The idea of chivalry has gone from the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor rescuing a maiden who has been imprisoned in some evil man’s castle in the Middle Ages (like in many fairytales), to the notion of a modern-day man holding a door open for a woman. But chivalry in the Middle Ages went far beyond the fairytale version. Read on to discover the true meaning of chivalry and why it was so well-respected and important in the medieval world.
The Origins of Chivalry
Chivalry as a movement—sometimes called the chivalric movement—was associated with the late 12th and early 13th centuries in Europe. To be more specific, it was developed and the idea was refined between 1170 and 1220. This period is sometimes referred to as the High Middle Ages, and combined with the notion of a “knight in shining armor,” this is naturally why we associate chivalry with these peak years of the European Middle Ages.
How did chivalry develop? The origins can be traced much further back than the 12th century, instead going back to the Carolingian Empire (800-887 CE).
The name comes from the bravery associated with cavalrymen—soldiers who fought on horseback. The French term chevalerie translates into English as “horse soldiery.” This was due to the immense bravery, dedication to individual training, and service to others that they showed both on and off the battlefield. These soldiers became idolized and later remembered fondly, particularly in the Kingdom of France, by the late 12th century.
However, over the years, the idea of chivalry became refined and was later used not just to reference mounted soldiers but also the ideas of honor, respect, and manners. These were naturally accompanied by the ideals of bravery, teamwork, and moral ethos, which took on a secondary element to the overall notion of chivalry.
Literary Chivalric Examples From the Middle Ages
There are several examples of chivalric behavior from the Middle Ages that really cemented the ideals of chivalry and also showed how the idea was refined from its original definition.
The interesting thing about these three works is that none of the authors of these texts had any knowledge of the other two, yet, when the three are combined, it shows just how close their ideas of chivalry and chivalric behavior were.
First, it is in the medieval poem (whose author is unknown) titled Ordene de Chevalerie, and it tells the story of the Crusader knight Hugh II of Tiberias, who was captured by the Infidel. He was then released upon agreeing to show Saladin the ritual of Christian knighthood. This poem was written around the year 1220, in the very early years of the development of chivalry.
The second example is found in the Libre del Ordre de Cavayleria, which was written by the Majorcan philosopher Ramon Llull (1232-1315). The main focus of this work is knighthood, and essentially what a good knight should do, think, and act like. This was written in either the 13th or the very early 14th century.
Finally, the Livre de Chevalerie, by Geoffroi de Charny (1300–56), examines the primary qualities of knighthood, with a particular emphasis on the idea of “prowess.” Geoffroi de Charny was a French knight and a close friend of King Louis IX. He was a renowned knight and fought in the early years of the Hundred Years’ War, showing that the idea of chivalry was still being developed and refined as late as the mid-14th century.
There are several key factors that bring these different texts together, despite them being written almost 200 years apart. Firstly, religion is a key idea. Christianity and chivalry went hand-in-hand in the Middle Ages. One could not be chivalrous if one were not a Christian, as fighting for the good cause (Christianity, Christendom, Christ, God, and so on) was deemed a noble thing to do.
Nobility was a secondary theme—the characters in these works had good moral compasses. Hugh II of Tiberias showed the Muslim leader Saladin the ideals of Christian knighthood, rather than stabbing his mortal enemy in the back.
Militarism is the third element of the works—all of the works reference knighthood as their primary theme: how can anyone but a knight be chivalrous? All of these top examples would inspire future knights and make them want to become chivalrous and be remembered in tales and works centuries later.
The Rise of Chivalry in the Middle Ages
Before 1170, there had been some uncertain and loose ideas of chivalry floating around—it was not that as soon as 1170 arrived, knights began to behave according to the unwritten code of chivalry.
Instead, knights had previously obeyed what was known as the noble habitus, or a code of moral and noble conduct. This was an aim to become a sensible and wise man, and interestingly, it was just as expected of peasants as it was of knights. In turn, this meant that this idea was as relevant to men who had nothing to do with the military as it was to those who were in the military.
Themes such as loyalty, hardiness, bravery, and generosity dominated the forefront of the noble habitus.
