What it means to be a hero during the time of the knights, what it meant to the populace, the knights, and the lords
A hero is someone who is always courageous to face danger and save the day. He’s someone who is ready to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the others. Weakness does not feature anywhere in his character as a person. He may be weak in body muscular, but he has a heart of a lion and ready to deal and tackle with anything that poses a threat to humanity.
Heroes are super men in the history who were mostly drawn from the respectable positions in the government/ monarch such as the royal family, military, soldiers, fighters and knight. Rarely will the heroes come from the peasant families or slaves since these people had no freedom of doing anything they want to the community in which they were living. The slaves had no say in the community they lived. They were there to be seen and ordered around. Anyone who showed any act of heroism was considered as rebellious.
Heroes are associated with change. This is because they have the ability of identifying the difficulties and oppression his people are facing. They have courage to stand against the oppressors forces and elevate the lives of his people. They are ready to lose anything even their lives to smile on the people they love. The forces that drove them to act that way are not clear. However, many scholars such as Karl max argue that the forces of the economy such as little wages or control of wealth and forces of the economy by a few individuals pushes the heroes to act so that the wealth of the nations can be share equitably to all citizens of such nations.
The knights in the old day were considered warriors who were ready to fight to defend their load masters and their communities against the enemies. They served in the lower military ranks in the monarch kingdoms. The warrior was only granted knight title when they were officially bestowed the head of the monarch (king or queen) or any senior leader when the king/ queen were absent.
The knight culture (chivalry) is believed to have originated in Germany and France during the medieval period. These were war soldier who fought using horses which were heavily armored with ancient weapons such as swords, spears, bow and arrows. The main code/ rule of the knight was giving service to the community first even if it means death, which was considered the most honorable thing to do during personal life as a soldier.
The knight received special training on how to fight on horse and provide service to others especially the widows and children who were perceived to be weak and defenseless against enemies. They were the ones always on the forefront on various wars that were a common thing in the ancient world. They were also given the honor to provide the security to the royal families and noble personality in the monarch governments.
The knights were the most honorable forces which had skills to fight. The warriors were carefully selected since the force required people of discipline with muscular strength and good moral standards which were unquestionable. They were the image of the community to other nation especially the enemy state. The force had to show mighty and honor.
The knights had to take the vow of being loyal to the monarch, speaking the truth even if it means risking life as well as showing generosity through service without discrimination. The knights were expected to portray good moral standards and respect the culture of their community and never to hurt women and children since they were considered to be harmless and weak. They were expected to be religious individuals who obey the commandments of their religion and trust the God of their community. They were to keep their faith always and never to disown their faith and church even if in the captivity of the enemy who practice a different religion. The knights were expected to honor and glorify knighthood, whereby they were supposed to protect and respect other knights and speak in one voice. The suffering of one knight meant suffering for all, whereby it was the duty of all knights to help a knight who was in trouble or any difficulty.
The knights were expected to respect and obey those in authority and their senior. They were expected to follow orders without questioning the intelligence of their masters. The life and service of the knights were considered noble and great pillar of the community. A hero during those ancient times had to show that he was ready to sacrifice their life in protecting the community. The knights when they went to war and defeat their enemies and restore the glory of their kingdom they were considered to be heroes.
The knights were expected to empower their enemies in the battle field and never show any act of cowardice. The knights were expected to fight to end even if they were inferior in numbers. This because they believed the number did not matter, and the fight was in the spirit. There was no place to back down. Their enemies must see the heroism in them even if they get to defeat them. The knights were expected to fight to the end and never to give up.
For the knight to be considered a hero, they were to protect the people even with their life. During an attack from the enemies, the royal family becomes the primary focus of the knight. The king of the kingdom was supposed to be kept safe and arrangement for his rescue from the enemy‘s hands made before the enemy reach the palace. The king and his family were to be kept safe even if it meant to forego the lives of other citizens of the kingdom including the families of the knight themselves. Their duty of protecting the monarch came first.
