Transcript 13.3 - code of chivalry

13.3 – The Age of
Chivalry
A New Soldier: Knights
• Origins: Charles Martel
from the Muslims at
Tours
• Improvements:
– Leather Saddles = Firm
Seat
– Stirrups = Ride & Handle
Heavy Weapons
• Decisive soldiers –
Fearsome & effective as
a “shock weapon”
Knights: A Feudal Role
• Dangerous world = Need
for protection
• Lords raise armies of
knights
• Knights receive land (fief)
for military service
• Wealth from the fief =
military lifestyle
• Obligations: ~40 days of
service/year
• Practice: Hunting, Wrestling
The Ideal Knight
• Knights had to defend 3
things (Code of Chivalry):
– 1) His Feudal Lord
– 2) His Heavenly Lord
– 3) His Chosen Lady
• Defend the weak & the
poor
• Loyal, Brave, & Courteous
• Falsehood: Treat lower
classes brutally
A Knight’s Training
• Only a noble’s son could
be a knight
– Sent off to learn the
code from another lord
• Age 7 (Page) – Waited
on hosts & learned how
to fight
• Age 14 (Squire) –
Servant to a Knight
• Age ~21 – Knighthood
Tournaments & Warfare
• Young knights gained
experience in local wars
• Practiced in
tournaments
– Winners get ransoms
• Knights led armies &
attacked castles
• Laid siege to castles
– P. 366 – warfare profile
Chivalry: Literature
• Stories, poems, & songs
glorified knights
• Stories told of a hero’s
deeds & adventures
– Ex: King Arthur &
Charlemagne
• Famous: The Song of
Roland
• Under the code (lady =
lord)
• Troubadours – sing
romantic love songs
– Eleanor of Aquitaine most
famous subject for songs
• Mother of kings Richard &
John
Feudal Society: Noblewomen
• Noblewomen could
inherit estates
• Send knights to war &
even act as a military
commander
• At times, even defend
the castle
• Generally, life was
limited to the home or
convent & they owned
little or no property
Feudal Society: Peasant Women
• Life barely changed
from the previous
period
• Life of endless labor –
taking care of the
home, working fields,
taking care of the
family, etc.
• Poor & powerless
• Receive little or no
education