Final answer:
The legends of King Arthur are set in the High Middle Ages, specifically the 5th and 6th centuries. These stories reflect the chivalric values of the early medieval period, a time after the fall of the Roman Empire and preceding the European Renaissance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Legends of King Arthur
The legends of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Camelot are set in a period known as the High Middle Ages, specifically in the 5th and 6th centuries. This time frame is shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE and precedes the European Renaissance, part of a larger period called the Middle Ages or Medieval period.
The stories associated with King Arthur and his knights, including the chivalric romance of Sir Lancelot, and the mythical court of Camelot, are thought to reflect societal values such as fidelity, honor, and feudal loyalty prevalent during the early medieval period in Europe.
Although the reality of these legends' timeframe conflicts with the poetic use of the themes in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's work, the spirit captures the ethos and cultural imagination of medieval European society.
The Middle Ages are often erroneously referred to as the Dark Ages, a term later coined by Renaissance scholars who believed the period was a backward time that lacked cultural and scientific progress, a view that modern historians have since corrected, recognizing the complexity and achievements of this era.