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See also: Chivalric order
For other uses, see Chivalry (disambiguation). Chivalric orders are orders of Knights that were created by European monarchs in imitation of the Military orders of the Crusades.
Bors' Dilemma - he chooses to save a maiden rather than his brother Lionel
Bors' Dilemma - he chooses to save a maiden rather than his brother Lionel

Chivalry[1] is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood. Bors (Bohort Julius Tiberius circa 540s-580s is the name of two knights in the Arthurian legend, one the father and one the son Sir Lionel is the younger son of King Bors of Gaunnes (or Gaul) and brother of Bors the Younger in Arthurian legend. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. It is usually associated with ideals of knightly virtues, honour and courtly love. Knightly Virtues (or the Virtues of a Knight) were part of a Medieval chivalric code of honour Honor or Honour (see spelling differences) (the latter directly from the Latin word honos honoris) is the evaluation of a person's Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence The word is derived from the French word chevalier, indicating one who rides a horse (Fr. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people cheval).

Today, the terms chivalry and chivalrous are used to describe courteous behavior, especially that of men towards women.

Contents

Etymology

A knight being armed.
A knight being armed.

The term originated in France in the late 10th century; based on the words for "knight" (French: chevalier), and "horse" (French: cheval). Knights possessed military training, a war horse and military equipment which required a substantial amount of wealth and prestige to acquire.

Between the 11th century and 15th centuries Medieval writers often used the word chivalry, but its definition was never consistent between authors, and its meaning would change on a regional basis, and even over time. [2] Further, its modern meanings are different from its medieval meanings. [2] Thus, the exact meaning of chivalry changes depending on the writer, the time period, and the region, so a comprehensive definition of the term is elusive. [2]

Medieval written references

The term chivalry is very commonly found in medieval chronicles, vernacular literature and other written records, but its meaning varies. It can refer to a company of mounted knights. It can mean the status of being a knight, either as an occupation or as a social class. In legal documents, references to lands held in chivalry imply a type of land tenure in which military services was owed, as in feudalism. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed In literary texts, such as The Song of Roland, chivalry means a worthy action on the battlefield. The Song of Roland (La Chanson de Roland is the oldest remaining major work of French literature.

From the 12th century onward chivalry came to be understood as a moral, religious and social code of knightly conduct. The particulars of the code varied, but codes would emphasize the virtues of courage, honor, and service. Chivalry also came to refer to an idealization of the life and manners of the knight at home in his castle and with his court.

Medieval knights glorified and identified with the valor, tactics and ideals of ancient Romans. [2] For example the ancient hand-book of warfare written by Vegetius called De Re Militari was translated into French in the 13th century as L'art de chevalerie by Jean de Meun. Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus was a writer of the Later Roman Empire. De Re Militari ( Latin "Concerning Military Matters" is a treatise of Roman warfare and military principles written in the late Roman Empire, Jean de Meun or Jean de Meung (c 1250 &ndash c 1305 was a French Author best known for his continuation of the Roman de la Rose Later writers also drew from Vegetius such as Honore Bonet who wrote the 14th century L'arbes des batailles, which discussed the morals and laws of war. In the 15th century Christine de Pizan combined themes from Vegetius, Bonet and Frontinus in Livre des faits d'armes et de chevalerie. Christine de Pizan ( also seen as de Pisan) (1363–c1434 was a writer of the Medieval era who strongly challenged Misogyny and stereotypes that

History

"Stitching the Standard" by Edmund Blair Leighton: the lady prepares for a knight to go to war.
"Stitching the Standard" by Edmund Blair Leighton: the lady prepares for a knight to go to war. Edmund Blair Leighton ( September 21, 1853 &mdash September 1, 1922) was an English painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelite

Regardless of the diverse written definitions of chivalry, the medieval knightly class was adept at the art of war, trained in fighting in armor, with horses, lances, swords and shields. Knights were taught to excel in the arms, to show courage, to be gallant, loyal and to swear off cowardice and baseness. [2]

Related to chivalry was the practice of heraldry and its elaborate rules of displaying coats of arms. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. When not fighting, chivalric knights typically resided in a castle or fortified house, while some knights lived in the courts of kings, dukes and other great lords. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The skills of the knight carried over to peacetime activities such as the hunt and tournament. Throughout Western Europe in the Middle Ages, men hunted wild animals This article is about the tournaments of the Middle Ages For the general article on tournaments see Tournament.

