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The Medieval Concept of Chivalry
Chivalry blended military skill, social rank and Christian duty into an ideal of the good knight. Here is what it meant and how far practice matched it.
Power and Work
Chivalry and Honor
The ideals of knightly conduct, honor and loyalty, and how they changed.
The Medieval Concept of Chivalric Code
The ideal knight was credited with a cluster of virtues: courage, loyalty, generosity, courtesy and faith. This article explains each and where it came from.
The Medieval Concept of Chivalry: A Code of Conduct
Chivalry set expectations for how knights should act, but there was no single written code and no one to enforce it. See who judged knights and how.
The Medieval Concept of Chivalry: A Code of Conduct for Knights
How knights were expected to treat opponents, prisoners, the church and the weak, with examples of typical expectations and of the lapses chroniclers record.
The Medieval Concept of Chivalry: A Study of its Origins and Evolution
Follow chivalry from early medieval mounted warriors through church efforts to tame violence to the courtly and romance ideals of the later Middle Ages.
The Medieval Concept of Honor
Medieval honor meant reputation and standing in the community. Learn how honor and shame shaped life for nobles, townspeople and peasants alike.
The Medieval Concept of Honor: A Code of Conduct
Everyday behavior protected or damaged medieval honor: insults, promises, public ritual and the duty to answer slights. See how reputation was kept.
The Medieval Concept of Honor: A Code of Conduct for the Nobility
For nobles, honor meant lineage, land, office, hospitality and the duty to avenge wrongs. This article explains how noble honor worked and where its limits lay.
The Medieval Concept of Honor: A Study of its Origins and Evolution
Honor began as a warrior-band value and grew into a more religious and legal idea. Follow how its meaning shifted from the early to the later Middle Ages.
The Medieval Concept of Loyalty: A Study of its Origins and Evolution
Loyalty moved from warband and kin ties to oaths owed to lords and kings. See how it developed and what happened when loyalties conflicted in practice.
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Feudalism and Knighthood How feudal ties and the knightly code organized medieval rule. Farming and Trade Fields, guilds, markets and the hardship of famine. Heraldry and Coats of Arms Shields, symbols and the heralds who kept track of them. Knights and Warfare The knightly code, honor and how medieval battles were fought. Kingship and Law How kings ruled and how law and justice worked. Battles and Campaigns Famous battles and what they changed. Tournaments and Chivalry Mock battles, jousts, knightly orders and the ideals behind them. Sieges and Weapons How castles and towns were attacked and defended, and the arms used. Kings and Rulers Profiles of medieval monarchs and nobles and the politics around them. Norman and Angevin Kings Rulers from William the Conqueror to the Angevin kings. Late Medieval Monarchs English and French kings of the later Middle Ages. Magna Carta The charter of 1215, its clauses and its legacy. Feudal Society and Estates Feudalism, the manor and the three estates of medieval society. Economy and Commerce Trade, guilds, money and the movement of news and goods. Justice, Trials and Punishments How medieval courts judged crimes, from ordeals and duels to fines and executions. Manor, Serfdom and Tithes The rural system of manors, unfree peasants and church dues. Peasants Revolts Rural risings and what they demanded, with the real dates and places. Ireland, Scotland and Wales Medieval life and politics on the Celtic fringe of Britain and Ireland. Crafts and Workshops The trades that made cloth, metal, bread and books in medieval towns.