Castellum Montanum

Chivalry

by Daracha

There seems to be no known date when chivalry started, but between the 11^th and 13^th centuries, it reached its height of popularity. The word Chivalry came the French word “la chavalrie” which originated from “cheval” (horse) and “chevalier” (horseman). Later “Chevalier” referred to a Knight, for after all, what was a Knight without a horse, but a man-at-arms.

“A Knyght there was and that a worthy man
That from the tyme that he first bigan
To ridden out, he loved chivalrie,
Trouthe and honour, freedon and curteisie.
Ful worthy was he in his lordes were,
And therto hadde he ridden, 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)

Priests (and others) believed that in order for a man to be a knight and chivalric, he had to be baptized into Christianity. The knights seem to have lead lives closely associated with the Church, and had such faith in their God, that they would go into battle on the word of their priests that God controlled everything (and thus they would fare well).

The romantic idea of the knight was very popular and also taken very seriously. The knight would undergo severe training, which started when he was 7 years old. So as not to be influenced by anything other than the correct behaviour of a true knight, the child was taken from his home and “fostered” by a nearby lord. The lord of the house would teach the boy the “manly” aspects of being a knight, while the lady of the house taught him the more gentle side of chivalry, including; religion, the chivalric code, music and other more feminine aspects of life.

At 14, the boy was given a sword, and was now trained in the use of several different weapons. This training continued until he reached 21 years of age, where he would undergo a religious knighthood ceremony, full of fasting, purification and lots of reflection about what is was to be a knight.

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