Arthur, PRINCE

Arthur, PRINCE, the posthumous son of Geoffrey (Henry II.'s fourth son) by Constance, Duchess of Brittany, was born in 1187. On Richard's death in 1199, Arthur, by the law of primogeniture, should have succeeded to the English crown; and the French king, Philip II., upheld his claims, until John (q.v.) bought him over to a disgraceful treaty. Arthur soon after fell into his uncle's hands, and was imprisoned, first at Falaise, afterwards at Rouen, where, on 3d April 1203, he is supposed to have perished, either by assassination or by drowning in an attempt to escape. The story of John's orders to Hubert to put out his eyes was current as early as 1228, and is treated in a celebrated scene of Shakespeare's King John.