That meant that sometimes, regional conflicts set a group of armed toughs tearing through the countryside and doing whatever the heck they wanted.Ĭodes of chivalry didn't take hold in vacuum. Generally speaking, however, in many cases, knights and medieval warriors served as a local lord's private military. It's difficult to speak broadly about the medieval era in Europe, given that it encompasses several centuries and an entire continent. The romantic notion of the daring, pure-hearted knight errant lingers on, even today. He argues that medieval chivalry had a major part in molding "noble values," and, as a result, has had an impact felt long after troubadours and jousting tournaments fell out of fashion.
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CHIVALRY CODE CODE
And that’s a definition that even your social studies teacher probably would have approved of.In the popular imagination, chivalry seems to harken back to some mythical era when armored knights rode about the land going on quests, saving maidens, and fighting evildoers.īut chivalry is really a word "that came to denote the code and culture of a martial estate which regarded war as its hereditary profession," Maurice Keen writes in " Chivalry." The choice to do the right things, for the right reasons, at the right times. In short, that’s what chivalry is - a choice. Perhaps, like those knights in shining armor hundreds of years ago, we want to experience the satisfaction of knowing that we have championed the right causes and embraced the right principles, not because we were told to do so, but simply because we have chosen to follow that path. Perhaps that’s why people are finding the concept of chivalry so relevant to modern life. Today, we’re not too different from those knights in the Middle Ages - we have a great deal of wealth and resources and freedom at our disposal, and we can use (or misuse) them in nearly any way we like. It was a set of limitations which the strong and mighty placed upon themselves with the realization that setting a good example sends a message which is far more powerful than any words on paper.
But chivalry was not a mandate from the powerful to the downtrodden, nor a directive from the chosen unto the masses. The code of chivalry is, at its heart, simply a handbook for good conduct. Illustration of a knighting ceremony taken from a 14th century manuscript.įrom the Ten Commandments of the Bible, to The Eightfold Path of Zen, to All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, people throughout history have searched for a way to define and quantify admirable behavior. That is a precise definition to be sure, but it does leave some unanswered questions. The demonstration of any of these qualities.The noble qualities a knight was supposed to have, such as courage and a readiness to help the weak.Here’s what Webster’s Dictionary has to offer: Chivalry: Let’s define the term before we go any further so nobody feels like the class dunce. It has something to do with suits of armor and opening the door for a lady, right?ĭon’t be embarrassed, “chivalry” is a word not often heard today, and a lot of people really don’t know what it means. The term may sound familiar, but … gosh, it has been a long time since that social studies class in high school or the college English literature course.
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