Chivalry By: Haley Lutz

What is Chivalry? Chivalry was the code of honor developed by Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry II’s wife, as a way to govern knightly behavior Eleanor of Aquitaine, pictured

Ideals Chivalry itself was an ideal, something that is desirable but unlikely to be a reality. Within chivalry there were several ideals and duties that knights were expected to follow Generosity, honesty, bravery, piety Defend the weak Battle evil and uphold good Encourage knights to go on Holy Quests Loyalty to his overlord or king Rules of war Adoring/Honoring a woman for self-improvement (courtly love)

Chivalry for Real The purpose of chivalry and its code was for knights to have a code of ethics to govern their behavior on and off the battlefield. However, in actuality there was no authentic Code of Chivalry. The ideals previously stated were a just a loose collection of morals followed by knights of Europe. While all of those ideals were meant to be followed completely, in reality they were only followed partially. Depending on the knight and how they chose to adhere to the Code of Chivalry ethics.

In depth ideal #1 Generosity, Honesty, Bravery, and Piety The ideal of Generosity, honesty, bravery, and piety is seemingly self-explanatory. Chivalrous knights were expected to be generous with their wealth, be honest to their lords and fellow knights, bravely go into battle, and be devout in worship to God.

In depth ideal #2 Defending the Weak Defending the weak seems to be another self-explanatory ideal, knights were supposed to protect anyone who was in need. However, in reality this ideal wasn’t practiced the way you expected. Knights and their code of chivalry applied to the lord that they served, it was the knights who governed the serfs and kept them in line. If a serf was getting beaten up in an alley and a knight were to pass by, the knight may not help depending on their own values and how they choose to follow the code of chivalry.

In depth ideal #3 Battle Evil and Uphold Good When the chivalry code says to battle evil and uphold good, what it’s most likely describing is knights going of to fight for their lord. Not stopping bad guys like a superhero.

In depth ideal #4 Encourage Knights to go on Holy Quests A holy quest in this context meant the Crusades of the Middle Ages. When Christians and Muslims fought against each other for rights to the holy land of Israel. This ideal was formed to get more knights to join the Crusades, which were difficult and arduous.

In depth ideal #5 Loyalty to his Overlord or King This is one ideal from the Code of Chivalry that was almost always followed. Dukes, barons, and other nobles had to constantly be on guard for any threats to their position so they would hire bands of soldiers to protect their households. These soldiers are what eventually became knights and loyalty to their lord was crucial. Because the downfall of the household would mean downfall of the knight. The position that the knight had with the old master would not carry over to the new master.

In depth ideal #6 Rules of War This ideal can be boiled down to one simple rule: Do not strike an unarmed man

In depth ideal #7 courtly love Courtly love was the idea of honoring and adoring a woman for the purpose of self-improvement. An example of this would include a knight wearing his lady’s colors into battle, this would make a knight feel braver and stronger. In a courtly love relationship, the woman was supposed to be unobtainable and the relationship non-sexual.

The Effects of Chivalry Chivalry and its ideal of courtly love led to women being held in higher esteem with a new, idealized attitude. Though women still were valued by their dowry and had no more rights than before. A much more lasting effect of Chivalry was the new genre of literature it inspired, Romance. Romantic stories are characterized by gallant adventures, heroism, and chivalry itself.

Chivalry as a Whole The ideals of Chivalry were not always followed completely, in fact there are historical records of “black knights” who terrorized peasants and dishonored ladies. Fictional ideals and historical reality must be seen together but while there were bad knights there were also good knights who lived up to chivalrous ideals. The Middle English knight Sir Amadace, almost bankrupt from his generosity went out on an adventure to regain his fortune. Only to give the last of his money to give an indebted merchant a proper burial.

Works Cited Alchin,Linda.“Chivalry”. www.medieval-life-and-times.info, Siteseen Ltd, January 2017, http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval- knights/chivalry.htm. “The Age of Chivalry and Romance”. www.robinhoodloxley.net, 2001, http://www.robinhoodloxley.net/. “Chivalry”. www.classichistory.net, Classic History, 2014, http://www.classichistory.net/archives/chivalry. “The Medieval Period: Historical Context”. Holt McDougal Literature Grade 12. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2012. Pp. 28- 37.

Pictures www.robinhoodloxley.net www.patheos.com www.oneyearonepaintingaday.blogspot.com www.frenchquartermag.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chivalry Ayakashi-ghost-guild.wikia.com www.classichistory.net fiveminutehistory.com