- Define Chivalrous
- Chivalry Urban Dictionary
- Define Chivalry Is Dead
- Define Chivalry In Literature
- Define Chivalry Medieval Europe
As a verb, rival typically has a meaning that relates to this latter sense of the noun. The verb is most often used to say that someone or something possesses qualities or aptitudes that approach or equal those of another. 1 people chose this as the best definition of chivalry: Chivalry is defined as a. See the dictionary meaning, pronunciation, and sentence examples. Holding the door for you. The other day, I was headed inside a building when a dark-haired guy with. Chivalry might be dead, but 'modern chivalry' doesn't need to be.You might not need a guy to throw his jacket over puddles for you to walk over, but these 20 acts of modern chivalry.
chivalry
(shĭv`əlrē), system of ethical ideals that arose from feudalismfeudalism, form of political and social organization typical of Western Europe from the dissolution of Charlemagne's empire to the rise of the absolute monarchies. The term feudalism is derived from the Latin feodum,
.....Click the link for more information. and had its highest development in the 12th and 13th cent.
Chivalric ethics originated chiefly in France and Spain and spread rapidly to the rest of the Continent and to England. They represented a fusion of Christian and military concepts of morality and still form the basis of gentlemanly conduct. Noble youths became pages in the castles of other nobles at the age of 7; at 14 they trained as squires in the service of knights, learning horsemanship and military techniques, and were themselves knighted, usually at 21.
The chief chivalric virtues were piety, honor, valor, courtesy, chastity, and loyalty. The knight's loyalty was due to the spiritual master, God; to the temporal master, the suzerain; and to the mistress of the heart, his sworn love. Love, in the chivalrous sense, was largely platonic; as a rule, only a virgin or another man's wife could be the chosen object of chivalrous love. With the cult of the Virgin Mary, the relegation of noblewomen to a pedestal reached its highest expression.
The ideal of militant knighthood was greatly enhanced by the CrusadesCrusades
, series of wars undertaken by European Christians between the 11th and 14th cent. to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. First Crusade
Origins
In the 7th cent., Jerusalem was taken by the caliph Umar.
.....Click the link for more information.. The monastic orders of knighthood, the Knights TemplarsKnights Templars
, in medieval history, members of the military and religious order of the Poor Knights of Christ, called the Knights of the Temple of Solomon from their house in Jerusalem.
.....Click the link for more information. and the Knights HospitalersKnights Hospitalers,
members of the military and religious Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, sometimes called the Knights of St. John and the Knights of Jerusalem. The symbol of the Order of St.
.....Click the link for more information., produced soldiers sworn to uphold the Christian ideal. Besides the battlefield, the tournamenttournament
or tourney,
in the Middle Ages, public contest between armed horsemen in simulation of real battle. In this military game, which flourished from the 12th to the 16th cent., combatants were frequently divided into opposing factions, each led by a champion.
.....Click the link for more information. was the chief arena in which the virtues of chivalry could be proved. The code of chivalrous conduct was worked out with great subtlety in the courts of love that flourished in France and in Flanders. There the most arduous questions of love and honor were argued before the noble ladies who presided (see courtly lovecourtly love,
philosophy of love and code of lovemaking that flourished in France and England during the Middle Ages. Although its origins are obscure, it probably derived from the works of Ovid, various Middle Eastern ideas popular at the time, and the songs of the troubadours.
.....Click the link for more information.). The French military hero Pierre Terrail, seigneur de BayardBayard, Pierre Terrail, seigneur de
, c.1474–1524, French military hero, called le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche [the knight without fear or reproach].
.....Click the link for more information., was said to be the last embodiment of the ideals of chivalry.
In practice, chivalric conduct was never free from corruption, increasingly evident in the later Middle Ages. Courtly love often deteriorated into promiscuity and adultery and pious militance into barbarous warfare. Moreover, the chivalric duties were not owed to those outside the bounds of feudal obligation. The outward trappings of chivalry and knighthood declined in the 15th cent., by which time wars were fought for victory and individual valor was irrelevant. Artificial orders of chivalry, such as the Order of the Golden Fleece (1423), were created by rulers to promote loyalty; tournaments became ritualized, costly, and comparatively bloodless; the traditions of knighthood became obsolete.
Medieval secular literature was primarily concerned with knighthood and chivalry. Two masterpieces of this literature are the Chanson de Roland (c.1098; see RolandRoland
, the great French hero of the medieval Charlemagne cycle of chansons de geste, immortalized in the Chanson de Roland (11th or 12th cent.). Existence of an early Roland poem is indicated by the historian Wace's statement that Taillefer sang of Roland's deeds
.....Click the link for more information.) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (see Pearl, ThePearl, The,
one of four Middle English alliterative poems, all contained in a manuscript of c.1400, composed in the West Midland dialect, almost certainly by the same anonymous author, who flourished c.1370–1390.
