Chivalry

shiv'al-ry, a medieval system of military service. The term is akin to chevalier and cavalry, meaning fundamentally a horseman. Chivalry consisted essentially of the order of knighthood to which ordinarily no one could gain admission unless of good blood and fit character and training. He must then be admitted by a knight in regular standing. Customarily a boy of good family was sent to live in the family of some nobleman at the age of twelve. At first he was a page, and was required to wait on the ladies; then he became a squire and waited on a knight. He practiced in the tilt yard, learning the use of armor and the sword, the management of a horse, and the handling of a lance. It was his duty as a squire to follow his knight to battle, carrying his shield. At the proper age, especially if distinguished by some act in battle, he was knighted, or admitted to the order. This was a religious ceremony, including fasting, receiving the sacrament, and taking upon himself solemn vows to honor and defend women, to protect orphans, to tell the truth, to refrain from slander, and to be loyal to his king and to the church. At the close of the ceremony, he knelt a squire, received a blow on the side of the neck or on the shoulder from the flat of a sword, and rose a knight. Not infrequently, a king might confer the honor of knighthood on the field of battle as a reward for bravery.

SirWalter Scott was a great admirer of chivalry. His hall at Abbotsford was hung with armor and mementos of this age. His tales are full of descriptions of knightly encounters and of the customs of chivalry. Although he paints in bright colors, his writings may be regarded as a trustworthy reflection of the best side of chivalry.

Spenser's Faerie Queene dwells upon the same tales of knightly adventure and courtesy. The knight's armor rendered him a power for good or evil among common men. If he lived up to his vows he was a helper of the needy, a friend of the oppressed. Too often, however, knighthood served as a protection in the commission of the vilest acts. Says the historian Freeman,--"Chivalry was above all else a class spirit."

See Armor; Cervantes; Spenser; Feudalism; Castle