Chivalry and the Church

¶ … Chivalry has been a part of some societies since the Middle Ages. It originally applied to men who became knights and it became their code of conduct that served their lords, their countries and their Church. That code of conduct definitely included some admirable characteristics and definitely excluded some shameful characteristics. Through the centuries, it has evolved and has a lot less to do with fighting. However, many of the values live on and are like Christ.

Extended Definition of Chivalry

"Chivalry" originally comes from an Old French term: chevalerie, which means "horse soldiery" or the cavalry. This is because the idea of chivalry began with Charlemagne's cavalry -- his knights - and meant a code of conduct including bravery, training and service to other people during the European Middle Ages. The idea kept evolving and by the Late Middle Ages it meant a code of behavior more tied to morality, an honorable and noble way of living that included a warrior's bravery, Christian values and genteel manners. The idea still kept evolving and by the late 1800's it meant believing in and keeping all the Church's teachings, defending the Church, defending the weak, loving your country, fighting people who were against the Church, keeping all God's laws, always telling the truth, always fighting evil, and being generous. Through the years, chivalry kept developing and getting watered down until it now means being gallant and brave. Chivalry included a number of admirable characteristics shown by its synonyms, such as: "valor" because a knight must be bold and brave; "courtliness" because a knight must be considerate and have good manners; and "fairness" because a knight must uphold justice. Because chivalry upheld strong, valuable characteristics, it definitely excluded some shameful characteristics shown by its antonyms, such as: "cowardice" because a knight must be courageous and heroic; "rudeness" because a knight must be courteous and thoughtful; and "unjust" because a knight had the burden and gift of meting out justice. By reviewing the synonyms and antonyms of chivalry, one can see that it was a definite, strong set of principles and deliberately was not another set of disgraceful characteristics.

b. Explain the role that chivalry played in the Middle Ages