The Crisis of Courtliness
From the late 12th century onwards, the idea of chivalry came to be understood as a religious, moral, and social code of knightly conduct. Knights were hugely respected and were expected to carry these values with them everywhere. Not just on the battlefield, but in their domestic life too. Therefore, the idea of a “knight in shining armor” prevailed long after the events of the battlefield had unfolded, meaning that chivalry took on another theme: courtliness.
An example of this so-called “crisis” of courtliness can be traced back to Henry the Young King, who was the eldest son and heir of King Henry II of England (r. 1154-89), before his death. Henry’s heir then became his next eldest son, who went on to rule as King Richard I (ironically, one of the most revered chivalric monarchs in English history).
Henry the Young King was known for his lavish lifestyle and spent most of his time attending tourneys and hosting great feasts, rather than being involved in domestic or foreign affairs. Some historians claim that Henry II funded this sort of lifestyle for his son, so that he would not meddle in political affairs and get in his way, while others simply think that Young Henry had the funds to do as he pleased, so he did exactly that.
Being the King’s son, Young Henry was naturally a knight, but his lifestyle went against the whole notion of chivalry—to paraphrase a modern idiom, he spent his money on wine, women, and song. This outraged those who were keen to establish the ideal of chivalry beyond the battlefield, so it was arguably the influence of Young Henry’s lifestyle that transformed the notion of chivalry from a battlefield ideal to one that should be upheld in court, too.
Christian Chivalry
As mentioned earlier, Christianity and chivalry went hand-in-hand, and one of the best examples of this was how crusader knights were revered.
Knights who fought in the Crusades, and upheld their chivalric values—such as praying at certain chapels, donating alms to the poor, rescuing citizens from the Infidel, and most importantly, fighting for Christendom against Islam—were held in such high esteem that they were almost untouchable. And to the minds of those in medieval Europe, how could they be criticized when they were fighting in the name of God?
However, it was not just fighting as a warrior of God that meant knights in the Middle Ages were chivalric heroes; it was also the Virgin Mary. Women had a place in chivalry—knights were in effect protecting one of the most revered figures in medieval Christianity, the mother of Jesus Christ himself.
The Downfall of Chivalry in the Late Middle Ages
Chivalry is so associated with the High Middle Ages because of the notion of knights in shining armor whisking away fair maidens from evil overlords, and that image of chivalry has stuck in our heads ever since. The romantic element of chivalry is not lost to some, but the militaristic element has been. But when exactly did it die out?
To say that it died out is probably unfair—it was arguably the development of warfare from the mid-14th century onwards that contributed to the decline of chivalry.
One notable example comes from the Hundred Years’ War, and especially from the years of English dominance from the 1340s onwards, under King Edward III of England (r. 1327-77). Many armies were being bolstered by the use of mercenaries (paid soldiers) at this point, which went against the ideal of fighting nobly for one’s country out of duty and commitment to the Crown.
Another element was that because the size of armies was increasing, it meant that more and more common people were being drafted into fighting forces, and they played arguably a more significant role than the knights did in certain battles, such as the peasant longbowmen who were so dominant in the field at the Battle of Crécy (1346) and the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and helped turn the war in favor of the English.
This also showed that the traditional chivalric element of bravery on mounted horseback (as the French army attempted at both of those aforementioned battles) was a failure against the superior tactic of the English longbow. This meant that a huge element of chivalry had been defeated, and as such, this was likely one of the turning points when chivalry turned away from militarism and knights on horseback, and instead turned into the social and moral code that we tend to associate it with today.
Chivalry in the Middle Ages: Final Thoughts
Chivalry in the Middle Ages was not a complex idea, but was more a development in social, religious, and moral thinking from the late 12th century onwards. Without chivalric elements, it could even be suggested that codes of war and ideas like the Geneva Convention would never have come about. Respect and graciousness in defeat also come from chivalry, too.
While the idea has transformed from the original notion of brave knights on horseback, to a respectful code at home as well as on the battlefield, and eventually to romantic literature and the idea of the knight in shining armor, chivalry is not dead to this day. Just as it never died in the Late Middle Ages, it is just that a notion that has changed.
What was chivalric in the Middle Ages is not necessarily chivalric today—we no longer fight wars on horseback or with swords, but we can still be respectful to other religions, other people, and fight in what we each believe is a good cause, while still holding respect for other views. That is chivalric, and chivalry is not dead.
