A chivalric code

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What was the 'code' for medival knights?

 

It was really a code for a knight's behavior in warfare. The _Book of Chivarly_ was written by a French knight, Geoffroi de Charney, in the 14th century. He was a knight of renown, fighting, and meeting death on the battlefield during the Hundred Years War.

There is also Ramon Lull's _Book of Knighthood and Chivalry_ which I have never read. He was not a knight but a Franciscan Monk, living about 100 years before de Charney.

Both books were written during the golden age of knighthood, what is often referred to as the High Middle Ages.


Although Chivalry began as a military code it developed into a social and relgious code as well: A knight's purity and a degree of self-denial are traits which the proper knight sought to develop within himself. A knight is to seek honor and glory through the feats of arms, while developing within himself the Christian traits of mercy, charity and honesty.

There is also the German Knight, Wolfram, who wrote _Parzival_. This focuses on the knight as an individual, rather than a construct of the strict vertical hierarchy of feudal society, the quest knight exists on a horizontal plane, at right angles to the socio-political hierachy, developing himself as an individual. Chivalry becomes a quest in itself, one of "self-fashoning" (to use a term of the Renaissance).

Chaucer, in the General Prologue to the _Canterbury Tales_ also sums up pretty well how a knight would be viewed during his own time by many in society. Chaucer also wrote during the Hundred Year's Wars.

Of course, there is always Sir John Chandos. A great knight in his own right...

 

The code is also quite century dependent. I want to say the knight (this knight would have been chainmailed and I believe fought on foot rather then horseback) came into existence in the 7th to 8th century. The "Dark Ages" code is a lot more permissive of what we might refer to as moral imperfections then the 13th and 14th century codes where the status of women improved somewhat and Christdom became more stable and less dangerous (through the establishment of formal rules of war and the end of the Viking presence in 1065).

EDIT: Note that early knights didn't have a formalized code like the knights of later times, early knights would have considered themselves "Soldiers of God", but they where more of "elite warriors" (elite because they had considerable monetary assets) then a religiously sanctioned warrior tied to an elite social status.

[ June 05, 2006, 07:37: Message edited by: Ilmater's Suffering ]

 

My general idea fits with this.

What about Samaurai? What strictures did they follow?

 

Wikipedia has loads of great articles about such things. Try "chivalric code", "warrior code", "Arthurian tales", "chansons de geste", "chivalry", "samurai" and the like. It's written in a nice, accessible way and contains more information than I can spam off the top of my head. I've read most of that, so I know what I'm recommending.

 

kuemper - Sorry, looking at my copy of the _Book of Chivalry_, it is de Charny, not Charney.

 

Samurai followed Bushido, an extremely strict code of honour and also a philosophy based heavily on Buddhismand the teachings of Confucious.

It taught that the life of the Samurai was solely the possession of the lord, and were to carry out his orders without question. If a Samurai was ever to stray from this code, they could only regain their honour by committing seppuku (also known as hari-kiri), a form of ritual suicide. Those without masters or whom had lost their honour were known as ronin. Dying in the service of your lord was one of the greatest honours a Samurai could achieve.

Key to Bushido were seven virtues: Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honour/Glory, and Loyalty.

Bushido also put heavy emphasis on reincarnation, and the state known as "no-mind", in which the Samurai would clear their head of all thought and react instinctively in a battle.