Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Three/@comment-5102537-20131019114834/@comment-5674726-20131027172243

Edrea wrote:

I think what Arthur did, to knight the commoners, not because he was disrespect to Uther but that was meant to acknowledge and appreciate what his friends did to him although they were not knights. Arthur was very thankful and the only thing he thought would be sufficient to show his gratitude was to knight them. To show them that he took them as equal as others and as to him.

Arthur specifically said: "I'll do something that my father won't approve of."

He defied his father's clearly stated wishes, at a time when, to the best of his knowledge, Uther was in a fit state to resume his reign once Morgana was defeated. It was not a case of him thinking that Uther would change his mind about the First Code if he knew that the men were prepared to fight for him, it was a case of him deliberately usurping Uther's authority to decide that his friends should be admitted to the ranks of the Knights of Camelot, against the wishes of the King he was sworn to serve. It doesn't matter if he wanted to reward his friends or what he thought would be a fitting reward because it was not his place to decide that they should be knighted, not at that point. Only Uther (or arguably Morgana, who was technically Queen at the time) had the right to decide to bestow a knighthood.

If he wanted to show them that he regarded them as his equals, he could have said as much and he could also have vowed to knight them once he was King and had the right to do so.