Knights: Chivalry and Violence

Rosie Serdiville · John Sadler

Eyl 2017 · Casemate Publishers

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“A really informative book . . . It whets the appetite to learn more” of the medieval warriors, their training, armor, weapons, and chivalry (Army Rumour Service).
 
Originally warriors mounted on horseback, knights became associated with the concept of chivalry as it was popularized in medieval European literature. Knights were expected to fight bravely and honorably and be loyal to their lord until death if necessary. Later, chivalry came to encompass activities, such as tournaments and hunting, and virtues including justice, charity, and faith. The Crusades were instrumental in the development of the code of chivalry, and some crusading orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar, have become legend.
 
Boys would begin their knightly training at the age of seven, studying academics and learning to hunt before becoming assistants to older knights, training in combat and learning how to care for a knight’s essentials: arms, armor, and horses. After fourteen years of training, and when considered a master of all the skills of knighthood, a squire was eligible to be knighted.
 
In peacetime, knights would take part in tournaments. Tournaments were a major spectator sport, but also an important way for knights to practice their skills—knights were often injured and sometimes killed in melees.
 
Knights figured large in medieval warfare and literature. In the fifteenth century, knights became obsolete due to advances in warfare, but the title of “knight” has survived as an honorary title granted for services to a monarch or country, and knights remain a strong concept in popular culture.ular culture.

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John Sadler's main specialty is in military history, as an accomplished author, lecturer, battlefield tour guide, heritage professional and historical interpreter. He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Sunderland Centre For Lifelong Learning since 1998. He lives in the North East of England.Rosie Serdiville is a social historian and re-enactor with a particular interest in the wider impact of war on civilian populations. She delights in spending time in archives.