![]() But we have courageous firefighters, brave policemen, and many other men who take part in chivalry and usually do not even expect appreciation for what they’ve done. Today, we do not have knights with formidable weapons and chivalric tournaments, where they present their strength, skills, and courage. People’s self-interest and materialism eliminated the knightly code of honor and the spiritual capability of chivalry of old times has been replaced by conventional social etiquette, which includes the act of showing regard for others, good manners and politeness. Generosity and giving of one’s own wealth. Selflessness -Chastity (towards women) Mercy towards enemies or those who have wronged you. ![]() The medieval tradition of chivalry did not survive because of the political situation in Europe following the Renaissance. The following are the most important concepts in a knight’s Code of Chivalry: Loyalty to one’s lord and family -Honor -Courage -Courtesy/Manners/Modesty. Our modern notion of knights is very much based in the ideas of chivalry, and we have to blame medieval romantic literature for presenting knights as the chivalrous ideal. Unfortunately, the well-intended and beautiful "chivalric code", rarely affected most knights, who plundered, slaughtered, and looted often when given the chance. But then, it was another time and Dracor, God of Justice, has not always reigned supreme in human history.However, unlike medieval knights, who usually acted on their own, the nobles had a tendency to form knightly orders and brotherhoods supported by the ruling government. That many things which seem like basic values had to be spelled out. More interesting to my mind is that such a code had to be written. The lack of solid facts makes it fun to write about, but more subject to interpretation. ![]() The code from King Arthur’s court is perhaps the most famous, though much of this is shrouded in legend. There are other codes of chivalry, including the one espoused by the Duke of Burgundy in the 14th century, but it’s not really all that different from the list above. I could see how some of this code could really hamper a medieval knight. In my fantasy world, being chosen by the God of Justice to be one of his Knights and following the code of chivalry imbues certain holy powers, including the ability to channel the god’s power to smite evil. The speak the truth at all times gives my Knights of Valor a great deal of trouble, and from time to time, they may have even had to interpret that a little creatively. A few of these seem redundant to me, and a few seem too bravado for my Knights of Valor, but I did think through all of them as I was creating my own code. Sounds a lot like what we’ve come to expect from knights that followed the code of chivalry. Never to refuse a challenge from an equal.Persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.Refrain from the wanton giving of offence.Serve the liege lord in valor and faith.While many parts of our past are lost to us, The Song of Rolland documented the code of chivalry during the time of William the Conqueror, around 1066 AD. The punishments for not following it, again another post. Real knights in the days of yore had a code of chivalry that they were supposed to follow. This rule should have probably gone without saying, but Bishop Warin of Beauvais felt that he needed to include it in the oath. I’ve never listed the code these Knights follow, because that wouldn’t exactly keep the story moving in my novels, but their code is very much based on historical precedent. Dont assault, rob, kidnap, and torture random people. While the Knights in my stories live by a moral code directly tied to the god they serve, that code wasn’t created in a vacuum. While I don’t feel the need to be rescued, thank you very much, I’ve always been drawn to the white knight. Why? Because I like the good boy, the knight in shining armor, so to speak. The Knights of Valor are a prominent part of my fantasy romance novels.
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