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A knight in the middle ages was having possessed great combat skills and who adhered to the code of Chivalry. Any free man could become a knight but the process of becoming a knight and equipping a knight with a horse was very costly this meant that knights would generally come from a noble, or wealthy family. A potential knight had to have the right connections. The honour of being a knight eventually passed from a knight to his sons.
By the time of the Crusades in Medieval Europe, Knights were nothing out of the ordinary. A knight's training began at around four or five. It involved them learning how to ride a pony. Around the age of eight, the young trainee would be sent to be a page for a lord or a relative with influence. At this point, they would refine their swordsmanship, improve their horse skills, and would be taught more about their religion. At the age of 14, pages were eligible to become a squire, where they continued their sword fighting skills. They would accompany a knight into a battle, care for him, care for his horses, and would simply hope to be chosen to
To be a knight, his fitness level had to be exceptional enough to last through a long, intense battle. Knights had to face a variety of challenges and were expected to handle them as any knight would. For example, some battles would last long periods of times, so these knights were expected to handle different weather changes, tiredness, and hungriness. The most important qualification that a knight had to have was modeling bravery due to the extreme battles that would be fought. Through these long battles, knights had to stay positive and not give up for what they are fighting for.
Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.
At first knights and soldiers in the armies were of little social status. “Many knights in fact possessed little more than peasants” (Spielvogel 244). War was looked as kind of a barbaric act in the beginning and many knights could be found fighting each other. While some of this was tolerated, as they were seen as “defenders of society”, the Catholic Church decided that there should be some ground rules. At the start of the eleventh century, the church urged knights to take an oath to protect churches, and to not harm noncombatants. These rules allowed for battles to follow a civil path and to be carried out in a noble way.
In ancient times there was a hierarchy and as a knight, everything was done to serve the lord of the realm. To be a knight is to have honor and uphold oneself in a manner that's respectable. A knight is a representative of his kingdom and his lord, and he must conduct himself in a manner that is pleasing to his king. A knight must also seek out glory for his kingdom. So to obtain riches, land, or conquer
A common belief is that a big part in the code of chivalry is courtly love. This is false. The documentary says the code of chivalry bound the aristocratic fighting class and protected the aristocracy families. This doesn’t have and didn’t have much to do with romance. Courtly love is more of the term to use for the code the knights followed in regards to romance. Chivalry was mostly a knights’ duties, roles, and behaviors he was to follow in order to remain honorable. It relates to the knights’ relationship with one another. Courtly love focused on how a knight treated his women. In The Knight’s Tale these two codes are at war with one another.
In years of King Arthur and the round table, the knights lived by a code. This code was called the Code of Chivalry. Knights abided by these rules and were punished both physically but socially if they broke one. Today, this code can be translated into modern day unspoken rules.
Just as she lands her perfect beam routine and wins the gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics she reflects back on her dedication to get there, “I had to face a lot coming through this journey, a lot of sacrifices, difficulties, challenges, and injuries.” Although, she is known to be a perfect gymnast Gabby Douglas is not the first to achieve perfection. Sir Gawain, a knight from King Arthur's court Camelot, is proclaimed a perfect knight. In the well-known Sir Gawain and the Green Knight this acclaimed knight’s was tested his commitment to following the Code of Chivalry for a whole year. Remarkably, Sir Gawain proves himself to be a perfect knight through his loyalty to the Code of Chivalry.
When asked to think of the word “chivalry” and the chivalric code, what is the first thing which comes to mind? Many would visualize the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Most people overlook that chivalry was a code of conduct, designed specifically for the hierarchical order of society and difficult lifestyle during medieval times. The code of conduct included many ideals such as courage, honor, and protecting the weak and was followed by the knights; it also helped control the warrior class by imposing such strict expectations, ensuring they won’t violently turn on those they are assigned to protect. Chivalry played a very important role in the medieval time period.
Before they could wield swords and fight battles they must start their training early in boyhood. First starting to care for horses and play the harp. Next they became a Paige. They learn archery skills and improve on other skills. Then a Squire who finally practice sword play and improve on horse riding. Last after being dubbed a knight by their king or queen they become a knight. They can now lead armies into battle and joust for the king, queen, lords, ladies, and rich nobles. They had many weapons including a battle ax, a lance, a crossbow, a longbow, a shield a sword and many more interesting weapons. There were also many pieces that made up their armor, but the biggest thing was chain mail. It was a brilliant invention that stopped warriors from getting stabbed but they could still feel the momentum of the blow. A few knights belonged to the king, but mostly the knights and armies belonged to the lords and ladies. Once they find out the king is out numbered by thousands they decide to rebuttal throwing the whole feudal system
Knights, were from the medieval era. At age twelve or thirteen a boy born in to nobility would become a squire. They became assistants to knights, they would look after the knight's armor and weapons. They would be able to follow the knight in to battle and learn the use of the weapons. When the knights were in tournaments, the squire was the only person allowed to help him. Once the squire was old and skilled enough, he would become a knight himself.
First, before knighthood could be attained, one would have to train for well over decade. Most knights were sons of nobles who were sent away
Throughout history, there have been different codes of ethics that are often more important to a society that the governing laws of the land. While laws are written standards that people are compelled to abide by for fear of punishment, these codes serve as guideline for how people should live their lives. Two such codes are comitatus as demonstrated in Beowulf and chivalry as depicted in Morte D’Arthur. When the characters in these stories live by the constructs of these social systems, the society flourishes. When characters stray from each social code, however, the entire society falls victim.
A knight’s Code of Chivalry was a system of morals that they lived by. Knights were very respected people because they lived by that code. A person’s morals or personal code can reflect a person’s character. I realized mine throughout the time I spent taking care of my great grandmother.
The first Knights were around in about the eight hundreds when Charlemagne created his empire (Brooks 4). Knights were so important to society at that time, that they were given royal recognition ("Knights"). This was a big deal in the Middle Ages and a huge honor towards knighthood. The effect of the new royal recognition was that their title, nobility, and social status to increase ("Knights"). Not only is knighthood a formal title ("Knights"), but it is also a way of life.