<P> The prose cycles of the 13th century, the Lancelot - Grail cycle and the Post-Vulgate Cycle, further adapt the chivalric attributes of the Round Table . Here it is the perfect knight Galahad, rather than Percival, who assumes the empty seat, now called the Siege Perilous . Galahad's arrival marks the start of the Grail quest as well as the end of the Arthurian era . In these works the Round Table is kept by King Leodegrance of Cameliard after Uther's death; Arthur inherits it when he marries Leodegrance's daughter Guinevere . Other versions treat the Round Table differently, for instance Arthurian works from Italy often distinguish between the "Old Table" of Uther's time and Arthur's "New Table ." </P> <P> During the Middle Ages, festivals called Round Tables were celebrated throughout Europe in imitation of Arthur's court . These events featured jousting, dancing, and feasting, and in some cases attending knights assumed the identities of Arthur's entourage . The earliest of these was held in Cyprus in 1223 to celebrate a knighting . Round Tables were popular in various European countries through the rest of the Middle Ages and were at times very elaborate; René of Anjou even erected an Arthurian castle for his 1446 Round Table . On December 19, 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots gave a feast in Stirling Castle with 30 guests at an imagined replica of Arthur's table during the masque - themed celebrations of the baptism of the future James VI . </P> <P> The artifact known as the "Winchester Round Table", a large tabletop hanging in Winchester Castle bearing the names of various knights of Arthur's court, was probably created for a Round Table tournament . The current paintwork is late; it was done by order of Henry VIII of England for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's 1522 state visit, and depicts Henry himself sitting in Arthur's seat above a Tudor rose . The table itself is considerably older; dendrochronology calculates the date of construction to 1250--1280--during the reign of Edward I--using timber from store felled over a period of years . Edward was an Arthurian enthusiast who attended at least five Round Tables and hosted one himself in 1299, which may have been the occasion for the creation of the Winchester Round Table . Martin Biddle, from an examination of Edward's financial accounts, links it instead with a tournament Edward held near Winchester on April 20, 1290, to mark the betrothal of one of his daughters . </P> <P> Media related to Round Table of Winchester at Wikimedia Commons </P>

King arthur and the knights at the round table