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Medieval Knighthood: A Study of its Code
An overview of the ideals attached to medieval knighthood, where they came from, and how far real knights lived up to them in war, politics and daily life.
Power and Work
Knights and Warfare
The knightly code, honor and how medieval battles were fought.
Medieval Knights: Chivalry and Honor
How honor worked for medieval knights as reputation: personal and family standing, the fear of shame, and its role in oaths, surrenders and ransom.
Medieval Knights: Chivalry and the Code of Conduct
What medieval knights were expected to do in practice: courtesy, fair treatment of prisoners, protection of the weak, and how romances and manuals taught it.
Medieval Military Tactics: A Study of Warfare
An overview of typical medieval tactics: mounted charges, archers and sieges, and why raiding and fortress warfare were more common than pitched battles.
Medieval Warfare: Tactics and Strategies
How medieval commanders planned wars: campaign seasons, supply, raiding, garrisons and the deliberate avoidance of open battle.
Medieval Warfare: Tactics, Strategies, and Technologies
A look at medieval weapons technology, including the trebuchet, crossbow, longbow and early cannon, and how each changed the way wars were fought.
Medieval Warfare: The Art of Battle
What happened on a medieval battlefield: how armies deployed, how a fight unfolded from first arrows to pursuit, and what it was like for the soldiers involved.
Medieval Warfare: The Role of Cavalry
How mounted knights fought in the Middle Ages: the charge, armor and horses, the limits of cavalry, and how horsemen worked alongside archers and foot soldiers.
Medieval Warfare: The Role of Infantry
How foot soldiers fought in medieval armies: spearmen, archers and crossbowmen, feudal levies and paid troops, and why infantry grew more important over time.
Medieval Warfare: The Tactics and Strategies of Battle
The tactical choices commanders made on the medieval battlefield: picking ground, defensive lines, ambush and feigned retreat, with well-known examples handled carefully.
Related topics
More in power and work
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. 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. Chivalry and Honor The ideals of knightly conduct, honor and loyalty, and how they changed. 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.