CHIVALRY IS DEAD.

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CHIVALRY IS DEAD.
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The Medieval AgeA Period Defined by Chivalry

• The Return of Arthurs Legend
• Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
• and Chaucers Canterbury Tales, though
  well cover these later.

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The Middle Ages 1066 1500 The Medieval Period
Rise of the Middle Ages
Decline of the Roman Empire and Anglo-Saxon Age
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Feudalism
Think of a chess set
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Feudalism
Provide knights in times of war
Fiefs land grants
Military protection
Fiefs land grants
service
protection
Based on mutual obligation
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FeudalismManors

• The lords estate
• The lord provided the serfs with housing,
  farmland and protection
• Serfs tended the lands, cared for the animals,
  maintained the estate

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FeudalismManors

• Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from
  the manor
• Was home to 15 30 families
• Self-Sufficient community
• Peasants heavily taxed, including a tithe a
  church tax of 1/10 their income

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A violent society

• Nobles constantly fought to
• Defend estates
• Seize new territories
• Increase wealth
• Kept Europe fragmented
• Glorification of warriors

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The Age of Chivalry

• Chivalry a complex set of ideals, demanded
  that a knight fight bravely in defense of three
  masters
• His feudal lord
• His Heavenly Lord
• His Lady

• Meant to protect the weak and the poor

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The Age of Chivalry

• Courage
• Justice
• Mercy
• Generosity
• Faith
• Nobility
• Hope

Arthur and his Knights practiced the Code of
Chivalry
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The Age of Chivalry

• Sons of nobles began training at an early age for
  knighthood
• Page at about 7 they were sent to another lord
  to be trained
• Squire at about 14 they act as a servant to a
  knight
• Knight- at about 21 they become a knight and
  gain experience in local wars and tournaments

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King Arthur and His Knights Facts, Fiction,
Folktale

• It is a crucial part of both French and English
  folklore. Folktales are intended to teach a moral
  lesson and to entertain.
• Linked to a historical king from the 5th and 6th
  centuries. Many sources have no mention of him.
• One Latin source, Historia Brittonum from the 9th
  century, claims Arthur was real and killed 960
  men in a battle called The Battle of Mons
  Badonicus.

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Others Disagree.

• Historian David Dumville belives we can dispose
  of him Arthur quite briefly. He owes his place
  in our history books to a 'no smoke without fire'
  school of thought ... The fact of the matter is
  that there is no historical evidence about
  Arthur we must reject him from our histories
  and, above all, from the titles of our books."

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The Legend Begins

• Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon and
  Igrayne, wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall.
• Merlin the Magician forced the King to swear a
  solemn oath to allow Merlin to bring up Arthur
  as he chose.
• Merlin delivered the newborn unchristened child
  to Sir Ector.
• Sir Ector christened the child and raised him as
  his own, not knowing he was the future king.

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Whoso pulleth this sword out of this stone and
anvil is rightly King of all England

• King Uther died two years after Arthurs birth,
  leaving England in turmoil a country without a
  king
• Several years passed, until all the lords of the
  realm gathered on Christmas Day looking for a
  miracle to show them who should rightly be King.
• The Sword in the Stone appeared in the church
  courtyard, bearing the famous inscription.

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Who would be King?

• It was decided that a tournament would be held to
  determine who would win the right to pull the
  sword out of the stone.
• Sir Ector and his son, Sir Kay, traveled to the
  tournament.
• Sir Kay forgot his sword and asked his younger
  brother, Arthur to retrieve it.
• Arthur decided to get the sword that was in the
  stone and give it to Sir Kay.

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Arthur becomes King

• Sir Ector and Sir Kay both knelt down to Arthur
  and told him of his true identity.
• The Lords were upset because they did not want a
  boy who was not of high blood to govern their
  country.
• The commoners finally cried out that Arthur was
  the rightful King and should be crowned.
• Arthur swore to his Lords and Commoners to be a
  true King, and to govern with true justice.

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The Land Called Camelot
Arthur ruled in peace for many years

• Guinevere married Arthur
• Sir Lancelot, son of the Lady of the Lake,
  Arthurs First Knight
• Merlin, wizard and advisor to the King
• Other Knights of the Round Table Sir Gawain, Sir
  Galahad, Sir Percivale, Sir Bedivere

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The Tales of King Arthur

• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Le Morte DArthur Sir Thomas Malory
• The Once and Future King The Sword in the Stone
  T.H. White
• Camelot, a musical Alan J. Lerner Frederick
  Loewe
• King Arthur-The Marvel of the Sword Mary Macleod

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Sources
Haskell, Merrie. People in Arthurian Legend.
Merrie Haskells King Arthur Page. November
2002. http//www.personal.umich.edu/gt8 June
2004. Farrell, Scott. The Seven Knightly
Virtues. Chivalry Today. 2002 Shining Armor
Enterprises. www.chivalrytoday. 10 June
2004. Prentice Hall. Literature. Bronze ed. Upper
Saddle River, New JerseyPrentice Hall,
2000. Price, Brian. A Code of Chivarly. The
Knighthood, Chivalry, and Tournaments Resource
Library. 2003. lthttp// www. Chronique.comgt. 8
June 2004.