The knights’ heroism was also seen when they attack and conquer other kingdoms to expand the territory of the kingdom. This means the citizens of conquer kingdom will have a bigger territory to do farming and other commercial activities thanks to their knights.
The knights also demonstrated their heroism when they march, raid and demolish other kingdoms which practiced a different faith. This was very common during the crusader and Muslims and Arabs invasions error. This showed the knights were ready to defend their faith and religion. The religion was the great pillar of the kingdom. Hence standing and defending one's faith was the most honorable thing to do.
The populace considered the knights to be heroes when they were ready to face the enemy and protect them. The knight should show heroism by standing for the weak and protecting them from harm. The knights were expected to put the interest of the populace first before the knights’ interest. When the king proved to be harsh and ruthless, the citizens expected the knights to topple the kingdom and restore another king who will be kind to the people in the kingdom. The populace expected the knights to bring change to the kingdom. When the people faced hunger or lack of water the knights were expected to go out of their way and look for solutions by going to foreign land, conquer it and bring back what the kingdom was lacking.
The lords and kings expected the total loyalty from the knights. The knights showed their heroism by putting their lives in danger by protecting the life of the lords and their families. When the knights went to the battle field, the conquest was credited to their king. This was a sign of heroism for the king since they have defended the kingdom on the behalf of their lords.
The knights saw heroism when they went out of the way to protect the innocent children and women who had no courage and power to stand against the enemy. The demise of the knight while in the line of duty was an honorable thing. This was considered as their call in life.
How the idea of the hero developed and how it was harnessed to create the knights
The development of the ‘knight’ was conceived form heroic deeds of men. This was long before the dominance of the nobility on the lesser noblemen in the society. Thus, knighthood was initially a form of heroic social stratification that was modified with time to represent a special social class. The hero in a society was either epic or chivalry. The epic hero only fought when his native empire or one that he defended was invaded by attackers. The chivalry hero, on the other hand, was different, in the pursuit of adventure and tests. They all, however, form the basis upon which the concept of knighthood developed. For one, 'The Epic hero' depicts the physical strength of the individual; the chivalry hero, on the other hand, could overcome even a spiritual test and was considered miraculous. Upon these settings, the knighthood gained its prominence. The knighthood had in its possession, either in assumption or truth, the physical strength and the spiritual ability to overcome any challenge.
In the originality, the knighthood was derived from the inception of the horse as a crucial element in combat activities. However, the emergence of the horse shoe and stirrup formed the basis of the knighthood as a heroic title. The assumption was that a medieval knight could not be considered a knight without engaging in combat activities with a horse. The knighthood gains its conception from the ancient code of conduct of chivalry. This was derived from the terms ‘cheval’ and ‘chevalier’ French terms for ‘horse’ and ‘mounted warrior’ respectively. Successful ‘mounted warriors’ would then gain the knighthood title. As the society became complicated in structure and rule, the church encouraged the feudal kings to incorporate the ideologies of courtesy within the chivalry code of conduct. Upon these ideologies, knighthood gained its role as a heroic title as well as one of defining the highest morals of conduct.
However, the prominence of knighthood gained its popularity in the 18th century. This was occasioned by the emergence of a trend of military under the banner of knighthood. Since knights were considered the 'most noble' and wealthy men, this category of soldiers became more affluent with time. However, there were no clear boundaries at to what the knighthood entailed. Those who owned large tracts of land were still considered knights in some perspective. As military strength became an issue of concern and the need for strong armor arose, knighthood was associated with slivers. Expensive armory such as horses, equipment and armor were the crowning symbols of knighthood. Any individual, who could maintain this and still influence a considerable number of nobles to work for him under payment, would take the role of a noble.
This brought back the realism of heroism into knighthood. They could wage war against neighbors and due to the heavy investment if warfare equipment and armory, they would emerge winners. Such heroics deeds were then used as the basis upon which kinghood could be gained. The ancestral knight would then have his descendants retaining the title forever.
