Chivalry

“Chivalry is a set of professional ethics and expectations, guiding the behavior of the warrior classes of medieval Europe.” To understand chivalry, one must look even earlier in time to observe the history of combat. Though some cavalries rode horses as early as A.D. 376, they utilized the animals only as a source of transportation and the combats were fought on foot. This went on until the invention of the stirrup came from Asia which allowed the warrior to remain on his horse and be able to hold himself steady while defending himself from enemies. At around 1150, the society had begun to embrace horses in combat which became an advantage until the development of firearms. It was here that men in shining armor, also recognized as knights, began to be popular. Medieval warfare now focused more on the individual and single combats. Each knight acquired a “coat of arms” which was a symbol that varied among families, and it helped with their identification. With the addition of armors, combat became expensive. This meant that the knight needed to be wealthy. In order to become a knight, steps had to be taken. A young man, for instance, would need to become a squire and serve as an apprentice to a knight for years, before he can be dubbed a knight. Fighting was now more of an art than violence. This all began with the influential role of the church and their constant goal of limiting violence. Chivalry was also influenced by the “notion that a war could be holy.” This almost served and was utilized as an excuse to fight, knowing that you are fighting for holy reasons.

Chivalry not only aimed towards constructive use of violence, but it also taught the knights how to carry themselves in the battlefield as well as with women. It also brought about “courtly love”, which was a relationship between a knight and his lady. The troubadours from southeast France wrote their poetry mainly with themes of love and pain. This courtly love is said to have four stages, first beginning with “hesitating”. This is when the lover does not know how to express himself and let the lady know how he feels. The next stage is “pleading” where he tells the lady he loves her. The third stage, “hearing,” is when the lady says no to the lover but she plays both sides of possibly accepting or rejecting him.