Download Before we talk about the Medieval Code of Chivalry, let`s try to define

The Medieval Code of Chivalry
Before we talk about the Medieval Code of Chivalry, let's try to define what Chivalry itself is. Chivalry
may be defined as the moral and social law and custom of the noble and gentle class in Western
Europe during the Middle Ages, and the result of that
law and custom in action.
Its three principal factors are religion, war, and love of
ladies, and its merits and faults are a result of these
factors. The whole duty of a gentleman was included in
the idea of Chivalry, which regulated his life from his
early childhood.
The principle of service to God, his lord, and his lady
underlay everything. The knight's rule of service was
governed by the Medieval Code of Chivalry with its
Consecrating A Knight
three main elements: religion, military duty, and love.
These elements intimately connected with pride of birth will generate that frame of character which is
expressed by honor and loyalty. We may reduce the ancient code of chivalry into ten
"Commandments".
The Ten Commandments of the Medieval Code of Chivalry:
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Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before the enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against
Injustice and Evil.
The most important and the most sacred of them is the first Commandment. The thought of God filled
knights’ hearts, and the main part of the medieval knight’s service was due to the Church. He was
brought up in the use of her sacraments, and in obedience to her precepts and reverence for her
ministers. The Crusader, the Templar, and the Hospitaller were champions of the Church against the
infidel. The knight’s consecration to Chivalry was after the form of a sacrament, and to defend the
Holy Church was part of his vow of initiation. War and his mimicry were to be his business, honor and
religion the sanction of his actions.
In the 11th Century, the doctrine of love became an essential part of the
Medieval Code of Chivalry, expressed in social life, and literature.
Knighthood, from being a matter of war and feudal dependence, gained
more dignity by becoming romantic. In the lives of all knights, the
tournament bore a principal part, and the laws and customs of the
tournament were inseparable from the love of ladies. A lot of the knight’s
leisure time was spent in hunting, but also in music, and exercising the
“science” of gallantry and poetry. The chivalric literature, whether its note
was that of love or of deeds of arms, shows that the laws of gallantry were
more imperious than even those of military honor.
The science of heraldry, and the distinction of ranks on which it was
founded, taught the knight to show reverence to his superiors in rank, and
gentleness to his inferiors. Connected to heraldry and ceremony were the
laws and usages of the feudal system, and the symbolical consecration of
these by solemn forms, the tenure of land by knight service, and the
consequent personal loyalty to his lord.
Knightly Figure-End Of
The 13th Century
The point of culmination of the perfect knight, devoted to the perfect Medieval Code of Chivalry may
be placed between 1250 and 1350. It was the time of the knights errant and troubadours, welcomed
everywhere in Europe, and speaking “lingua franca”, common to the courts of France, Germany, and
England. The romances, fabliaux, chansons de geste, and ballads of southern and central France were
recited and sung in England. The Celtic literature of Ireland, Wales and Brittany, and the Teutonic
legends of Charles the Great and of the Niblungs found their way to Provence, France. And the
presence of Houses of Templars and Hospitallers in every country worked in the same direction of
establishing an "international" Chivalry throughout Europe.
Medieval Religion
Medieval Religion
In Europe during the Medieval times the only recognised religion was Christianity, in the form of
the Catholic religion. The lives of the Medieval people of the Middle Ages was dominated by the
church. From birth to death, whether a peasant, a serf, a noble a lord or a King - life was
dominated by the church and Medieval religion. Various religious institutions, such as monasteries
and convents, became both important, rich and powerful. The lives of many Medieval people
including various orders of monks and nuns were dedicated to to the Catholic church and religion.
This was also a period of great change in the Christian church. Disputes of the Crusades led to the
split between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches, called the Great Schism of 1054. The
practises of the Catholic religion were questioned and the beliefs of men such as Martin Luther
(1483 - 1546) prompted a new religion called Protestantism which led to a further split in the
Christian Church referred to as the Protestant Reformation. This section covers all the important
events and Religious Reformers and philosophers who shaped the changes in Medieval religion.
Religion and Philosophy
During the Middle Ages religion as everything. It was not unusual for people to go to church
everyday and pray five times a day. People believed that all the good things in life were due to the
bounty of god and that the evil events of the times were due to their sins. Medieval religion was
extremely important and even the doctors and physicians of the era were also well versed in
religion. From birth to death, whether you were a peasant, a serf, a noble a lord or a King - life was
dominated by the church and Medieval religion. There were many famous Medieval Saints and
there are details of the names of this pious men and women of the Middle Ages. The following links
provide and insight to different aspects of the religion and philosophy of the Middle Ages.