Chivalry
by Barry Wright
Essay: Chivalry
Pages: 10
Rating: 3 stars
Download Links:
• Chivalry.pdf
• Chivalry.doc
How important was chivalry in molding the cultural world of the upper classes?
The word chivalry comes from the French term “chevalrie” which when literally described meant the warrior
attributes of armed knights on horseback. When the word was first used it did not have many, if any, of the moral
or social aspects with which were later attributed to it. Reaching the later periods of the Middle Ages there begins
to be a consensus opinion on the definition of a chivalrous knight. This knight would be polite, especially to
women, loyal to his lord, a devout and humble Christian, and a powerful and strong-willed fighter. While no man
could live up to these expectations, an ideal chivalrous knight would demonstrate all of these qualities. Chivalry
would begin to fade in the 15th century following the unrealistic disposition of courtly love. From the beginning of
the Crusades to this point however, chivalry was not only an important part of the cultural world of the upper
classes it would come to define it. Indeed, many of the major parts of life in the Middle Ages including warfare,
religion, ceremonies and romance were significantly affected by chivalry. These key aspects of life which chivalry
impacted would define the cultural world of the upper classes throughout Europe.
Chivalry, in its most all-encompassing definition, can be described as “a form of behavior knights and nobles
would have liked to imaged they followed, both based on and reflected in the epics and romances, a form of
behavior which took armed and mounted combat as one of its key elements.” This definition opens many doors as
to a true depiction of chivalry, however it is efficient at enabling discussion of chivalry from almost every medieval
source. It is jus...