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Knights in the middle ages
Knights in the middle ages
Knights in the middle ages
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There is still one remaining question. How could the imaginary world be a permanent feature known by everyone in the Middle ages if it was mostly spread for and by the nobles ?
Litterature, sculptures, miniature illustrations were made for the nobles, who were the only one that could afford them. Yet, the fantasy world was omnipresent in the mental universe of the population, which contributed to the alleviation of the boarder between the imaginary world and the everyday life. Firstly, these myths were sung or recited, so being literate was not mandatory to understand them. The imaginary world was long-lasting in minds and reality. These tales were easily pass on the population during feasts and, even if they did not know the details
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Jehan de Corbil dit de Grez, knight and best man during the wedding of the count de Hainaut with Jeanne, daughter of the count de Valois on May 19th 1305 , affixed his seal on the wedding contract. His seal has a flying half dragon half snake creature3. Joachim de Pompéreint, lord of Pompéreint and captain of 30 soldiers, signed his receipt for captain's office on Mars 4th 1326. His seal has a creature which looks like a dragon, with a lion head, the body of an eagle, the wings of a bat and the tail of a snake4. Dragons were indeed great foils for the knights. They personify the original chaos and the devil according to the Apocalypse. Dragons are also polymorphous, terrifying, almost invincible, flying schrewd creature which could also talk. They could easily trick the humans, like Satan tricked Eve to eat the apple of the forbidden Tree. Displaying dragons on their official documents could, therefore, be a way for the knights to show that they subjugate them.
Thus, the Holy Roman emperor Sigismond founded his personal order of knights, the Order of the Dragon in 1418. Its members swore to defend the Church against the heretics and the Turk invasion5. Knights of this order wore jewels with a golden inverted dragon on it. This could mean that the knights of this order subjected dragons and, consequently, were very
Before knights were created, the defense on the borders were low. Europe was being invaded from the north, east, south, and west. Knights were meant to protect their king and their land. The “invasions of the Magyars from the east, Muslims from the south, and Vikings from the north
...n in her book “WEAPONS”, “Gold plating, or gilding, was sometimes used to embellish borders or bands of decorations and, in some cases, entire armors.” By the 15th century, knights were protecting themselves with full suits of plate armor” (Byam 41). His armor usually represented his class or authority. Each knight’s coat of arms had a different personality ranging from different helmets to different metals to different emblems.
Dragons lie in the realm of fantasy; legendary creatures who are deeply rooted in magic and have captivated audiences for centuries. The depiction
Knights associated in groups which they called orders. They vowed loyalty to the king they fought under and formed military org...
...e public their devotion to religion and Christianity (Budzinski et al n.d.). Knights would individually place engravings and pictured on the plate of armour as well as military tools (Budzinski et al n.d.). Stamps of religious icons would be held in helmets, shield and a horse’s saddle (Budzinski et al n.d.). These symbols would correspond with a particular reverence to a religion (Budzinski et al n.d.). These items stayed with the soldiers to revitalise the morals and confidence of the warrior’s military efforts (Budzinski et al n.d.). These symbols were also a physical reminder that God was consistently supporting their efforts, providing protection and reassuring a victory (Budzinski et al n.d.).
A knight's’ duty is to be loyal to the king, and follow the social code, chivalry. The knight has also fought bravely in the king’s services. He fought for the king and for the christian Land. Knights were usually sent out by the king and the church to go and enforce Christianity in a new land. He was honored in bravery for all the battles he has participated in, Such as, Alexandria when it fell, in “Prussia where he was awarded the seat of honor above all knights.” . And every battle he has fought in he always “killed his foe” This was not frowned upon to the
During the Middle Ages, both “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” were epic stories that were chanted aloud to the public. Each story told about epic heroes who went on a long journey to face or conqueror someone or something. “Beowulf” is a poem about a young man, Beowulf, who slays a monster and his mother with his bare hands to protect the people he loves. As the years go by Beowulf becomes king and a dragon begins to stir. In response to this, Beowulf fights the dragon with a sword and one loyal companion. Beowulf’s life comes to end, but so does the dragons. From this epic poem you can see that good does triumph over evil, but sometimes it comes at a cost. Along with “Beowulf”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was another popular poem. This poem was about a squire, Sir Gawain, who chooses to take on a game proposed by the Green Knight instead of his uncle, King Arthur. He took on the game because he believed King Arthur’s life was more valuable than his own and that King Arthur should not risk his own life. As a result, Sir Gawain became a knight because of his loyalty and bravery. Both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s and Beowulf’s characters share the same quality of courage, the desire to protect people and the involvement of supernatural beings.
