However, the shift from a martial stand point to one based on trade or interpersonal relationships could explain a shift in the priority given to the elements of the code.
#WHO WAS EXPECTED TO UPHOLD THE CHIVALRY CODE CODE#
You can’t really sum up the code by one of its constituent parts alone. In some sources courtesy (or its variant spelling) is referred to in the code of Chivalry specifically – in essence knights were expected to have good manners and behave politely, forming a principle of the code. So if the code of chivalry boils down to ‘good manners’ and an appropriate attitude to dealing with people and stuff in life, isn’t that just what we refer to now as common courtesy and being a reasonable human being? I refer again to my dictionary.ģ – favour or consent (esp in the phrase by courtesy of)Ĥ – common consent as opposed to right (esp in the phrase by courtesy) – links to courtesy titleĥ – an archaic spelling of curtsy Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers Unless we can include reasoned and logical debate or diplomacy a martial skill?) But what about courtesy? Instead, look at the virtues listed above – they all translate into what we would consider ‘good’ manners, and perhaps what counts as a well adjusted, rounded individual in modern society (give or take – it’s perhaps a good thing we don’t need martial skill in our day to day lives. A lot of being a ‘good’ knight also ties into the Christian faith, which dominates much of english literature as a frame of reference – but we’ll ignore that to a degree (as I’m not in the mood to unpackage that in my ramble). The code of chivalry seems, from my own reading, to cover a wide range of knightly virtues that create a view of a ‘perfect’ knight: honour, bravery, loyalty, martial skill, good manners, generosity, humility and faith. Men and women alike benefit from good manners. This romanticised vision of the past has become a template of what good manners ‘should’ be – normally directed at men, but for the purposes of this blog post (and because it’s 2020), let’s consider it a template for all. See all the tales of Arthurian knights, the various legends and retellings of King Arthur, stories of heroes like Charlemagne and Roland and courtly romances, and even the tales of ‘unknightly’ knights that are in films and books and plays. We have a rosy tinted view on the past at times (and at times not, we can occasionally be brutally honest), not helped by the romantic portrayal of medieval knights that are scattered through our literature and culture.
But surely chivalry is no longer relevant, steeped as it is in history? What’s the point in following a chivalric code of honour, justice, loyalty, courage etc when we no longer don armour and go toe to toe on fields of battle or tournament sites? What we forget is that the knightly code didn’t just guide a knight in a martial sense, but was the guiding principle to his behaviour or what society expected of him. There we have it – the medieval code of behaviour among knights and nobility (the upper classes expected to have good manners) and courteous behaviour aka good manners. Cue the Collin’s English Dictionary:ġ – (historical terms) the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, esp courage, honour, justice, and a readiness to help the weakĢ – courteous behaviour, esp towards womenģ – (historical terms) the medieval system and principles of knighthoodĤ – (historical terms) knights, noblemen, etc, collectively Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers I feel that my starting point should be a definition. This is purely my own thoughts and opinions that have been rattling around in my head since my return to training a year ago. I am also not an experienced HEMA practitioner, or someone who gives talks on this sort of thing. Please note this is a ramble post and may or may not go round the houses and come to no real conclusions. They all link together, but is there a place for chivalry and courtesy in our modern day? Or has it just been condensed down into ‘nice manners’ that can be swept under the rug? It also turns to the more modern interpretation of chivalric behaviour as gentlemanly behaviour towards a woman, and the codes of conduct that schools of martial arts (from my experience) expect their students to uphold.
It evokes a romantic visage of the past that is undoubtedly untrue. Whenever anyone mentions the word chivalry, my mind turns to medieval knights and the Code of Chivalry and the other knightly virtues that are believed to have governed and guided a knight’s behaviour.
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