chivalry...

[VAE VICTUS]

ok weve all heard about the "chivalrous knights of old rescuing damsles in distress..." but was chivalry ever like that?chivalry,was it all it was all cracked to be?

[King Henry V]

Chivalry never eally existed, power always stood in the way in the Middle Ages. However the rules by which knights followed was to treat their fellow with respect and care.

[Templar Knight]

The 19th century's romantic idea of the middle ages ~:)

[Kraxis]

Well it is hard to determine really, but it seems that our notion of chivalry comes from the medieval courtly love, where the young and aspiring knight would court his chosen lady, apparently somewhat free of intereference of their parents (relative mind you).
That was a totally new concept and something that was relegated to the higher classes (the knights) who could aford to do poetry, play music, dance, or if need be win tournaments.

That might be where our romantic vision of the knight on the white horse comes from, rather than them actually rescuing the damsel in distress ffrom and evil baron or a dragon.

[yesdachi]

As with any “code” there were those who chose to stick to it to the letter and those who practiced it only when in front of others that mattered. Say, their girlfriends dad? I think that chivalry was, in at least some cases, a trendy thing that inspired patriotism and could be used almost like marketing to build up a ruler’s popularity.

On the flip side I think there have been plenty of accounts where a knight has not been very knightly to commoners, peasants, their subjects, ugly girls, or even their peers and lords but usually behind their backs (political plotting and such dishonesty was not very chivalrous).

Same goes for the Samurais Bushido, Musketeers code and who knows how many others. I’m sure that there were iconic examples of each but most probably fell somewhere in the middle.

[Adrian II]

ok weve all heard about the "chivalrous knights of old rescuing damsles in distress..." but was chivalry ever like that?chivalry,was it all it was all cracked to be?Yes, Vae Victus, it was, it still is, and it always will be. We may not witness it everyday, but it's there.

[VAE VICTUS]

good show adrian!bravo

[Kraxis]

As with any “code” there were those who chose to stick to it to the letter and those who practiced it only when in front of others that mattered. Say, their girlfriends dad? I think that chivalry was, in at least some cases, a trendy thing that inspired patriotism and could be used almost like marketing to build up a ruler’s popularity.

On the flip side I think there have been plenty of accounts where a knight has not been very knightly to commoners, peasants, their subjects, ugly girls, or even their peers and lords but usually behind their backs (political plotting and such dishonesty was not very chivalrous).

Same goes for the Samurais Bushido, Musketeers code and who knows how many others. I’m sure that there were iconic examples of each but most probably fell somewhere in the middle.
Of course... It was a sort of guideline rather than a rule. 'A proper knight does this and that, not this and that.' But the knight could just say 'Pffffft' and go about being a brute and uncivilized criminal, and nobody would stop him. He was lord and almost absolute in his rule. Yeah yeah, he couldn't just kill outright, but since he set up the court for his parish then it seems unlikely that he would suffer any serious consequences from abusive rule.

But the courtly love was a brilliant concept to indeed bring the nobles closer together. They would intramerry, rather than go abroad and find some lady. How it came about I don't know, but I know that it existed and it would be deemed 'romantic' even by modern standards.