Uther Pendragon

Biography
Uther has ruled Camelot for over twenty years. After discovering his queen Igraine De Bois was unable to have children, he sent Gaius to the Isle of the Blessed to ask the sorceress, Nimueh, for advice. (Le Morte d'Arthur) Wanting to help her friends, she used magic to allow Igraine to conceive an heir. Unfortunately at the time, Nimueh didn't know that by using magic to create a life, another life had to end in order to protect the natural balance of the world. As a result, Igraine died shortly after giving birth to Arthur (Excalibur).

Heartbroken over the loss of his beloved wife, a furious Uther turned on Nimueh, accusing her of treason and banishing her from the court. He then began The Great Purge, ordered the executions of hundreds of sorcerers and banned magic from Albion. The purge ended with the capture of The Great Dragon, who was imprisoned beneath the castle to serve as an example to all magic users.

Season 1
Uther is very much a tyrannical ruler who will stop at nothing to set things right in his eyes, especially if magic is involved. Despite his hatred for it, Uther will refuse to see some sorcery until it's literally under his nose, even when presented with evidence (Valiant). On the other hand, he immediately sentenced Gwen to death when she was suspected of creating a plague with dark magic, despite having no proof (The Mark of Nimueh). He also executed a Druid, Cerdan, and attempted to kill Cerdan's young apprentice, Mordred, (The Beginning of the End) for simply knowing magic.

He barely escapes death on three occasions during the first season: (A Remedy to Cure All Ills; Excalibur; and To Kill the King). He continues to order the execution of anyone who uses magic in Camelot, though he constantly says he finds no pleasure in doing it.

However, Uther does display a softer side. When he realizes that Arthur was going to fight a wraith, a creature that couldn't be killed by any mortal weapon, Uther arranged for him to fight instead so his son would live. He also cares for the well being of those outside his kingdom, as he sympathized with Hunith when she asked for his help against raiders, but he unfortunately couldn't send his knights to help the village because the ruler in which Merlin's village resides in could use the rescue attempt as a declaration of war.

Season 2
Uther is even darker and badder in Season 2. Early premieres have shown a troll uses magic to cause Uther to become infatuated with and marry her, enough so that when presented with evidence he refuses to believe it. It is also likely he will be a strong factor in keeping Arthur and Gwen from entering a relationship.

When Gaius is accused of being a warlock by the Witchfinder, Aredian, Uther comes down with full force. Enraged that someone so close to him would practice magic, Uther immediately sentences his old friend to death. However, when Merlin proves that Gaius was framed by Aredian (who Uther now believed to be the sorcerer also thanks to Merlin) he goes to apologize to Gaius for the suffering he endured at Aredian's hands.

Gaius points out politely, but coldly that he didn't suffer at Aredian's hands, but by Uther's because Aredian was following his orders. Shocked, the king tells Gaius that he was tricked, but Gaius quickly lashes back, saying that his hatred of magic and obsession with destroying it causes him to lash out at anyone in his path, where his friends become foes and his servants become sorcerers. As a stunned Uther stares at him, Gaius states that he isn't the first person to be wrongly accused of magic by Uther (possibly referring to Gwen (The Mark of Nimueh)) and that he was one of the lucky ones (unlike Gwen's father, Tom (To Kill the King)). He then asks for Uther to leave him alone and the king leaves, clearly shaken by Gaius' words and the thought that if Gaius was innocent, how many other innocent people he had put to death in his quest to destroy magic.

When Arthur was defeated in combat by a woman named Morgause, he was spared only on the condition that she come to him and accept another challenge. When Uther learned that Morgause knew something of Ygraine, he refused to allow Arthur to go, fearing that what she knew was the secret of Arthur's birth. But with Merlin's help, Arthur managed to break out of Camelot and go to Morgause. Uther later learned that Morgause is the daughter of Gorlois daughter and Morgana's half-sister. Uther wanted this kept from Morgana to prevent her loyalties from being divided.

Arthur and Merlin reached Morgause's castle, where they learned that Ygraine had died in childbirth because Uther had turned to magic to concieve an heir. Arthur was furious, and returned to Camelot with the intention of murdering his father. Uther was forced to fight his son, but was ultimately disarmed and at his mercy. But before Arthur could deal the death blow, Merlin managed to convince him that Morgause had lied to him.

Personality
When it comes to any form of magic, Uther is very much a tyrant. His hatred of it stems from the death of his beloved wife, Igraine. Igraine died in childbirth after magic was used to allow her to give birth to their son, Arthur. Uther refuses to tolerate magic at all and executes anyone found using it.

Despite his attitude towards magic, Uther is a fair ruler. He cares very much for his people and wants to ensure that peace and stability remain in Camelot. He also cares for people outside his kingdom, shown when he wanted to help Hunith defend her village from raiders and only refrained from doing so because it would be considered an act of war on the kingdom Hunith's village resides in.

Relationship with other characters
Uther is very critical of his son, spending a great deal of time ordering him around like a second-in-command or scolding him. As a consequence, Arthur routinely believes himself to be "a big disappointment," a notion which Uther ultimately dispels when he tells Arthur he is the most important thing to him (Excalibur).

Uther was the one who appointed Merlin to be Arthur's servant, meant as a reward for saving Arthur's life. (The Dragon's Call). He is unaware that Merlin is a warlock because of Merlin and Gaius' constant cover-ups, which have given Uther the idea that Merlin is incompetent. However, he is very grateful to Merlin for his devotion to Arthur, which he has noticed goes beyond that of a regular servant, and trusts Merlin to look after him (Excalibur).

Uther has a somewhat strained relationship with Morgana, his adopted daughter. While he does care for her, his constant executions of people who use magic often puts him at odds with Morgana, who he doesn't know is a witch. After Morgana was found hiding a Druid boy he was trying to locate, Uther told her that he would not hesitate to have her killed if she ever betrayed him again. On the occasion he executed Gwen's father for supposedly conspiring with a warlock and having her chained in the dungeons for speaking out against him, Morgana conspired to have him killed, though she changed her mind at the last minute when she realized that Uther honestly regretted his actions.