Chivalry is referred to as a medieval system that constituted of principles and customs associated with a knighthood. It is also mentioned to depict and put across the qualities desired and idealized by knighthood like bravery, honor, esteem, fearlessness and respect and gallantry towards women. There were different phases and points of views associated to Chivalry namely, the military, the social, and the religious. During 12th and 13th century and henceforth, Chivalry was understood not only as a moral code of conducts for knights but expanded to their religious and social behavior too.
Chivalry in middle ages referred to the highest moral, personal and religious standards with courage, honor and service being the central ideas to the very concept. Chivalry in the middle ages also referred to an idealized life and a knight’s manners while among his court (Newman, 2013). During this time, Chivalry included service to the countrymen through their valor and selflessness, duties to the God in the form of adherence to all the religion-based ideas and duties to women, which included aiding orphans and widows. Chivalry stood for each of those qualities a knight craved for and the knighthood desired and dreamt of. At the very center of Chivalry lied some principles which formed the knight’s code of Chivalry. Chivalry was about a knight being God Fearing and maintaining his church and conducting all his services with love and regards towards fellow human beings. It was about protecting weak and defenseless against any form of exploitation. Chivalry was about service to humanity in the name of God. Chivalry was about living with dignity, self-respect and head held high with glory. It demanded welfare of all and expected knights to despise and let go off pecuniary rewards. It was about maintaining the highest behavioral standards possible by speaking truth at all the times and by eschewing and checking unfairness, fraud and deceit. It also included highest respect for the honor and dignity of women. Other than all these ideas, Chivalry was primarily about the military code of conduct, which gave the birth to this very concept. It included service to the liege lord in valor and faith, showing courage and fighting for the country and countrymen, never refusing a challenge from an equal and not to turn back upon a foe, come what may (keelimcbride, n.d). The first impression that the word ‘Chivalry’ sheds at the very first mention and after going across various literatures is of a perfect gentleman who is impeccably mannered and well behaved and displays gentle and courteous behavior towards women (Neilson, n.d).
In a nutshell Chivalry was a tradition, which expected a knight to be bold, fair, well mannered, courteous, loyal and one who speaks fairly without discourtesy. Knight is not to be foolish or rash under any circumstances. Apart from this, Chivalry needed a knight to be proud, fierce and forceful towards enemies and kind and faithful to his friends. Chivalry was a culture that proposed well during middle ages and fought hard to preserve the ideals of highest importance with regards to every aspect of human lives. It came about in different periods but the central idea behind the ‘Chivalry’ remained the same. It is only due to the force and truthfulness of the idea, that the thoughts related to Chivalry have lingered across the centuries.
Works Cited
Newman, Simon "Chivalry in the Middle Ages", 2013,
Retrieved on 2 April.2013,
< http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/chivalry-in-the-middle-ages.html>.
Kellimcbride "Medieval Literature: Knight’s Code of Chivalry", n.d,
Retrieved on 2 April.2013,
< http://kellimcbride.com/pdf/2543_chivalry.pdf>.
Neilson, Aaron "Origins of Chivalry", n.d,
Retrieved on 2 April.2013,
< http://members.tripod.com/~aaron_neilson/intro.html>.
