A knight must be hardy, courteous, generous, loyal and fair of speech: ferocious to his foe, frank and debonair to his friend. And lest anyone tell you that he who has not borne his shield or struck his blow in battle or tournament is not by rights a knight, see to it that you conduct yourselves that you have a right to the name. He has a right to the title of knighthood who has proved himself in arms and won the praise of men. Seek therefore this day to do deeds that will deserve to be remembered, for every new knight should make a good beginning.
H Chickering, “Introduction”, in The Study of Chivalry, H Chickering and T H Seiler, eds. (Kalamazoo 1988) p.4.
Chivalry:
What was it really and where do we begin?
‘By whatever means necessary’ is not exactly a quote to describe chivalry, but it could be used to characterize the reality of the activity and behaviour of knights in the fourteenth century. For knights the reality was that whatever behaviour supported their ambition, or at least did not hinder it, was how they chose to act. Knights, through the centuries would shape the ideals of chivalry to suit their ambitions. Personal gain and success were what mattered most.
Chivalry was a tool used by the nobility to separate themselves from the rest of society through unique types of behaviour. In theory, breaking this code of behaviour was considered disloyalty to the order of knighthood, but also to the natural order of the world and would be punishable by death.
The 9 Worthies:
And who was the '10th Worthy'?
The 9 Worthies were laid out in 3 categories: Heroes of the Ancient or Pagan world, Heroes of the Biblical or Hebrew world, and Heroes of Medieval or Christian world. They were Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar, three good Jews: Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus, and three good Christians: King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon.
By the 1320s the followers of King Robert Bruce of Scotland, famously known as Robert the Bruce, were advocating to include him as the '10th Worthy'. Fame spread through the medieval world, too and King Robert did legitimately achieve a reputation as one of the most chivalrous knights in the world. This fame extended to those of his followers as well, such as Sir James Douglas the Good.
