Rience
King of North Wales in Le Morte d'Arthur who collected kings' beards for his mantle.
Rience is a king of North Wales in the British tradition, attested extensively in Le Morte d'Arthur across nine chapters of Books I and II. He is one of Arthur's prominent early adversaries, depicted as a collector of kings' beards who demands Arthur's as the final addition to his mantle. The source records that "King Rience had purfled a mantle with kings' beards, and there lacked one place of the mantle; wherefore he sent for his beard, or else he would enter into his lands, and burn and slay, and never leave till he have the head and the beard" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book I, Chapter XXVI).
The attestations trace a complete narrative arc from Rience's initial hostility through his capture and defeat. His story begins with war: "King Rience of North Wales made great war on King Leodegrance of Cameliard, for the which thing Arthur was wroth, for he loved him well, and hated King Rience, for he was alway against him" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book I, Chapter XVII). This establishes Rience as persistently antagonistic to Arthur's interests.
The beard-mantle challenge is the narrative's centrepiece. Rience had "overcome eleven kings" and demanded Arthur's beard to complete his trophy garment (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book I, Chapter XXVI). Arthur's response sets in motion the events of Book II: Balin pledges to meet King Rience "and destroy him, either else to die therefore" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Chapter III), hoping to win Arthur's favour. Merlin guides Balin and his brother Balan to intercept Rience, who had been "stolen away from his host with a three score horses of his best knights" to visit the Lady de Vance (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Chapter IX). The brothers capture him: "they went again to King Rience and would have slain him had he not yielded him unto their grace" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Chapter IX).
The aftermath extends to Rience's brother Nero, who "savoit ja bien nouvelles de son" brother's capture and prepares to continue the war (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Chapter IX). Merlin warns Arthur that "the host of Nero, King Rience's brother, will set on you or noon with a great host" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Chapter IX). A separate thread connects Rience to the quest for the sword in the scabbard, as a damosel reports having been "at King Rience's" where "there were passing good knights, and he and all his knights have assayed it and none can speed" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Chapter I).
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Le Morte d'Arthur, British Tradition