FREE ESSAY ON KNIGHTS AND KNIGHTHOOD

KNIGHTS AND KNIGHTHOOD

What is a knight? What is the concept of knighthood all about? Knighthood exists in two
places simultaneously--in the world and in our imagination. We can speak of ideals versus
realities, probably the central problem with knighthood and the chivalric ideals. Swords,
horses, jousts, armor, castles, fair maidens, kings, queens-these are the words that come
to mind when people mention the word knight. The mental image of a knight embedded in
everyone's minds shows an armor-clad man on a horse. The noble beings beneath the armor
are virtually unknown to many. Behind every knight's intimidating physical appearance lay
the values, morals, and history of chivalry that has made these people great historical
figures.
In the fourth century A.D. the Roman Empire fell and various barbarian tribes invaded
Europe. One of the dominant groups was the Franks of central and Western Europe, who
gradually expanded their power until, in A.D. 800; their leader Charlemagne became
emperor of the West. Charlemagne and his forebears added to the number of horsemen in
their army, giving land to mounted warriors. In the ninth century the empire, torn by
civil wars and invasions, broke up. Powerful local lords and their mounted warriors
offered protection to peasants, who became their serfs in return. In this feudal system,
which first developed in Western Europe, the lords themselves owed allegiance to greater
lords, and all were bound by oaths of loyalty. All these lords, and some of the men who
served them, were knights - warriors who fought on horseback. By the 11th century, a new
social order was formed by armored knights, who serve a local lord, count, or duke, and
were in turn served by serfs (Gravett, 40).
How were knights made? When boys of noble birth who were going to become knights were
around seven years old, they were usually sent away to a nobleman's household, usually of
his uncle or great lord, to be a page. There they were taught how to behave and how to
ride. When they reached the age of fourteen, they were apprenticed to knights to whom
they would serve as squires. Then, they could learn to handle weapons and how to tend to
their masters' armor and horses. Sometimes, they would even go to battle with their
masters, to help if they were hurt or unhorsed. They were taught how to shoot a bow and
to carve meat for food. When they were twenty-one years old, successful squires were
knighted (Gravett, 48). After years and years of training, they then were faced with high
expectations and a code of honor to act by.
A knight's code of chivalry was made up of a number of rules. They were to possess
certain qualities such as prowess, justice, loyalty, defense, courage, faith, humility,
largesse, nobility and franchise. Due to its high demand, the code of chivalry caused the
knights to perform many a noble deed and to always be available to lend a helping hand. 
The lady and the demands of court also shaped what the knight was to become. She
demanded, through the romance literature that remains a powerful influence today, that
the knight act with strength on one hand, and courtesy and respect on the other. A knight
should respect women; he should defend them in their hour of need, eschewing the magnetic
gravity of mere lust. Love could be a powerful influence over the knight, a strengthening
force that could propel the knight to greatness beyond his own capability. The church
agreed, arguing only that the spiritual love of Christ was superior to the love of a
woman; but the important detail was that love as an ennobling motivator was added as a
chivalric element that was to stay. As a nobleman and dispenser of justice, the knight
was required to seek justice, to defend the right, and to dispense of his wealth with
largesse, showing the generosity that thwarted greed and thus helped the knight to
ennoble himself in deed as well as blood (Price, 1996).
A knight, under the rules of courtly love had to prove his devotion through heroic deeds
and by amorous writings presented anonymously to his beloved, often a married woman of
equally high birth or higher in rank. Once the lovers had pledged themselves to each
other and consummated their passion, complete secrecy had to be maintained. Because most
noble marriages in the Middle Ages were little more than business contracts, courtly love
was a form of sanctioned adultery, sanctioned because it threatened neither the contract
nor the religious sacrament of marriage. In fact, faithlessness of the lovers toward each
other was considered more sinful than the adultery of this extramarital relationship
(Encarta, 1997-2000). Courtly love was a concept that the knights and maidens became
famous of. Some legends have become well known, such as that of Lancelot, who fell in
love with Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur. 
The Legend of King Arthur, one of the most enduring tales in recorded history, made
knighthood in the middle ages very well known. In the legend, Arthur is a leader in
ancient times who defeats the Saxons and other enemies. He thereby unites the people of
Britain in peace and harmony. Eventually his kingdom weakens from within-in part because
of the illicit love between Arthur's queen, Guinevere, and the knight Lancelot-and Arthur
himself is struck down by his own illegitimate son, Mordred. Many stories then say that
Arthur is taken to the island of Avalon for his wounds to be healed. The legend tells
that he will return in the hour of Britain's greatest need (Encarta, 1997-2000).
Somewhere between all these events, Arthur formed the Knights of the Round Table. 
The Knights of the Round Table were Arthurian knights who sat with King Arthur around a
circular table. They became a focal point of fellowship between knights. Some of them are
famous as heroes and champions of just cause. In theory, they were brothers; however,
jealousy, envy and hatred existed with the fellowship. There were enemies within the
Round Table as well as those who were not members of the fellowship. 
The duties of each knight, whether associated with the round table or not, were to: (1)
Be loyal to the king, in serving through victory and defeat, through famine and a
bountiful harvest, (2) To uphold the laws of the land, (3) To kill only in self defense,
or for the good of the king and land, (4) To uphold the knight's code, (5) To treat all
women with the utmost respect and to rescue any damsel that may be in distress, (6) Not
to break any oath that has been taken, (7) To give any enemy to be defeated a quick and
painless death and to treat all other knights as brothers, (8) To protect and care for
the land and not to destroy it, (9) To set a good example for any pages and squires that
desire to become a future knight (McNeely). 
The true knights were easy to differentiate from the knights that only had a lust for
power. Unfortunately, nowadays, the true image of a knight is unknown to many. He was
faced with high expectations, many missions to complete, and a strict code of honor.
There was indeed more to a true knight than what many people knew.
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hopkins, Andrea. Knights. New York: Quarto Publishing, 1990.
Gravett, Christopher. Knight. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 
1993.
McNeely, Sean. "Are You a True Knight?". Realm Of Royal 
Knights. http://www.geocities.com/area51/dreamworld/3282.
Visited: 11/04/2000.
Joe, Jimmy. "Timeless Myths". Arthurian Legends.
http://members.nbci.com/bladesmaster/myths/roundtable.html. Last Modified: 05/11/00.
Visited: 11/08/00.
Arthurian Legend, Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 
2000. http://encarta.msn.com ? 1997-2000. Microsoft Corporation.
Price, Brian. "On Knighthood". Knighthood, Chivalry and 
Tournament Resource Library. http://www.chronique.com.
Last Modified: 1996. Visited: 11/11/2000.