This, along with its appearance in the stories of Tristan and Yseult, may have inspired the construction of Tintagel’s romantically situated castle by King Henry III’s brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall in the 1230s. It achieved international fame in the twelfth century when Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain described it as the place of the legendary King Arthur’s conception. Prized throughout history, Tintagel is thought to have been the seat of the region’s Dark-Age rulers and developed unique links with the Byzantine world during the fifth to seventh centuries. This physical connection – a tenuous rocky link much-eroded over the centuries – is the source of its traditions and astonishing cultural resonance. The Cornish name Din Tagell, means literally, the Fortress of the Narrow Entrance. Tintagel’s natural land-bridge, a slender isthmus linking the headland (also known as Island) to the mainland, has been its defining feature for 5,000 years. A place of elemental power and beauty, Tintagel is an outstanding example of a man-made monument interacting with a natural feature.
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