1. CHIVALRY IS DEAD.

2. The Medieval Age A Period Defined by Chivalry The Return of Arthur’s Legend ~Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, though we’ll cover these later.

3. The Middle Ages: 1066 – 1500 The Medieval Period Rise of the Middle Ages Decline of the Roman Empire and Anglo- Saxon Age

4. Feudalism Think of a chess set

5. Feudalism Based on mutual obligation Military protection Provide knights in times of war service Fiefs – land grants protection

6. Feudalism Manors The lords estate –  The lord provided the serfs with housing, farmland and protection  Serfs tended the lands, cared for the animals, maintained the estate

7. Feudalism Manors  Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from the manor  Was home to 15 – 30 families  Self-Sufficient community  Peasants heavily taxed, including a tithe – a church tax of 1/10 their income

8. A violent society  Nobles constantly fought to:  Defend estates  Seize new territories  Increase wealth  Kept Europe fragmented  Glorification of warriors

9. The Age of Chivalry  Chivalry – a complex set of ideals, demanded that a knight fight bravely in defense of three masters 1. His feudal lord 2. His Heavenly Lord 3. His Lady  Meant to protect the weak and the poor

10. The Age of Chivalry Arthur and his Knights practiced the Code of Chivalry… 1.Courage 2.Justice 3.Mercy 4.Generosity 5.Faith 6.Nobility 7.Hope

11. The Age of Chivalry Sons of nobles began training at an early age for knighthood  Page – at about 7 they were sent to another lord to be trained  Squire – at about 14 they act as a servant to a knight  Knight- at about 21 they become a knight and gain experience in local wars and tournaments

13. King Arthur and His Knights Facts, Fiction, Folktale It is a crucial part of both French and English folklore. Folktales are intended to teach a moral lesson and to entertain. Linked to a historical king from the 5 th and 6 th centuries. Many sources have no mention of him. One Latin source, Historia Brittonum from the 9 th century, claims Arthur was real and killed 960 men in a battle called The Battle of Mons Badonicus.

14. Others Disagree. Historian David Dumville belives “we can dispose of him [Arthur] quite briefly. He owes his place in our history books to a 'no smoke without fire' school of thought... The fact of the matter is that there is no historical evidence about Arthur; we must reject him from our histories and, above all, from the titles of our books."

15. The Legend Begins… Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon and Igrayne, wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Merlin the Magician forced the King to “swear a solemn oath” to allow Merlin to bring up Arthur as he chose. Merlin delivered the newborn unchristened child to Sir Ector. Sir Ector christened the child and raised him as his own, not knowing he was the future king.

16. “Whoso pulleth this sword out of this stone and anvil is rightly King of all England” King Uther died two years after Arthur’s birth, leaving England in turmoil – a country without a king Several years passed, until all the lords of the realm gathered on Christmas Day looking for a miracle to show them who should rightly be King. The “Sword in the Stone” appeared in the church courtyard, bearing the famous inscription.

17. Who would be King? It was decided that a tournament would be held to determine who would win the right to pull the sword out of the stone. Sir Ector and his son, Sir Kay, traveled to the tournament. Sir Kay forgot his sword and asked his younger brother, Arthur to retrieve it. Arthur decided to get the sword that was in the stone and give it to Sir Kay.

18. Arthur becomes King Sir Ector and Sir Kay both knelt down to Arthur and told him of his true identity. The Lords were upset because they did not want a boy who was not of “high blood” to govern their country. The commoners finally cried out that Arthur was the rightful King and should be crowned. Arthur swore to his Lords and Commoners to be a true King, and to govern with “true justice.”

20. The Land Called Camelot Arthur ruled in peace for many years… Guinevere married Arthur Sir Lancelot, son of the Lady of the Lake, Arthur’s “First Knight” Merlin, wizard and advisor to the King Other Knights of the Round Table: Sir Gawain, Sir Galahad, Sir Percivale, Sir Bedivere

21. The Tales of King Arthur Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Le Morte D’Arthur – Sir Thomas Malory The Once and Future King & The Sword in the Stone – T.H. White Camelot, a musical – Alan J. Lerner & Frederick Loewe King Arthur-The Marvel of the Sword – Mary Macleod

22. Sources Haskell, Merrie. “People in Arthurian Legend.” Merrie Haskell’s King Arthur Page. November 2002. http://www.personal.umich.edu/>8 June 2004. Farrell, Scott. “The Seven Knightly Virtues.” Chivalry Today. 2002 Shining Armor Enterprises. www.chivalrytoday. 10 June 2004. www.chivalrytoday Prentice Hall. Literature. Bronze ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:Prentice Hall, 2000. Price, Brian. “A Code of Chivarly.” The Knighthood, Chivalry, and Tournaments Resource Library. 2003.. 8 June 2004.