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A Knight there was and that
a worthy man. That from the tyme that he first bigan to riden out, he loved chivalrie,
Trouthe and honour, Freedom and curteisie. Ful worthy was he in his Lordes were,
And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre, as wel in cristendom as in hethenesse,
and evere honoured for his worthynesse.
Geoffrey Chaucer, Prologue to the Canterbury tales (
c 1390)
The Feudal Knight
of the early Norman period, both in England and on the Continent, was a vassal who
held land in return for his readiness to accompany his lord onto the battlefield.
More often than not his conduct was marked by ferocity and lack of restraint. Something
needed to be done to elevate the knight from barbaric savage to nobleman by adding
purpose to his profession. Fortunately the solution was close at hand. The church
began to promote the marriage of war and religion, and it was as a result of the
Christian crusades that chivalry came into bloom.
The code of
Chivalry
1, Thou shalt believe all
that the Church teaches and shalt obey all her commandments.
2, Thou shalt defend the Church.
3, Thou shalt respect all weaknesses and shall constitute thyself the defender of
them.
4, Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast borne.
5, Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
6, Thou shalt make war against the infidel without cessation and without mercy.
7, Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they not be contrary to
the laws of god.
8, Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
9, Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
10, Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the right and good against
injustice and evil.