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Medieval Europe + Byzantine
Course: Medieval Europe + Byzantine > Unit 1
Lesson 1: The basics- Introduction to the middle ages
- Beginner's guide to medieval art (quiz)
- A New Pictorial Language: The Image in Early Medieval Art
- Pilgrimage souvenirs
- Chivalry in the Middle Ages
- Travel, trade and exploration in the Middle Ages
- The medieval calendar
- The classical past
- Musical imagery in the Global Middle Ages
- Coming Out: Queer Erasure and Censorship from the Middle Ages to Modernity
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Chivalry in the Middle Ages
Chivalric customs arose from the medieval knight's code of conduct, and were gradually adopted by aristocrats and society as a whole. Learn about the elements of the code and some surprising early applications, as depicted in illuminated manuscripts. Created by Getty Museum.
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- So at the end, the woman narrating says that we never think of the consequences of the use of chivalry, however it is never explained.
What exactly do you think would have been the consequences?(7 votes)- The consequences were the reaffirming and reinforcement of social differences.
The knights could chivalrously flirt, joust and traipse up and down the countryside looking for religous tableware bevause back on their estates they had peasants dirt farming, and getting taxed for the pleasure.
Chivalry let the upper classes rest their authority on a romantic ideal, they were noble and thus chivalrous and therefore had a right to privilege; they were privileged, thus noble and therefore chivalrous.
Their actual actions mattered little if they didn't bring censure upon themselves from other nobility; they were in a position of power, and chivalry only strengethened it.(7 votes)
- So many of the same things that make up the code of Chivalry seem to mirror concepts from what I believe to be the much older idea of Bushido, the code of the Samurai. Were the knights the European version of the Samurai, and had the concept migrated from the east? Thanks, T.S.(5 votes)
- I doubt that would have been the case. Christianity influenced Western Chivalry. Bushido on the other hand was influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism and Shintoism. So while in Europe, knights were hunting using Chivalry, in Japan the samurai were mostly vegetarian. They would have also placed more emphasis on the family and ancestors worship than on a single individual such as a wife or fiancée. Finally the samurai would also have been paid in rice (Koku) rather than money. So it's unlikely, two samurai would have duelled over a debt as shown in the video.
I can understand you want to find similarities between the two but they are in fact very distinct codes of conduct for the upper classes.(3 votes)
- We see inthe fight over a debt. Could this element of chivalry carried over into 19th Century U.S. where we see the institution of dueling involving Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson and other notable figures? 1:02(4 votes)
- That's a great question r3hall! and the answer is likely yes! there is a connection which can be seen here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duel and for more information on modern dueling http://www.wikihow.com/Fight-a-Duel-(the-Modern-Way)(3 votes)
- Alright, it talks about the wide application of chivilary from hunting to tournements to table manners. However, can anyone give specific examples of such manners? For instance, how exactly did the knight have to behave at the table? I get the general stuff, but I want examples because I want to know what exactly we are talking about. I still do not comprehend the concept of chivarly in the context of medieval society if I do not know specific examples. I would be very thankful for an enumeration of manners, which would explain a lot about the Middle Ages.(3 votes)
- Where in Europe did chivalry apply to? Where did knights and castles exist?(2 votes)
- There are many castles in Europe. In Germany are some which still exist today (not ruins) i.e. Burg Eltz, Schloss Glücksburg, etc. You can google them. Both are very nice.(2 votes)
- What are the consequences for chiverly(2 votes)
- A code of conduct, so that knights don't go attacking everyone and instead focus their energy on politeness. ;)(1 vote)
- Well one consequence I can think of, is it is al very fine and well to have a gaggle of knights running about fighting your fights from say grabbing that neighboring castle to sending them out to fight your Crusade. Brutal. What do you do when the boys come home. Battle hardened, battle weary.....and still armed? War skillful, war powerful? Your answer? Chivalry!
Loyalty, Alignance, defense of the weak, and for the terribly bored - Joisting! Good times had by all. No harm done. Just knights. Nobles retain power and get some entertainment, women (and their Lord Husbands) need not fret.
At the table for instance, if memory serves right, knives which had been a staple tool of eating were banished, spoons and later dull tined forks came into play. Chivalry.(2 votes) - What role does chivalry play in our everyday etiquette today?(1 vote)
- atthere's a page from a manuscript depicting what seems to be knights in battle, but the text is persian! that's quite odd. can anyone shed a light on that? 00:39(1 vote)
- -- What are some examples of these "practical consequences"? 2:05(1 vote)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Think of chivalry, and you might imagine
knights in shining armor and damsels in distress. Chivalry originated in ideals associated with a
knight's code of conduct. Over time it came to
more broadly represent a model for the behavior
and moral principles of the upper classes. - [Melanie] We can think of chivalry as a code of honor that
really came to fruition in the 11th and 12th centuries, and many of the values
that chivalry championed are things that we still value today. Loyalty, bravery, protection of the weak. - [Voiceover] Chivalry wasn't
just about gallant acts meant to impress a princess. It widely affected culture from love relationships to hunting, fashion to law. This illustrated E is contained
within a medieval law book. You see two knights on
horses facing one another. They are about to settle a
disagreement over a debt. Hunting was a chance to improve oneself physically and mentally, not unlike the goals of chivalry. - [Melanie] It's typical in these stories that there is an aristocrat or a knight who is in love with a woman
of a higher social standing that's already married. It was thought that
the man's love for this higher standing woman would have had a civilizing affect on him. Code of honor provided
a means for aristocrats to kind of move up the social ladder. If they knew these rules,
if they knew how to behave in a tournament or how
to dress for a banquet, then that was a way of
displaying one's social standing. But it's the nature of
having rules like this that certain people are
left out of that club. Because we have such romantic
notions of what chivalry is, we don't tend to think of the practical consequences of chivalry
during this period.