.....Click the link for more information.). Arthurian legendArthurian legend,
the mass of legend, popular in medieval lore, concerning King Arthur of Britain and his knights. Medieval Sources
The battle of Mt. Badon—in which, according to the Annales Cambriae (c.
.....Click the link for more information. and the chansons de gestechansons de geste
[Fr.,=songs of deeds], a group of epic poems of medieval France written from the 11th through the 13th cent. Varying in length from 1,000 to 20,000 lines, assonanced or (in the 13th cent.
.....Click the link for more information. furnished bases for many later romances and epics. The work of Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes
or Chrestien de Troyes
, fl. 1170, French poet, author of the first great literary treatments of the Arthurian legend. His narrative romances, composed c.1170–c.
.....Click the link for more information. and the Roman de la RoseRoman de la Rose, Le
, French poem of 22,000 lines in eight-syllable couplets. It is in two parts. The first (4,058 lines) was written (c.1237) by Guillaume de Lorris and was left unfinished. It is an elaborate allegory on the psychology of love, often subtle and charming.
.....Click the link for more information. also had tremendous influence on European literature. The endless chivalrous and pastoral romances, still widely read in the 16th cent., were satirized by Cervantes in Don Quixote. In the 19th cent., however, the romantic movement brought about a revival of chivalrous ideals and literature.
Define Chivalrous
For the lyric poetry of the age of chivalry, see troubadourstroubadours
, aristocratic poet-musicians of S France (Provence) who flourished from the end of the 11th cent. through the 13th cent. Many troubadours were noblemen and crusader knights; some were kings, e.g.
.....Click the link for more information.; trouvèrestrouvères
, medieval poet-musicians of central and N France, fl. during the later 12th and the 13th cent. The trouvères imitated the troubadours of the south.
.....Click the link for more information.; minnesingerminnesinger
, a medieval German knight, poet, and singer of Minne, or courtly love. Originally imitators of Provençal troubadours, minnesingers developed their own style in the 13th and 14th cent.
.....Click the link for more information..
Bibliography
See B. E. Broughton, Dictionary of Medieval Knighthood and Chivalry (1986); M. Keen, Chivalry (1984); H. Chickering and T. H. Seiler, ed., The Study of Chivalry (1988).
We constantly find ourselves mulling over whether chivalry is dead or it's still alive, don't we?
Its definition is centered towards men as it is men who are often expected to behave in a chivalrous manner. Well, it's a free world and I might not hesitate even a bit to say that centering chivalry towards men is utterly sexist and I'm not happy with the way it's been comprehended by the fellow residents of our planet since centuries and even longer.
Let me draw your attention towards the fact that I'm not basing my views on the meaning of chivalry in a relationship. I don't know if you're aware or not but chivalry doesn't have to be romantic. And today, I shall be woman-splaining chivalry, for a change. Hold your horses until you read the entire article. This is where things get interesting!
Having seen countless memes about 'Chivalry is dead', I couldn't help but jot down some lines explaining chivalry from a female's POV. Oh, memes reminded me of a YouTube video where someone mocked someone else for not knowing what a meme was. In case you don't want to be a subject of mockery, look up and find out what a meme is. You might as well find some memes based on chivalry but don't get lost pondering in the thoughts. Thou shall be expected to bring your ass right back afterward!
What were the duties of chivalric code?
What are the codes of chivalry today? In what ways does chivalry appear in modern society?
You shall know it all. Just keep reading further.
Here begins the womansplanation of chivalry!
Chivalry Urban Dictionary
I am a 20-something-year-old female and I've met jerks and gentlemen in the ratio of 70:30. Well, jerks were jerks and they knew not a thing about chivalry. That's all the explanation they deserve and I shall leave the rest to you. Use your imagination!
Coming to the gentlemen, well, here are some examples of someone behaving chivalrously.
I personally don't mind being ushered to the dinner table. I would be least bothered having my chairs pulled upon wanting to be seated or having someone open the door for me. Some days, I'd brush it off my shoulders labeling it as 'good mannerisms' but for the rest of the days, I wouldn't stop wondering why the certain someone did certain something for me when I was completely able to do it on my own. I start my morning with pilates, so don't you question my strength. But even without the strength I acquired from pilates, being a woman has never affected my ability to pull a chair or open a door for myself.
See B. E. Broughton, Dictionary of Medieval Knighthood and Chivalry (1986); M. Keen, Chivalry (1984); H. Chickering and T. H. Seiler, ed., The Study of Chivalry (1988).
We constantly find ourselves mulling over whether chivalry is dead or it's still alive, don't we?
Its definition is centered towards men as it is men who are often expected to behave in a chivalrous manner. Well, it's a free world and I might not hesitate even a bit to say that centering chivalry towards men is utterly sexist and I'm not happy with the way it's been comprehended by the fellow residents of our planet since centuries and even longer.
