Cynric

Cynric is the secondary antagonist in the 2004 movie King Arthur. He is the son of Cerdic, the leader of the Saxons invading Britain.

He is portrayed by Til Schweiger, who also played Cagliostro.

Arrival
Cynric is one of the leaders of the of the Saxons who are invading the British Isles., answering only to his father Cerdic. Along with a vast host, they have arrived in the wilderness north of Hadrian's wall.

After landing on the shore, the Saxons pillage a nearby village. One of Cerdic's soldiers rapes a woman and is reprimanded by Cerdic, as they are not to water down their Saxon blood by mixing with "these people". When the man tells Cerdic that according to the Saxon law, noone may deny him his spoils, Cynric comes to the man's defense, telling his father that the man is right. After killing the soldier, Cerdic walks towards his son and quietly tells him that if he wants to challenge him, he should do so with a sword in his hand. He also reminds Cynric that he is the king, and will rule as long as he lives. Cynric then brings an informant before Cerdic, who tells him that Hadrian's wall is guarded by Artorius Castus and his knights, which are said to never have been defeated in battle. After the man is done, Cerdic asks him why he should trust him, as he is a traitor to his own people. Cynric then orders his informant to tell Cerdic about the roman mansion nearby. The informant then tells Cerdic that a family with great importance to Rome lives nearby. Cynric also tells his father that their ransom could fund the Saxon's entire campaign. Cerdic acknowledges this and agrees to head to the village first. They then talk about their battle strategy against the Romans.Cerdic plans for Cynric to take his men to the mansion, burning every village and killing everyone in his way. He also plans for Cynric to cut of the Roman's retreat while Cerdic and the main army will fall down on the village from the north.As their last task, Arthur and his knights were sent to save the roman family as one of the family members is Alecto, the Pope's favourite godson and possibly "destined to be Pope one day". They arrive at the village and do not only bring Alecto's family but the villager's as well, as the Saxons will kill anyone in their way. However, as they are now much more people then expected and do not have enough horses, they are slowed down. When Cerdic, Cynric and their army arrive, they find the village abandoned, the family gone. They also find tracks near the village, and a few survivors that tell them that it was Arthur and his knights who took them. To get the boy, Cerdic orders Cynric to take his men east to find the knights and take the family while Cerdic will take the main army south to Hadrian's wall.

Hunting down Arthur's group
Cynric and his men follow Arthur's group of refugees, quickly gaining on them as many of the villagers are weak and wounded and the weather conditions are further slowing them. However, due to one of Arthur's knights who acts as a scout, Tristan, Arthur is warned about their pursuers. Eventually, Arthur's group is forced to cross a frozen lake. While on the middle of the lake, they hear the drums of the Saxons, warning them that Cynric's men are near. Arthur then sends the villagers and Alecto on to head to the safety of Hadrian's wall while Arthur and his men stay behind to meet the Saxons in battle, buying the refugees time. Eventually, the Saxons arrive at the frozen lake. Cynric calls an archer forwards to shoot an arrow at the knights, but quickly sees that they are out of range. Arthur then calls his knights Bors and Tristan to return the fire and the knights are indeed able to shoot a few of Cynric's men. With no other oppurtunity, Cynric draws his sword and leads his men onto the frozen lake. However, as they are forced to walk slowly Arthur and the knights are able to kill many of them with their bows. When the Saxons come closer, Arthur realises that the ice is not going to break and orders his men to prepare for combat. Aware that the knights and the villagers as well will die if the Saxons break through, one of Arthurs men, Dagonet, grabs his axe and runs towards the Saxons. Sensing the oppurtunity, Cynric tells his men to shoot at Dagonet, who has now reached the middle of the lake and is lunging his pickaxe into the ice. Although Cynric's men are able to kill Dagonet, the ice breaks, causing great damage to Cynric's host. Many of Cynric's soldiers drown in the ice cold water, forcing Cynric to retreat. Cynric enventually joins up with the main army and his father, who is preparing to attack Hadrian's wall.

Battle of Badon Hill
When the battle begins and Cedric sees Arthur's knights on the other side of the wall, waiting in the distance, Cedric realises that they have a plan. He tells Cynric to send what's left of his infantry to face them. Disgusted, Cynric remarks that Cerdic is killing his men, but Cerdic furiously responds that they are his men. When Cynric moves to join his men, Cerdic holds him back, demanding that his son stays with him. Before Cynric's men reach the wall, Tristan fires an arrow, killing the traitor hiding in the trees. Unexpectedly, the Saxons are able to cross the wall without problems, as the gates are left open. However, once they are through, they are infulfed in a mist caused by Arthur's men burning straw pitched with tar. They are then wiped out when they are shot by the Woads, who have come to aid Arthur in the defense of their homelands. From the northern side, Cerdic, Cynric and his men only hear the screams of the dying men, then silence. This visibly disturbs Cynric, but Cerdic shows no emotion. Cerdic then leads the main host into battle. Once through the gates, they too see no enemies, only the corpses of their fallen men. Cerdic then sends one of his lieutenants to the left flank and orders Cynric to go with him. Cynric's men are then attacked by the Woad, who shoot burning arrows at them. The Woad then run at them, meeting them in combat. During the fight, Cynric is attacked by the Woad Genevieve and engages in a brutal fight with her. She is however aided by Lancelot, who arrives in time to prevent Cynric from executing her. The battle eventually seperates both from antother, but Cynric uses this to grab a crossbow from a fallen soldier and shoots Lancelot in the chest. However, while dying Lancelot throws his sword, impaling Cynric and killing him as well.