Arthurian clubs in the Baltic region

For several centuries, during the later Middle Ages and beyond, an Arthurian cult flourished in a number of Baltic towns, including Danzig, Riga, Culm, and Elbing.

The documents that remain from the period are not literary texts but rather charters and lists of rules for the societies (known by a variety of names, such as Artushof or Societas Arturi), which were a combination of a social or fraternal organization with a merchants' exchange.

Among the activities of the clubs were annual festivities (in presumed imitation of Arthur's court), during which members dressed in chivalric costumes and held tournaments.