Let me draw your attention towards the fact that I'm not basing my views on the meaning of chivalry in a relationship. I don't know if you're aware or not but chivalry doesn't have to be romantic. And today, I shall be woman-splaining chivalry, for a change. Hold your horses until you read the entire article. This is where things get interesting!
Having seen countless memes about 'Chivalry is dead', I couldn't help but jot down some lines explaining chivalry from a female's POV. Oh, memes reminded me of a YouTube video where someone mocked someone else for not knowing what a meme was. In case you don't want to be a subject of mockery, look up and find out what a meme is. You might as well find some memes based on chivalry but don't get lost pondering in the thoughts. Thou shall be expected to bring your ass right back afterward!
What were the duties of chivalric code?
What are the codes of chivalry today? In what ways does chivalry appear in modern society?
You shall know it all. Just keep reading further.
Here begins the womansplanation of chivalry!
Chivalry Urban Dictionary
I am a 20-something-year-old female and I've met jerks and gentlemen in the ratio of 70:30. Well, jerks were jerks and they knew not a thing about chivalry. That's all the explanation they deserve and I shall leave the rest to you. Use your imagination!
Coming to the gentlemen, well, here are some examples of someone behaving chivalrously.
I personally don't mind being ushered to the dinner table. I would be least bothered having my chairs pulled upon wanting to be seated or having someone open the door for me. Some days, I'd brush it off my shoulders labeling it as 'good mannerisms' but for the rest of the days, I wouldn't stop wondering why the certain someone did certain something for me when I was completely able to do it on my own. I start my morning with pilates, so don't you question my strength. But even without the strength I acquired from pilates, being a woman has never affected my ability to pull a chair or open a door for myself.
Some days I feel flattered whilst some other days, I feel offended. 'What's there to be offended about?', you might ask. Oh well, out of all honesty, I think all the 'gentleman-ly' stuff put into play would be nice if they were used as a means to show kindness and respect combined. Howsoever, in most of the cases, some men apologetically perform the deed just to enfeeble our position as women with the sole objective of making us feel as if we are biologically weak creatures. Some use it as a means of handing over the consolation prize to our race for the prevailing male-dominance in the world of today and ever since time has come into existence.
If you are courteous to me as a gesture of grandiloquence, then good sir, you can eff yourself. I shall give you no other chance to portray your alpha male instincts or pull off any other condescending act to prove your superiority.
Define Chivalry Is Dead
With that being said, please don't mistake me for some impressionable person who would get swayed upon by the beliefs of some misandrists encouraging women to give up some of their intrinsic characteristics, if not to prove their superiority then to be considered as equivalent to men.Yes, I cry. Yes, I have emotions. No, I can't cook. And you might find me giggling with my friends and I might make the impression of an immature woman but don't you dare mistaken it as my lack of strength.
Define Chivalry In Literature
I have a different peripheral view on strength. Being strong means having the courage and it is nowhere equivalent to encouraging someone to practice misandry. Do you hear me?
I don't have a problem with being helped but the intent behind it. Even I help people regardless of whatever gender they might be. I practice the virtues of dignity, humanity, and equality, and my judgments and motives are based on a non-discriminatory approach. So, why is my want of being respected and my willingness to selflessly help people disgraced as 'feminism' but the same act pulled off by my male counterparts appraised as 'Chivalry'? Why can't I be the one practicing chivalry?
I am absolutely gobsmacked seeing how the primitive definition of chivalry victimizes women and considers them to be some fragile creatures, and thus designates the role of benevolent helpers to men. Well, if you recognize me as being a damsel in distress and decide to jump in to be my knight in the shining armor- No, thank you! To me, the cliché is dead and you can bury it wherever it originated from, whether it be from the narrowness of your mindset or that of the society where we live in.
The act of chivalry has a completely varying definition in my mindset, and you are free to express your contradictory viewpoints on it. Chivalry, to me, is respecting an individual and their preferences, letting them act according to their own accord without plunging them into abjection. How hard can it be to keep one's superiority aside and express their respect, care, and love for someone? How difficult might it be to let women stand up to their values without being pitied upon?
If you are a man, I would want to make an appeal to you. Please let women fight for themselves and stand beside them as a pillar of support without causing any intrusion, maintaining an absolute silence.
Define Chivalry Medieval Europe
As I mentioned previously, chivalry has its roots extended from the primitive ages. However, it should be made relevant as per the present context. With the flux in the mindset and behavior of people and with the dynamism of the society, the definition of chivalry must be updated.
Chivalry should not be specified to a particular gender, that's my verdict. Chivalry is what a person do for another person out of respect regardless of their sexes. And that's exactly how it should be perceived.
So, the next time you'd want to do something for me or for any other woman, ask us beforehand, for chivalry done with respect and good judgment is chivalry done right.