> For centuries English kings thought they were the descendants of King Arthur because of what a cleric wrote in the early 12th century. Stories of Arthur unc

> For centuries English kings thought they were the descendants of King Arthur because of what a cleric wrote in the early 12th century. Stories of Arthur uncontroversially predate the 12th century, and it is an open debate as to whether Arthur was based on a historical figure or not. (I vote yes.) Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. > he Swedish 16th century king Erik XIV proclaimed himself the 14:th (hence the suffix XIV) king of Sweden Some kings assuming a different regnal number on the basis of a semimythical history is not the same as convincing an entire population to change their origin myths.