3/16/2023 0 Comments Chivalry code for knights![]() ![]() ![]() The state also saw the benefits of promoting a code by which young men were encouraged to train and fight for their monarch. This relationship between religion and warfare only heightened with the Arab conquest of the Holy Lands and the resulting Crusades to reclaim them for Christendom from the end of the 11th century CE. The clergy keenly promoted chivalry with the code requiring knights to swear an oath to defend the church and defenceless people. Function & PromotionĬhivalry, derived from the French cheval (horse) and chevalier (knight), was originally a purely martial code for elite cavalry units and only later did it acquire its more romantic connotations of good manners and etiquette. By the 14th century CE the notion of chivalry had become more romantic and idealised, largely thanks to a plethora of literature on the subject and so the code persisted right through the medieval period with occasional revivals thereafter. Evolving from the late 11th century CE onwards, essential chivalric qualities to be displayed included courage, military prowess, honour, loyalty, justice, good manners, and generosity - especially to those less fortunate than oneself. Chivalry was, in addition, a religious, moral and social code which helped distinguish the higher classes from those below them and which provided a means by which knights could earn themselves a favourable reputation so that they might progress in their careers and personal relations. If you have a woman entering this sphere, she is almost always required to adapt to this male-centered system.In medieval Europe, a code of ethics known as chivalry developed which included rules and expectations that the nobility would, at all times, behave in a certain manner. This is because the concept of honor we generally see in science fiction and fantasy exists in systems designed for and by white men. So the very basis of this concept of honor in science fiction and fantasy takes a Eurocentric as well as masculine point of view. That said, I do want to comment that the chivalric code was reserved for men, who in this day and age would be classified as white. Perhaps the lasting influence of chivalry and its concept of honor centuries later in science fiction and fantasy is rooted in the fact that the system was popularized by (you guessed) medieval literature. Chivalry was a key concept in knighthood, dictating what it means to be a gentleman, and was also tied closely with the institution’s Christian faith. The chivalric code was an informal code of conduct that had been developed sometime between 11. Much of the type of honor relayed in science fiction and fantasy books harkens back to this medieval European concept of chivalry. Most of the science fiction and fantasy books I’ve read, at least those based in Europe-like settings, still adhere to the medieval definition of honor, which include keeping one’s word, fighting fairly, and treating guests with the utmost respect. The way we practice honor is different and has been adapted to our technology age, whereas the worlds in science fiction and fantasy need something else…something medieval Europe once needed, too. Merriam-Webster defines the noun form of honor as “good name or public esteem: reputation” and “a showing of usually merited respect: recognition.” This is not to say that reputation and showing respect aren’t part of our own world, but nowadays, reputation has evolved to mean good branding or politeness. For example, what is the etiquette between two people who can kill each other with one magical word? Or between two opposing armies with starships capable of destroying entire planets? It looks like the answer to that is something the Knights of the Round Table mastered: honor.
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