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The medieval period
The medieval period
Knights and their roles in medieval society
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More often than not, Chivalry was associated with knighthood. The Code of Chivalry was the code of conduct followed by the knights during the medieval period. It was developed between the 11th and 12th century. However, according to David Crouch, a British Medieval historian, the Code of Chivalry was dated back the ancient times.
Code of Chivalry Definition
The late medieval code of chivalry however, arose from the idealisation brought by the synthesis of Germanic and Roman medieval martial traditions that often involved military bravery, training, and service to others. Yet according to common definitions, the Code of Chivalry was simply the rules and customs of medieval knights. Others defined it as the qualifications of a knight. These qualifications included virtues of courtesy, generosity and valour.
Knights Code of Chivalry in Dark Ages
The Knights Code of Chivalry was prevalent during the dark ages and everyone understood what it entailed. There was not an actual code so to speak. However, the code of chivalry during the medieval era was understood to be a set of rules that were beyond combat. It introduced the concept of gallantry and several other qualities of medieval knights, such as bravery, honour and courtesy to women.
“The medieval period was also known for violence and death, thus it was also called the Dark Ages. Knights were
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expected to have the strength and skills to face combat but they must also know how to temper their aggressive side with chivalrous acts” Knights Code of Chivalry | Vows of Knighthood Knights all throughout the middle ages had made several kinds of vows. Most of these vows revolved around the a common concept which was chivalry. One of the documents of these vows was the Song of Roland. According to the Song of Roland, the Knights Code of Chivalry included these vows: Fear God and His Church Serve the liege Lord in valour and faith Protect the weak and defenceless Live by honour and for glory Respect the honour of women Another set of vows was Leon Gautier’s La Chevalerie, which was a popular summary of the ancient code of chivalry. It was also called the Ten Commandments of Chivalry and it included the following commands: 1. Believe the Church’s teachings and observe all the Church’s directions 2. Defend the Church 3. Respect and defend the weak 4. Love your country 5. Do not fear your enemy 6. Show no mercy and do not hesitate to make war with the infidel 7. Perform all your feudal duties as long as they do not conflict with the laws of God 8. Never lie or go back on one’s word 9. Be generous 10. Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice The Knights Code of Chivalry & Song of Roland The Song of Roland was a document of the code of chivalry in the middle ages, especially during the period of William the conqueror who ruled England. The song described the 8th century knights and the battles that Emperor Charlemagne fought. It was also referred to by historians as Charlemagne’s Code of Chivalry. The Song of Roland was famous for describing the betrayal of Count Roland and his death in the hands of the Saracens. Roland was a loyal defender of Lord Charlemagne and his code of conduct was the key to defining chivalry during the medieval era. The Knights Code of Chivalry |Legend of King Arthur The Knights Code of Chivalry was further emphasised in the stories that featured the adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
King Arthur was the legendary British leader in the late 5th century, popular for his bravery and unprecedented skills in combat. Arthur together with his knights had sworn to vows of chivalry. Several myths were told about King Arthur and his knights which had further strengthened the idea of the code. Most of these myths revolved around the Code of Chivalry adhered to by Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. These vows included that of honour, honesty, loyalty and
valour. Code of Chivalry document The Code of Chivalry for Knights in medieval times Knights Code of Chivalry & Duke of Burgundy During the 14th century, the Duke of Burgundy broke the Knights Code of Chivalry into several virtues. These virtues included the following: Faith Charity Justice Sagacity Prudence Temperance Resolution Truth Liberality Diligence Hope Valour Chivalry and Christianity The primary goal of knighthood was to uphold the dignity of the Church. The foundation of chivalry was Christianity as it was created by the church, for the church and through the church. The idea of chivalry was conceived alongside the crusades in the dark ages and its goal was to diminish the brutality of these crusades as well as to make men loyal to Christian faith. Those who underwent knighthood also underwent a process of purification. This was a ceremony where the sacraments and relics were put into the hilt of his sword, tying his duty to God, which was the central notion of chivalry. Summary of Chivalry Was chivalry good or bad for the medieval society? One cannot totally say it was good or bad. Chivalry was derived from a French word chevalier which meant mounted heavy cavalry. Its primary goal is to regulate violence in the French society. When the Frankish clan structure was combined with that of Western Christian practices, an elite group of soldiers were conceived giving birth to the horse-bound soldiers known as knights. Each knight was bound to a code conduct known as the Code of Chivalry. However, not all knights were able to uphold their vows to chivalry, primarily because the middle ages was highly characterized by violence, death and the feudal system. As knighthood became more elaborate and tournaments among knights became more popular, the church began to consider these gatherings as political threats, especially with the continued unrestrained violence despite having these codes of conduct. The end of chivalry Chivalry ended with the decline of knighthood. This was largely due to the rise of mercantilism and the creation of the middle class. Instead of noblemen having control over the system, power was slowly shifted to the hands of the people. Wealthy merchants strove to adopt the virtues, practices and manners of the knightly class. However, there was less and less use of such practices, which finally led to its end.
