Chivalry and Knighthood





These pages are a brief summary of the code of chivalry. They explain what it was, and looks at the extent to which it was actually practised by the medieval knight. Like many of us modern Westerners, I have always been captivated by the idea of the chivalrous mounted warrior, thundering in to rescue the weak from the tyranny of evil men. The image of the knight in shining armour, always on hand to save the damsel in distress, is one that appeals greatly to the imagination of our culture, especially writers and film-makers. And although no longer a religious person myself, the idea of the pious warrior devoting his entire life to the service of God is one that holds a special place in my heart. My aim in this modest project, is to answer the all-important question: did this knight ever really exist? My apologies if I offend the romantics by raining on their parades, but remember, I am one of you!

I will first look at the early beginnings of what we know as 'knighthood', and trace its development up to its maturity. I shall examine what was expected of the knight, and thirdly the extent to which they lived up to their code of honour. I have used mostly secondary sources in this study, but also a few primary ones. These mainly take the form of written material and some pictures. Because I do not possess a scanner as yet, these have all been borrowed from other people's web-pages. If you recognise something you own, and are pretty cheesed off about me using your material, e-mail me at bryn@tinet.ie and I'll sort it out.

THE EARLY KNIGHT