Chivalry In The Medieval Knight

Introduction While the word chivalry is associated with gentlemanly behavior today, in the Middle Ages it was the code of knightly conduct that encompassed religious, moral, and social aspects. It was the way medieval knights were expected to behave both in society and on the battlefield. It is important to note, however, that a knight was not just any soldier, he was the mounted warrior of medieval times. Being a knight refers to being part of the cavalry and was a highly respected position, in part because of the mythology that developed surrounding knightly chivalry. Chivalry worked to idealize the knight by holding him to very high moral standards, however there were multiple, contradicting, philosophies that defined what those moral standards should be. The first was the idea that a knight was innately just; he could do no wrong and was supposed to act independently in order to uphold knightly ideals (which were often synonymous with Christian ideals). The knights that adhered to this vision of chivalry were fighting for the glory it brought and this idea was perpetuated in much of popular war literature from the time. The other philosophy …show more content…
Honoré Bouvet, unlike many of his contemporaries, emphasizes the philosophy of putting one’s lord above all else. Bouvet strongly disagreed with the idea of the individually acting knight. If his instruction from the Tree of Battles was ever truly followed in its entirety, it would be an example of perfectly functioning feudalism. However, it seems more likely that this book would have been seen more as a theoretical set of principles. Most agreed with them, but they did not necessarily live by them.