The code of Chivalry can be described as a brave, loyal, courteous, distinguished courage or ability that is admired for their brave and noble qualities. Chivalry is a system of ethical ideals that arose from feudalism and had its highest development in the 12th and 13th centenry.(Columbia ElectronicEncyclopedia).Respect is an essential part of chivalry. The code of chivalry is a set of rules followed by the knights during the middle ages. The evolution of heroic and chivalry code has changed over time beginning from the Middle ages to now. The three stories Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lanval and Beowulf illustrate what it takes to be considered a chivalrous knight.
Life during the Middle Ages was full of social change, division, and classism. This feudal society of Britain was divided into three estates. (social classes) Within the second estate was the the knight who was a soldier for the king who fought in many battles. Even though the knight is expected to have the strength and the skills to fight in battle, all knights during the Medieval period additionally had a chivalrous aspect to them. Chivalry was the honor code of a knight which included bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. Within the stories of the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the code of chivalry was broken by knights which show the corruption of England’s feudal society.
There was never an authentic code of chivalry as such, yet there were qualities idealized as chivalric such as bravery. Bravery was shown through satire during the film as King Arthur and his knights would run into many things that would exemplify their bravery and they retreat or fall back. One example would be when King Arthur and his knights go through the forest and run into the knights of “Ni.” The Knights of “Ni” would back King Arthur and his knights down by using the term “Ni” and force them to find shrubbery to move forward. King Arthur and his Knights would then go get the shrubby to come back for the Knights to say they are no longer the Knights of “Ni” and that King Arthur needs to find another shrubbery. King Arthur and his knights would not knowingly use the word “it” to back the Knights of “Ni” down so they could follow on with their quest to find the Holy
One of the most enduring myths in the Western world is that of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Regardless of the origins of the tales, the fact is that by the time they had been filtered through a French sensibility and re-exported to England, they were representations of not one but several ideals. Courtly love and chivalry and the various components thereof, such as martial prowess, chastity, bravery, courtesy, and so on, were presented as the chief virtues to aspire to, and the knights as role models. Arthur's eventual fall is precisely because of having failed at some level to fulfill these ideals in his life.
This code of chivalry all came from King Arthur. It all began with Arthur’s father, Uther. Uther gets a sword from the Lady of the Lake and this sword is named Excalibur. Later on in the battle among England, Merlin (the magician) grants Uther his wish in return for whatever he asked for. As for this wish, Uther slept with Egrain’s wife as he asked and impregnated her with his soon to be son, Arthur. When Arthur was born Merlin came for what he was promised, and took Arthur away with him, raising him. What Merlin did know was that Uther’s son was soon to be the new King of England. This soon to be king, Arthur, must become a knight and granted the right to be king. However; there are three examples of chivalry from the two texts, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Morte d’Arthur" are courage, honor and to protect the queen and all women.
Knights were an integral part of medieval society. They originally began with primitive warriors such as the Mongols who fought on horseback for added speed and power, but quickly advanced to chivalrous gentleman such as the Normans. Much has been written about medieval knights with the most famous being a series of legends about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur and his knights were the ultimate example of what a perfect knight should have been. They were brave and skilful in battle, but merciful to their enemies once vanquished. They were courteous to ladies, and never ate or drank to excess.
