Chivalry
Chivalry refers to the medieval code of conduct associated primarily with knighthood, emphasizing ideals such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and a duty to protect the weak. It developed during the Middle Ages, largely in the context of the feudal system, which structured society around land ownership and military service. The term "chivalry" originates from the French word "chevalier," meaning horseman, and historically denoted those of aristocratic standing who could afford war horses and armor. Chivalric ideals were often intertwined with Christian ethics, fostering a code that included loyalty, valor, and chastity.
The emergence of chivalry was also influenced by events such as the Crusades, leading to the formation of monastic military orders like the Knights Templar, known for their vows and rich history. As society evolved, chivalry became a broader cultural phenomenon, influencing literature and societal norms, evident in works like Cervantes' "Don Quixote" and Scott's "Ivanhoe," which both explore chivalric themes. Despite its decline during the Renaissance, the concept of chivalry has persisted, continuing to spark interest in contemporary culture and literature. It serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between ideals of nobility, morality, and societal order throughout history.
Chivalry
Chivalry comes from the ideals and qualities or principles of the medieval institution of knighthood, including the characteristics of bravery, courtesy, honor, and devotion to serve the weak that became a code for behavior. Beginning in the Middle Ages, this cultural phenomenon elevated ideals of gentlemanliness that nourished impressive and violent behavior to secure social order. Chivalry was characterized by heroic virtuosity with the sword, shield, and lance; it emerged in a corps of elite warriors that stretched across time and space with the development of a knightly code of ethics. Knights employed weapons in the name of God to aid the oppressed, but the guides for behavior proved to be problematic.
Brief History
Chivalry came out of feudalism as a combination of Christian ethics and military codes that promoted piety, honor, valor, chastity, and loyalty. In England, the Norman Conquest that occurred in 1066 brought centralized government and inaugurated the feudal system based upon tenure of land, where all land was theoretically owned by the monarch who leased it to tenants-in-chief for attendance at court and military assistance. The system was based upon the need of kings to have knights to assist in wars. The tenants-in-chief in turn leased fiefs to knights in return for military service. The lowest-ranked serfs worked their lord’s land for subsistence. Peace was not a given, as evidenced by the Peasants Revolt of 1381 in response to a poll tax levied in 1380, when wages were artificially lowered during periods of labor shortages due to the plague. In addition, English kings laid claim to French territory and the English War of the Roses curbed the power of nobility.
The Crusades brought about the emergence of monastic knighthoods such as the Knights Hoppetallers and Knights Templar. The Knights Templar financed building projects throughout Europe and the Holy Land, and some still stand today. New members transferred their wealth to the order and took vows of poverty, chastity, piety, and obedience. Their emblem of the Red Cross was a symbol of martyrdom that they would carry on with uncompromising principles and the willingness to die in combat. The Knights Templar was considered to be the first effective international organization in Europe; it had three hierarchical divisions: the noble knights, the non-noble sergeants, and the chaplains. The Grand Master oversaw all of the military and financial operations of the order. Knights (about 10 percent of the Order) obtained excellent military training and served as the elite combat forces of the Middle Ages.
Chivalry was prone to corruption and traditions died out during the Renaissance. In Italy, a knight named Pomponio Torelli (c. 1539–1608), who was married to the great-niece of Pope Pius V (1504–1572), traveled to France and Spain on diplomatic missions. Torelli’s resulting treatise, Trattato del debito del cavaliere (1596), contains neoplatonist philosophical discussions of the expected manners, emotions, and duties of the knight, addressed to Pompilio, his son who was a Maltese knight. Fundamental to neopatonism is the sensibility of the One, something that transcends knowledge or existence, from which are derived intelligence and the soul.
Overview
Sociologist Norbert Elias developed a theory of the civilizing and de-civilizing processes that occurred subsequent to the Middle Ages. Chivalry emerged in the north of France during the mid-twelfth century; the word chivalry meaning "horsemanship," is derived from the eleventh-century word chevalier (horseman, knight), and denoted a man of aristocratic standing, and probably of noble ancestry, who is capable, if called upon, of equipping himself with a war horse and the arms of the heavy cavalryman. The feudal system shaped the real life in Middle Ages where as chivalry reflected the ideal world of courtly love. Conversely, the code of chivalry developed between 1170 and 1220 was a practical invention needed to foster an elite warrior nobility to sustain and protect the legitimacy of Christianity.
Freemasons incorporated symbols and rituals of multiple medieval military orders of the nineteenth century with speculation linking the Templars with mysteries and legends that persist in modern popular culture, specifically the association of Templers with the Holy Grail. During the late Middle Ages, sons of the bourgeoisie (middle class) were trained in the manners of the knightly class, and this led to the publication of courtesy books, a new genre of guides to educate gentlemen on conduct in life that affirmed the value of honor, respect for women, and a concern for those less fortunate.
The chivalric ideal persisted into early-modern and modern eras. In literature, the Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (1605), was first to parody chivalry: it tells the adventures of a nameless nobleman who is so immersed in chivalric romances that he looses his sense of reality and sets out to revive chivalric codes of conduct. Scottish historical novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) once again revived interest in chivalry with his novel Ivanhoe that explored the inherent conflict and extremes in cultural values of chivalry and more modernistic society. Dan Brown’s mystery-detective novel, The Da Vinci Code (2003), ignited new interest in this topic even in the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
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