The most prominent, and probably most recognizable, figure of the Middle Ages is the appearance of the knight and the way of life they brought about. Initially, knight service appeared in England as a result of the Norman Conquest; the invasion of England by William of Normandy in 1066. The army William used was hired on the promise of booty and fiefs following the war. The social structure that came about after the Norman Conquest placed the knight as a military figurehead, giving the knights a chance to move closer to the aristocracy that controlled them. Knight service was acquired by the payment of a fee. Initially the fee was commonly paid in land, called a fief, but as time progressed money became the most popular way to obtain a knight's service. These knights upheld ".the values of knightly devotion (especially to a lady), fortitude, and loyalty". Knights lived by the ideals of chivalry and expressed these values in their daily lives. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight incorporates the principles of chivalry into a seamless story told in the genre of Arthurian literature. The Camelot Project, at The University of Rochester maintains that "in the English tradition Gawain is the principal hero and the exemplar of courtesy and chivalry, as he is in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". Chivalry can be defined, in simple terms, as a way of life. The devotion of oneself to upholding all that is just and true is the very heart of the chivalric code. The fact that people are imperfect exhibits to us that this code is idealistic, and in the tradition of all ideals, cannot be maintained.
"A typical knight was seen as a fief holder who rendered homage and service to his lord in return for the fief. The lord might in turn be the fief-holding vassal of a higher lord, while the knight might be served by knightly vassals one step down on the feudal pyramid". In society at this time there were three main social divisions: the prayers (oratores), the fighters (bellatores), and the workers (laboratores).
In this paper I will discuss the origins, importance, and decline of knighthood. ... Shortly after knighthood declined. ... Between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries a change took place between knighthood and feudalism. ... In the sixteenth century knighthood ended in the traditional sense. After this knighthood became an honorific status....
Knighthood was a trend that began during the 11th century as a professional association. It included only those who could afford to make and maintain the heavy capital investment required by mounted warfare - that is horse and armor fighting. Knights usually came from the nobles - the great land-o...
In Europe, things were organised supremely, the monarchy and knighthood saw to that. ... In Japan, things were also like this, but the Japanese had the Samurai, a class similar to the European knighthood, and one I find interesting to this day... ...
To understand such romance, one must know the definition of chivalry and knighthood. ... "Knighthood comes from the English word knight, which means household retainer." ... In the 12th century, chivalric codes were added to knighthood. ... Chivalry added discipline to knighthood. ... The decline of knighthood was from the 13th century on. ...
Malory set them as the ones who align paths for men to reach their knighthood, becoming end goals themselves and even objects within a system to be feared. ... Furthermore, this so called "power" ignites the flame of knighthood, because only through accomplishing quests set by these damsels would prove these men worthy of the title of a true knight. ... Women are seen to be the gatekeepers of knighthood, end goals themselves, and objects within a system to be feared. ...
Chivalry can be defined as the medieval system, principles, and customs of knighthood, the qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. The act of placing a jacket over a puddle, pulling out a chair for a lady or opening a door, these are just a ...
The Knights of the Round Table were noble in their actions. Sir Launcelot is a prime example of nobility of the Round Table. Throughout his life, Launcelot has been unselfish, caring, and faithful to the knighthood. Launcelot was the greatest mounted warrior and was respected by all. The Knight...
It denotes a man of aristocratic standing and probably of noble ancestry, who is capable, if called upon, of equipping himself with a war horse and the arms of a heavy cavalryman, and who has been through certain rituals that make him what he is - who has been "dubbed'' to knighthood. ... Chretien de Troyes' primary focus on chivalry as a central tenet of knighthood addresses, but does not definitively explain, what the knight's identity and purpose are. What we are left with then is to make a kind of general statement about how knighthood is identified solely with positi...
What is the concept of knighthood all about? Knighthood exists in two places simultaneously--in the world and in our imagination. We can speak of ideals versus realities, probably the central problem with knighthood and the chivalric ideals. ... The Legend of King Arthur, one of the most enduring tales in recorded history, made knighthood in the middle ages very well known. ...
