Merlin the Magician forced the King to swear a solemn oath to allow Merlin to bring up Arthur as he chose. Merlin delivered the newborn unchristened child to Sir Ector. Sir Ector christened the child and raised him as his own, not knowing he was the future king.
Whoso pulleth this sword out of this stone and anvil is rightly King of all England
King Uther died two years after Arthurs birth, leaving England in turmoil a country without a king
http://www.energyenhancement.org/excalibur 01.jpg
Several years passed, until all the lords of the realm gathered on Christmas Day looking for a miracle to show them who should rightly be King. The Sword in the Stone appeared in the church courtyard, bearing the famous inscription.
Sir Ector and his son, Sir Kay, traveled to the tournament. Sir Kay forgot his sword and asked his younger brother, Arthur to retrieve it.
Arthur decided to get the sword that was in the stone and give it to Sir Kay.
Le Morte DArthur
Arthur is fatally wounded in a battle with Mordred. Arthur requests Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur, his sword, into the lake. After Arthurs third request, Sir Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake, where it is reclaimed by Lady of the Lake.
The Once and Future King & The Sword in the Stone T.H. White Camelot, a musical Alan J. Lerner & Frederick Loewe King Arthur-The Marvel of the Sword Mary Macleod
Sources
Haskell, Merrie. People in Arthurian Legend. Merrie Haskells King Arthur Page. November 2002. http://www.personal.umich.edu/>8 June 2004. Farrell, Scott. The Seven Knightly Virtues. Chivalry Today. 2002 Shining Armor Enterprises. www.chivalrytoday. 10 June 2004.
Prentice Hall. Literature. Bronze ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:Prentice Hall, 2000.
Price, Brian. A Code of Chivarly. The Knighthood, Chivalry, and Tournaments Resource Library. 2003. <http:// www. Chronique.com>. 8 June 2004.