The Path of Chivalry

Chivalry

Almost everyone knows the term or has called out, "A knight in shining armor". Knights have appeared in a vast number of fairy tales and legends, from King Arthur to Beowulf. Knights were known for their aggressive military combat, yet for their sweet gentleness towards others as well. A true knight was expected to be the light of God by serving others with the highest respect and courage. Therefore, knights were sought after by every man, woman, and child for their bravery, manners, and deeds. Women would dream of a knight picking them as their lady of honor, as the rich lords of manors would hope to strengthen their forces with hundreds of knights in shining armor. In order for these knights to become a true knight, however, they had to follow a long road of chivalry and intense training.

A knight had to always follow the code of chivalry. The term "chivalry" derived from the French word "chevalier", meaning the terms horseman, knight, or young man. Chivalric code was the knight's main set of proper virtues that he had to follow for all his lifetime. The code of chivalry in its beginning years was more of a "moral system" about the set of values the knight should have, yet it was never written. No one had ever written down this "code of chivalry" due to the fact most knights were taught and expected of this behavior. This was until the book; The Song of Roland, was released to the public in the year 1066.

This was the first title to document the use of chivalric code and mention it's morals. The book mainly spoke of the knights of the Dark Ages, during the 8th century, and the battles fought by Emperor Charlemagne. It was written as an epic poem, and discussed the way of the knight in very subtle notes. Here is an example of knighthood being mentioned from The Song of Roland in the following:

"For his beauty the ladies hold him dear;

Who looks on him, with him her heart is pleased,

When she beholds, she can but smile for glee.

Was no pagan of such high chivalry."

In short, the poem mainly discussed the conflicts the Christian emperor battled against the Saracens in Spain. Therefore, the type of chivalry mentioned in the book has since been dubbed the title, "Charlemagne's Code of Chivalry", due to the main story. The Song of Roland paved the way for chivalry discovery, however, there was another book years later that better defined knighthood. (Alchin)

This book was simply titled, Book of Chivalry. It was written by a real French knight, Geoffroi de Charny, around 1352. This was also the date around which he created his own chivalric order, Company of the Star, to outshine his rival's other order, Order of the Garter. He wrote this book in particular to explain the appropriate qualities of a knight, how to defend their chivalry from critics, and how to reform their behavior on the battlefield. Geoffroi planned the book to teach his order knighthood, as well as to excel over his rival, Edward III of England. The book also discussed multiple topics such as the knighting ceremony, the orders of society, knightly salvation, a knight's virtues, the responsibilities of lords, the levels of worthiness, the role of women, and much more. The book made understanding the laws of chivalry much more clear and available to young knights seeking the guidance.

Chivalry for the most part was pretty mysterious in medieval times. No one could just become a knight in the blink of an eye. Most of the rituals and knowledge in becoming a true knight was kept hidden by the manors and colleges that had preserved it. It wasn't way until 1883 that the "The Old Code" was revealed to the public with interest. The code was a set of ten commandments that defined the qualities a true knight should have. It is believed that author and his book, La Chevalerie, made the "The Old Code" popular due to various, tedious military books not giving a well-directed explanation on the subject. Besides, not everyone is going to consider reading a nonfiction in their free time as a delighted hobby. Unlike a long story, La Chevalerie simply laid out the ten tenets in order, untouched and carefully described. The ten commandments of chivalry were prowess, justice, loyalty, defense, courage, faith, humility, largesse, nobility, and franchise. Each description would be too long to cover in a brief summary, but the point of their descriptions were to tell upcoming knight of the importance of each quality, what they must do, and how to achieve this state.