with the Paras in August of ’44. The younger Stewart tells the story about meeting a man who’d served with his father. The man took him into a pub and bought him a drink in the older Stewart’s name. And there the man told him,

“You know, the most memorable thing about your father was when he marched onto the parade ground, the birds in the trees stopped singing.”

Rest in peace, Sir Patrick Stewart.

I’ll bet the birds stopped singing for you too.

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