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Chivalry code of conduct answers6/20/2023 ![]() Squire: A page would become a squire and assist a particular knight around age 10 to 14.In addition to working, they would learn archery, horsemanship, and sword-fighting. Page: Boys as young as seven would begin work as pages in a castle.A boy who was going to be a knight would typically follow this career path: Yes-but this school had few to no chalkboards. Parade armor: not designed so much for combat, parade armor was meant to impress the ladies-and your fellow knights.Again, these could be made from fabric, leather, or metal. The fanciest types of plate armor completely covered the knight and had reticulated (jointed) elbows and knees. Plate armor: used by the Greeks and Romans early on, but it didn’t come back into fashion again until the 13th century.It might be made of fabric, leather, chain mail, or plate Helmet: a metal covering for the head.In later days, knights might indeed wear suits of metal plate armor, but more typically early knights would be clad in tough leather or perhaps a chain mail shirt called a hauberk (French) or byrnie (English), like their earlier Roman counterparts. However, some knights weren’t paid at all. They might also receive gifts of money or other precious things. A knight would typically give 40 days of service each year to his liege lord.Ĭharlemagne’s knights were given grants of conquered land which quickly put them on the road to wealth. The king might take on a task as a favor for another king or in obedience to the Pope. Knights fought for their lords who in turn fought for their king. Chanson de Roland (Song of Roland) was written about Charlemagne’s most famous knight. His knights kept him safe in battle and won him many victories. ![]() There have been soldiers on horseback for thousands of years, but what we think of as medieval knights first came into being during the time of King Charlemagne (Charles the Great). ![]() If you have a woman entering this sphere, she is almost always required to adapt to this male-centered system.The simple answer would be a soldier who fights on horseback while wearing armor, but there’s much more to being a knight. This is because the concept of honor we generally see in science fiction and fantasy exists in systems designed for and by white men. So the very basis of this concept of honor in science fiction and fantasy takes a Eurocentric as well as masculine point of view. That said, I do want to comment that the chivalric code was reserved for men, who in this day and age would be classified as white. Perhaps the lasting influence of chivalry and its concept of honor centuries later in science fiction and fantasy is rooted in the fact that the system was popularized by (you guessed) medieval literature. Chivalry was a key concept in knighthood, dictating what it means to be a gentleman, and was also tied closely with the institution’s Christian faith. The chivalric code was an informal code of conduct that had been developed sometime between 11. Much of the type of honor relayed in science fiction and fantasy books harkens back to this medieval European concept of chivalry. Most of the science fiction and fantasy books I’ve read, at least those based in Europe-like settings, still adhere to the medieval definition of honor, which include keeping one’s word, fighting fairly, and treating guests with the utmost respect. The way we practice honor is different and has been adapted to our technology age, whereas the worlds in science fiction and fantasy need something else…something medieval Europe once needed, too. Merriam-Webster defines the noun form of honor as “good name or public esteem: reputation” and “a showing of usually merited respect: recognition.” This is not to say that reputation and showing respect aren’t part of our own world, but nowadays, reputation has evolved to mean good branding or politeness. For example, what is the etiquette between two people who can kill each other with one magical word? Or between two opposing armies with starships capable of destroying entire planets? It looks like the answer to that is something the Knights of the Round Table mastered: honor.
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