The Middle Ages, contrary to its name, was a dynamic period of innovations. Throughout this period, visual arts were employed to communicate important messages to the public as well as private wealthy patrons. A variety of mediums were used to disseminate ideas. Though, the sense of decorum shifted, the purpose of these moralizing images of religious figures remained the same. Art was, as it still is an extremely useful and powerful tool for both religious and political advancements. The two pieces to be considered in this paper were created using scenes from the life of Christ. Themes from the old and new testaments were frequently used in art of the Middle Ages to convey important messages to a largely illiterate populous, display the wealth of few individuals, and create feelings of patriotism and support for the Monarch by relating them to divinity. Both pieces are from different mediums and likely different forms of patronage. To be analyzed in this paper is an illuminated manuscript page (fig 1) and an ivory diptych (fig 2). There are several similarities, as well as differences throughout the works. I will describe each piece then continue to compare and contrast them, this will work to facilitate a greater understanding of the Middle Ages through works of art.
However, there were also times when the pope did not want knights around. The pope used the crusades to send lord and knights away to make religious authority more powerful while their counterparts, the lords, were
The fairytales we know of dragons today are mostly adapted versions of old ones. Such as Bard, slayer of Smaug in Tolkien’s, “The Hobbit”, and Beowulf, slayer of the evil Scandinavian dragon. Both dragons were angered when a cup was stolen from its hoard of treasure, but “The Hobbit” was written nearly one thousand years later. The flag of Wales is a red dragon, a symbol of the story of King Arthur, and the lake under the land where King Vortigern attempted to build a tower but kept failing due to disruption from a red dragon and a white dragon fighting in the lake. The red dragon represented the Welsh and the white dragon represented the Saxons. The red dragon wins, showing the power of
In fact, some of the works presented depict mythological paintings that resemble the transcending Metaphysical matter of nature. Take for instance, the general aspect of the artworks presented in this chapter. They depict different social levels through the use of objects, emotions and various conditions. The lower status contradicts, the slaves to the wealthy and royalty, all delineate the role of the people present in the society and their everyday life. In the images, the poor and the slaves depicted with little to no possessions, looking tired and over-worked. Through their everyday labor, they must survive as a less fortunate person. In contrast to the images of the po...
Throughout the old world, people had feared creatures with the body of a large lizard, snake-like eyes, large wings, and that can emit fire from their mouth. They was thought to be the embodiment of evil, greed, lust, violence, and the dark side of humanity. These mythical creatures are called dragons, but the dragon have a different reputation in the Eastern world. In China it was highly respected in the kingdom, a fairly common motif in eastern art for its heavenly related background.
The early Middle Ages were when Heraldry began. Knights needed a way to identify each other. The noble families developed different patterns and symbols that they would paint on their shields. These symbols served the purpose of representing their families and also, establishing who the enemy was and who the allies was in a battle. They termed these shields, coats of arms. Any family could have a coat of arms but for them to be considered official, they had to be recognized by The College of Arms. The College was where heralds trained to read and write and memorize the existing coats of arms. Therefore they were able to identify the enemies and the allies if needed to do so.
...prayer books, we get illustrations of the peasant farmer at work in his fields throughout the seasons, alluding to the year round labor required to feed a near starving passel of half a dozen children. In the illuminated Bibles, we see fabulous illustrations off the fabled kingdoms of the east and wild bestiaries of exotic man-imals and creatures said to dwell in terras ingonito, daring men to venture into the unknown again and call at the courts of Pryster John, lord of all the Indias. In the Cathedrals, some of the most dramatic mathematical aspirations were envisioned in stone as towns and masons set out to trump one another with brilliant feats of engineering not attempted since the heights of Rome. This was a world trying to right itself again after the fall of the greatest empire the world had ever seen, a world many wanted to see gain a new purchase on earth.
McCormick, Kylie, ed. "Circle of Dragons." The Circle of the Dragon. N.p., 20 Oct 2013. Web. 12 Nov 2013. .