See also order of chivalry

Chivalry refers to the medieval institution of knighthood and, most especially, the ideals that were (or have become) associated with it. It is usually, for example, associated with ideals of knightly virtues, honour, and courtly love. The word comes from the French word chevalier which means knight.Etymology: English from 1292, loaned from Old French chevalerie "horsemanship," from chevaler "horseman" from Medieval Latin caballarius "horseman"; cavalry is from the Middle French form of the same word. The English word cavalier comes from the same root. Ultimately the word gained an aristocratic connotation, as it distinguished the wealthy knight on horseback from the peasant infantryman walking with his pike and the artilleryman dragging his vulgar machinery.

Chivalry was in essence a warrior code which was later appropriated and propagated by the Church which added a Christian aspect. The Church even allowed warrior monks to create orders of chivalry, organisations of Christian knights who would protect the church and society.

In war, the chivalrous knight was idealized as brave in battle, loyal to his king and God, and willing to sacrifice himself for the lord or king. Towards his fellow Christians and countrymen, the knight was to be merciful, humble, and courteous. Towards noble ladies above all, the knight was to be gracious and gentle. The idealized relationship between knight and lady was that of courtly love.

Today, chivalry is interpreted as courteous behavior, especially towards women. A quote often associated with this idea comes from Edmund Burke: "The age of chivalry is gone." ^*, often misquoted as "The age of chivalry is dead."

There was no single code that served as a definition of how a knight should act, but there were several lists written down during the Middle Ages. One example code can be found in the book Chivalry by 19th century French historian Leon Gautier.

• Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
• Thou shalt defend the Church.
• Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
• Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
• Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
• Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
• Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
• Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
• Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Notes

See also

• Bushido
• Changes in Honour
• Chivalric order
• Chivalric romance
• Courtly love
• Court of Chivalry
• Don Quixote
• Feliciano de Silva
• Futuwa
• Jomsvikings
• Medieval Combat Society
• Pas d'Armes
• Rajput
• Xia
• Nine Worthies

External links

• Chivalry during the Reign of Edward III
• Web site listing, among others, the existing Orders of Chivalry and the sites relative to the history of the Chivalry
• Catholic Encyclopedia "Chivalry"

Warrior code | Medieval warfare | Middle Ages | Knights | Virtue

Ridderskab | Rittertum | Caballería | Chevalerie | Rycerstwo | Лицарство