The tradition of the chivalric "knight in shining armor" can be traced back to the Arabs, with notable pre-Islamic figures like the Bedouin knight Antar The Lion (580 CE). He is believed to be the model of this tradition. [3] Charles Reginald Haines noted traits "such as loyalty, courtesy, munificence. . . are found in eminent degree among the Arabs. " Medieval Spain, which he calls the "cradle of chivalry", could bear that pre-modern title, due to the direct impact of Arab civilization in al-Andalus. "Piety, courtesy, prowess in war, the gift of eloquence, the art of poetry, skill on horseback, dexterity with sword, lance, and bow" was expected of the elite Moorish knight. [4] Richard Francis Burton, when characterizing this strain of thought in the writings of Europe as a whole, maintained "were it not evident that the spiritualising of sexuality by imagination is universal among the highest orders of mankind", he continues, "I should attribute the origins of love to the influences of the Arabs' poetry and chivalry upon European ideas rather than to medieval Christianity. " [5] The frequent clashes between the Christians and Muslims preceding the Christian Crusades leave no doubt that orders of the knighthood and the tradition of courtly love were transmitted into Europe by way of the Muslim occupation

Christianity had a modifying influence on the virtues of chivalry. The Peace and Truce of God in the 10th century was one such example, with limits placed on knights to protect and honor the weaker members of society and also help the church maintain peace. The Peace and Truce of God was a Medieval European movement of the Catholic Church that applied spiritual sanctions in order to limit the violence of Private war At the same time the church became more tolerant of war in the defense of faith, espousing theories of the just war; and liturgies were introduced which blessed a knight's sword, and a bath of chivalric purification. Just War theory is a Doctrine of military ethics of Roman philosophical and Catholic origin studied by moral Theologians Ethicists and international A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions In the 11th century the concept of a "knight of Christ" (miles Christi) gained currency in France, Spain and Italy. [2] These concepts of "religious chivalry" were further elaborated in the era of the Crusades, with the Crusades themselves often being seen as a chivalrous enterprise. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents [2] Their ideas of chivalry were also further influenced by Saladin, who was viewed as a chivalrous knight by medieval Christian writers. Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سه‌لاحه‌دین ئه‌یوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c

The relationship between knights and the nobility varied based on region. In France being dubbed a knight also bestowed noble status. In Germany and the Low Countries, knights and the nobility were distinctly different classes. In England, the relations between knights, nobles and land-owning gentry were complex.

In the later Middle Ages, wealthy merchants strove to adopt chivalric attitudes - the sons of the bourgeoisie were educated at aristocratic courts where they were trained in the manners of the knightly class. [2] This was a democratization of chivalry, leading to a new genre called the courtesy book, which were guides to the behavior of "gentlemen". Thus, the post-medieval gentlemanly code of the value of a man's honor, respect for women, and a concern for those less fortunate, is directly derived from earlier ideals of chivalry and historical forces which created it. [2]

Modern debates

There are a number of questions historians debate related to chivalry. In his monumental study of Chivalry, The Broad-Stone of Honour, Kenelm Henry Digby offered the following definition: "Chivalry is only a name for that general spirit or state of mind which disposes men to heroic actions, and keeps them conversant with all that is beautiful and sublime in the intellectual and moral world. The Broad Stone of Honour, or Rules for the Gentlemen of England, is a book written by Kenelm Henry Digby and published first in 1822 by F Kenelm Henry Digby (c1800-1880 was an Anglo-Irish writer born at Clonfert in Ireland, though he certainly did not regard himself as Irish "

It is still debated as to what extent the exploits of notable knights such as Godfrey of Bouillon, William Marshal and Bertrand du Guesclin set new standards of knightly behavior, or were instead reflections of existing models of conduct. Godfrey of Bouillon (c 1060 Boulogne-sur-Mer &ndash 18 July 1100, Jerusalem) was a medieval knight who was a leader of the First William Marshal 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 &ndash 14 May 1219) also called William the Marshal (Guillaume le Maréchal was an Anglo Norman soldier Bertrand du Guesclin (c 1320 &ndash 13 July 1380) known as the Eagle of Brittany, was a Breton Knight and French military commander [2]

Another common debate is whether, since knights bore arms, the ranks of knights were open to anyone who had the physical requirements and skills, or restricted to only those who were born into knightly families.