This was strengthened by the rise of feudal power. The knights would gain control and set the rules that would be observed in the society. As this gained momentum far and wide, the boundaries of knighthood became more complex. They were only reserved for heroes. The characteristics that would endear one to such a position of nobility included courage, bravery and honesty. The status and rights of the knights became a hereditary title. With time, it gained prominence. Apart from being the 'most noble' in the society, they were wealthy and influential. With the emergence of some form of civilization at this stage, the knighthood based on heredity would only be gained through a ceremonial dubbing. These ceremonies were accompanied by a series of rituals that would ensure the heirs were recognized as special symbols in the society. They were, however, not expected to abandon their military duty.
The feudal kings emerged from the shift from the Middle Ages to the Medieval Society was in dire need of protection from invaders. They, therefore, had to impose a military defense for themselves. The physically strong men who had been acclaimed to have conquered elsewhere would be lured by the society to act as their leaders against invaders. On the other hand, society members would pledge obedience, service and payments to these feudal kings. However, the feudal king could not serve alone, and this led to the creation of a set or council that would help the feudal ruler in decision making and leadership.
This council comprised of knights from the ancestral line or those who had achieved heroic deeds that benefited the community. The economic and political feudalism were developed at these courts. There was an economic relationship between the feudal ruler and the servants and, on the other hand; there existed a political relationship between the feudal ruler and the nobles. Thus, trust and honesty were considered the greatest virtues in this society. It is only the heroes who could be trusted with societal matters that would sit and make laws and judgments with the feudal ruler.
In the centuries that followed, the society was still gaining prominence. Thus, the knighthood was turned into an institution. This involved incorporating knighthood with ethical and social aspect that turned the knighthood into a profession. This is what led to the emergence of the “miles Christi”. This was a soldier who respected a certain code of conduct that can also be described as ‘chivalric’. However, the knighting rituals were always accompanied by a heroic act by the solider to be knighted. For instance, King Francois I of France was knighted in 1515 after his undisputable victory at Marignano. The knight was henceforth expected to live in the kings’ court where tournaments were held in honor of 'the knight' on a regular basis.
It was believed that heirs would also be groomed to become heroes in the society as a result of a combination of ‘good birth and virtues’ in the kings’ courts. As the social setting was becoming more complex, the knights were expected to be good in politics, sex, as well as chivalry. Chivalry in this case encompasses the virtues of honesty, love, self-control and humility that defined the moral conduct of 'the knight'. Failing in any of the tree aspects would then disqualify even a descendant of the knighthood as unworthy of the title.
A perfect example of the rise to knighthood is the story of Jacques De Lalaing, the Flemish hero. Having been a descendant of the ancient noble family, he became a servant of the Good of Burgundy during the conquest of Luxembourg. As a jouster, he travelled far and wide in the adventure of tournaments. He jousted before the kings of France and Castille as well as Scotland. These endeavors led to his knighthood where he went on to hold on to his obligations as he established his heroic deeds in the conquest of the Ghent war.
The evolution of firearms towards the middle of the 14th century signaled the end of knighthood as a war hero. The armored horses were being phased out by the firearms. This meant that the knights could be stricken from distances by the pursuing forces or enemies. With time, the chivalry code of conduct that formed the foundation of knighthood lost its aura. The influence of the knights declined with haste. The social setting governed by feudal rulers lost its prominence and the influence and power of the feudal rulers depreciated. They could not maintain their nobles and could not adequately defend the society from invaders. To remain relevant, the feudal kings decided to uphold the jousts and tournaments. This was a fall back plan to maintain a level of recognition.
Finally, as the modern arms surpassed the role of the mounted soldiers, the knighthood heroism lost its place in society. Henceforth, the church went on to modify knighthoods values. This modification portrayed knights as individuals of admirable characters and personality. The warfare heroism of knighthood lost its place in the code of conduct of knights. The knights henceforth have been considered as society members with exceptional character that has benefited the society materially or in fame. War and battle heroism were phased out from the knighthood. The knighthood became a symbol of gentleman character. This transformed the title to a ceremonial affair with rituals that did not recognize a war as a virtual. The society was now seeking for peaceful solutions to conflicts and this further diminished the role of knighthood in resolving conflicts.
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