T.H. White's novel The Once and Future King presents a code of chivalry that outlines the expected knightly behavior of the time. This particular code stresses loyalty to one's liege, love and respect toward women, and absolute devotion to justice. At the height of Arthur's kingdom, this code was widely accepted by all. However, as Arthur's kingdom begins to decline, the code of chivalry begins to hold less importance among the people. The fall of Arthur's kingdom is directly related to the absence of the code of chivalry in the behavior of the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Lancelot betrays Arthur when he has an adulteress affair with Guenever. Sir Lancelot also disrespects women when he leaves Elaine to be with Guenever in Camelot. King Arthur himself is disloyal to justice when he allows Guenever to be rescued by Lancelot.
Chivalry began in the 12th century in the form of a knightly code of conduct,
Chivalry was a big part of this fourteenth century and it was embodied throughout the men of king Arthurs round table. In General, Chivalry was a set of religious values and moral goals that medieval knights
One link between the Legends of Arthur and the Catholic Church was Chivalry (the oaths of a knight). Arthur made all his knights take these oaths, which for the most part had to do with the teachings of the church. They were to remain loyal to the church and always obey its teachings and direction. A knight had a strong belief in Christ and other biblical figures. Some knight were even ordered to do a specific job for the church such as defend the church.
The epic poem, “The Lay of the Nibelungs” (1200’s), set to practice the major pillars in the code of chivalry that the Duke of Burgundy in the 14th century eventually condensed and ascribed to the Burgundian Knights: Faith, Charity, Justice, Sagacity, Prudence, Temperance, Resolution, Truth, Liberality, Diligence, Hope, and Valor. Though values bear merit, “The Lay of the Nibelungs” teaches that true worth and longevity comes from assessing the situation and applying intellect to the code, from submitting to God, and from not cheating the system (the laws and cultural norms of the time that be).
Closely associated to the romance tradition are two idealized standards of behavior, especially for knights: courage and chivalry. The protagonist within many medieval romances proved their worth by going on quests, as many a knights went in those times, thus returning with great tales of their travels and deeds. Many modern people think of chivalry as referring to a man's gallant treatment of women, and although that sense is derived from the medieval chivalric ideal, chivalry could be seen as more than that. Knights were expected to be brave, loyal, and honorable-sent to protect the weak, be noble to...
In the tale, The Knight’s Tale, Chaucer made sure not to deviate away from what he saw during his time because some qualities emerged as prominent figures. The Knight’s Tale made sure to exemplify the idea of courtly love and what it truly means to be a knight who follows the code of chivalry. Some of the qualities of being chivalrous is being generous, honest, courageous, and supporting the notion of justice, which the readers can see that Chaucer understood the significance of the noble behavior and how that affected people at that time. Furthermore, the article, “The Canterbury Tales for Poetry of Students” highlighted how the noble life of the chivalry was a momentous part of the tale since the tale was “a comment on the possibilities
Chivalry dealt with loyalty honor, and service to women on and off the battle field’ (“The Medieval Period: 1066-1485” 76). The Knight in The Canterbury Tales is the perfect example of someone who follows the code of chivalry. Chaucer describes him with much admiration as “a most distinguishable man, who from the day on which he first began to ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honor generousness and courtesy” (Chaucer, "The Prologue." 117). While Chaucer praises the knight for ... ... middle of paper ... ...
In everybody's life, there is something that makes him or her strive for success. That something can be money, a significant other, fame or many other incentives. To the medieval knights, victory renown and glory are the ambitions they strive for. Breaking a law in this code would be considered a disgrace, and would bring a dishonor worse than death itself. However, by applying the Code of Chivalry, the knights in medieval time displayed certain character traits that would secure success and honor in both battle and morality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Wilfred of Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity and loyalty to the king, to name just a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individuals of all times in spite of Sir Scott's excessive detail and confusing subplot.