Classifications in literature

Knights of Christ by Jan van Eyck
Knights of Christ by Jan van Eyck

When examining medieval literature, chivalry can be classified into three basic but overlapping areas:

  1. Duties to countrymen and fellow Christians: this contains virtues such as mercy, courage, valor, fairness, protection of the weak and the poor, and in the servant-hood of the knight to his lord. Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active Medieval literature is a broad subject encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe beyond and during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand This also brings with it the idea of being willing to give one’s life for another’s; whether he would be giving his life for a poor man or his lord.
  2. Duties to God: this would contain being faithful to God, protecting the innocent, being faithful to the church, being the champion of good against evil, being generous and obeying God above the feudal lord.
  3. Duties to women: this is probably the most familiar aspect of chivalry. This would contain what is often called courtly love, the idea that the knight is to serve a lady, and after her all other ladies. Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence Most especially in this category is a general gentleness and graciousness to all women.

These three areas obviously overlap quite frequently in chivalry, and are often indistinguishable.

Different weight given to different areas produced different strands of chivalry:

  1. warrior chivalry, in which a knight's chief duty is to his lord, as exemplified by Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle
  2. religious chivalry, in which a knight's chief duty is to protect the innocent and serve God, as exemplified by Sir Galahad or Sir Percival in the Grail legends. Gawain (ˈgɔːwɪn or /gəˈweɪn/ also called Gwalchmei Gawan Gauvain Walewein etc Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle is one of several versions of the " Loathly lady " story popular during the Middle Ages; an earlier Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur 's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers
  3. courtly love chivalry, in which a knight's chief duty is to his own lady, and after her, all ladies, as exemplified by Sir Lancelot in his love for Queen Guinevere or Sir Tristan in his for Iseult

One particular similarity between all three of these categories is honor. In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. Guinevere was the legendary Queen consort of King Arthur. She was most famous for her love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot, which first Sir Tristan ( Latin / Brythonic: Drustanus; Welsh: Drystan; also known as Tristran, Tristram, etc Iseult (alternatively Isolde, Yseult, Isode, Isoude, Isotta) is the name of several characters in the Arthurian story of Honor is the foundational and guiding principle of chivalry. Thus, for the knight, honor would be one of the guides of action.

Notes

  1. ^ Etymology: English from 1292, loans from Old French chevalerie "horsemanship," from chevaler "horseman" from Medieval Latin caballarius "horseman"; cavalry is from the Middle French form of the same word. Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the Liturgical language of the medieval The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Middle French (le moyen français is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly 1340 to 1611.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j James Ross Sweeney (1983). "Chivalry", in The Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Volume III.

See also

References

Bouchard, Constance Brittain. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Chivalric orders are orders of Knights that were created by European monarchs in imitation of the Military orders of the Crusades. As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence Her Majesty's High Court of Chivalry of England and Wales is a Civil court in England. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Feliciano de Silva (1491&ndash1554 was a Spanish writer de Silva was born in Ciudad Rodrigo to a powerful family Silva wrote “sequels” to Celestina The Jomsvikings were a possibly-legendary company of Viking Mercenaries or Brigands of the 900s and 1000s, dedicated to the worship The pas d'armes or passage of arms was a type of chivalric Hastilude that evolved in the late fourteenth century and remained popular through The Nine Worthies ( les neuf preux) were nine historical scriptural mythological or semi-legendary figures who in The Middle Ages, were believed to personify the Warrior code is an Ethical code followed by Warriors often those in an Aristocratic society that were Privileged by birth belonging to Nobility "Strong of Body, Brave and Noble: Chivalry and Society in Medieval France. " ISBN 0801485487. Cornell University Press, 1998.

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