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Galahalt
Sir Galahalt, called “The Haut Prince,” son of sir Brewnor. He was one of the knights of the Round Table.
"So it befell that Sir Galahalt, the haut prince, was lord of the country of Surluse, whereof came many good knights. And this noble prince was a passing good man of arms, and ever he held a noble fellowship together. And then he came to Arthur’s court and told him his intent, how this was his will, how he would let cry a jousts in the country of Surluse, the which country was within the lands of King Arthur, and there he asked leave to let cry a jousts. I will give you leave, said King Arthur; but wit thou well, said King Arthur, I may not be there. Sir, said Queen Guenever, please it you to give me leave to be at that jousts. With right good will, said Arthur; for Sir Galahalt, the haut prince, shall have you in governance. Sir, said Galahalt, I will as ye will. Sir, then the queen, I will take with me [Sir Launcelot] and such knights as please me best. Do as ye list, said King Arthur. So anon she commanded Sir Launcelot to make him ready with such knights as he thought best." Le Morte d'Arthur By Sir Thomas Malory. Book X
"A later reference shows that it was in and about Cornwall that the knights were at this time staying and seeking adventures with the king; and the " riding forth a great while to the border of the country of Surluse " would fit in with the idea that Cornwall and Scilly were not then divided by the sea, but formed part of the kingdom of Lyonnesse. Sir Tristram, who is essentially a Lyonnesse knight, was sought in the country of Surluse when he had vanished during the period of King Mark's treachery; and there seems no doubt that, though an accessible part of the kingdom, it was a considerable distance away, and perhaps somewhat out of the beaten track. Sir Galahalt, "the haut prince," was its ruler, and he was resorted to by the knights; but we are distinctly told that "the which country was within the lands of King Arthur," and for that reason Sir Galahalt could not even arrange a joust without obtaining his sovereign's consent. Again, Sir Galahalt was known as Sir Galahalt "of the Long Isles," which admits of a fair deduction, and seems not without its significance in this argument." The Lost Land Of King Arthur By J. Cuming Walters
Through this roves many a famous cavalier,
Renowned for feat in arms, of British strain;
And throng from distant land, or country near,
French, Norse, of German knights, a numerous train.
Let none, save he be valiant, venture here,
Where, seeking glory, death may be his gain.
Here Arthur, Galahalt, and Gauvaine fought,
And well Sir Launcelot and Tristram wrought.
Orlando
Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. Canto
4
