III.

The Code of Chivalry

In the centuries that followed, the influences of Christianity and courtly love expanded the code of chivalry to include religious piety and refined social graces and manners. Chivalry gradually began to soften the harsh edges of feudal warfare. Knights were expected to treat their fellow knights and social inferiors with respect and benevolence. The new code prohibited knights from attacking the unarmed, and knightly ideals stressed that the good knight fought for glory and Christian purposes and not for mere profit or gain. In practice, though, most knights continued to have a keen eye for the possible financial benefits that could be reaped from an important hostage or a stolen horse.

A.

Christianity and the Crusades

The early Middle Ages had been a chaotic time in Europe. However, the 11th century began a long period of renewed stability. Commerce and trade revived, and new towns and cities sprang up throughout the continent. In this comparatively peaceful climate, the Church tried to curb the warlike spirit of the feudal nobility. In the 11th century, for instance, Church councils met throughout Europe and adopted the programs known as the Peace of God and the Truce of God. The Peace of God forbade knights from attacking peasants, women, priests, and merchants, while the Truce of God prohibited battle on Sundays and holy days. Although the Church lacked the power to enforce them, the Peace of God and the Truce of God reveal the emergence of new values that questioned the wholesale warfare in western Europe typical of the 9th and 10th centuries.

Christianity also influenced chivalry through the Crusades. The Crusades were military expeditions undertaken by Christian knights to recapture from Muslim control the holy places of pilgrimage in Palestine, or the Holy Land. Although many knights enlisted in search of financial gain, military glory, and adventure, many were also moved by genuine religious enthusiasm. This enthusiasm was reflected in the founding of the military religious orders—the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights, and the Hospitalers. The members of these orders took religious vows and shared a common vision of recapturing the Holy Land for Christianity. They believed that knighthood could be a holy form of life when used for Christian purposes. These orders helped infuse chivalry with religious idealism.

B.

Courtly Love

Another major influence on chivalry was courtly love, the system that came to define relationships between knights and ladies in the feudal court. The ideals of courtly love stressed that a knight should devote himself completely to a married or betrothed woman at court. In his lady’s name, he waged war or jousted in tournaments, trying to win her favor. After a period of courtship, the two might consummate their love secretly. Courtly love’s influence among the feudal nobility was undeniable, despite the fact that its ideals ran counter to the Christian ideals of chivalry. Courtly love helped refine relationships between men and women at court. To please their ladies, knights labored to master the arts as intently as they did the skills of warfare. Writing poetry, singing love songs, and playing musical instruments became indispensable to the feudal knight hoping to entertain his lady.