While today’s definition of chivalry places a moral emphasis on social virtues, the medieval sense of chivalry guided knights both in and out of combat, especially in their interactions with women. There was a good reason for orders of knights to introduce such a code of conduct: their heavily armored mounted troops needed to be reined in the unrestrained violence they inflicted on civilian populations.
The Chivalry of Medieval Knights: Myths and Mercenaries
In the modern day, we tend to think of knights as virtuous and honorable, but in the knights’ heyday, they were actually like medieval tanks who could wreak havoc on unarmed populations whenever they wanted – and they often did. They were often hired mercenaries who were promised money or land in return for serving what we would today call a warlord. By 1100, churches all over Europe began to pray for God’s help in delivering them from the whims of roving knights – and that deliverance would come in the form of romantic storytelling.
The Fourth Crusade: When Knights Betrayed Their Mission
There’s no better example of the violent, unpredictable nature of medieval knights than the story of the Fourth Crusade. In 1202, Pope Innocent III called on the knights of Christian Europe to once again take up arms and set out for the Holy Land to wrest control of Jerusalem from Muslim control. An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 knights from France, Venice, and the Holy Roman Empire answered the call. Along the way, they were called on to help restore Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos to his throne, and they did.
But when the newly restored emperor was deposed and killed by a popular uprising, and the knights were no longer going to be paid, they decided to sack Constantinople, one of the holiest cities in Christendom, instead. The city and the Byzantine Empire would never fully recover, and Jerusalem remained in Muslim hands.
The Chivalry of Medieval Knights: Codes and Consequences
So, while the codes of chivalry began as a means of promoting battlefield prowess and loyalty to one’s lord or master, eventually, the knights needed to be controlled. There was no one universal Code of Chivalry in the Middle Ages, but romantic texts of the era implored young knights to focus on the skills they needed for combat while they temper their aggression with strict etiquettes towards women. The legends of the Knights of the Round Table and the Song of Roland laid out examples and rules for knights to follow. In the 14th century, the Duke of Burgundy laid out 12 virtues his knights should follow:
● Faith
● Charity
● Justice
● Sagacity
● Prudence
● Temperance
● Resolution
● Truth
● Liberality
● Diligence
● Hope
● Valor
Unfortunately (for the commoners of the era), the codes of chivalry were also a means of reinforcing class distinctions. The courtly nobility wanted to retain their social hierarchy and developed knighthoods to create a warrior class that could only be accessed with the right family lineage, training, and – above all – money because becoming a knight and buying the armor and weaponry was an expensive undertaking.
Various codes of chivalry also created consequences for breaking the codes. If a knight was found guilty of treason, cowardice, or other dishonorable behaviors, he could have his family name or coat of arms removed or his armor smashed to bits, forever shaming his name and family.
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