The canonization of dead kings and accompanying myth-making have been put to many uses in the course of the centuries, including to legitimate a royal dynasty, to promote the Christianization of the country, to gratify the inhabitants of a certain country or region by honoring one of their own, and to sacralize a cause allegedly championed by the king-saint, including where mobilization for war is intended. This piece examines the myths surrounding the king-saints Stephen of Hungary and Olav of Norway, the prince-saint Lazar of Serbia, and King Arthur of England who, although never canonized, would later be said to have gone on a quest for the holy grail.
Ramet, Sabrina P. (2008) Umrli Kralji in Nacionalni Miti: Zakaj so pomembni miti o ustanoviteljstvu in mučeništvu [Dead Kings and National Myths: Why Myths of Founding and Martyrdom are Important], Teorija in praksa 14 (5): 575–599.