European University Institute Library

Medieval chivalry, Richard W. Kaeuper, University of Rochester

eng

index present

non fiction

Medieval chivalry

electronic resource

dictionaries

957157501

Richard W. Kaeuper, University of Rochester

Cambridge medieval textbooksCambridge Social Sciences eBooks

Emerging in the medieval period, chivalry embodied ideals that elite warriors cherished and practices that formed their profession. In this major new overview, Richard Kaeuper examines how chivalry made sense of violence and war, making it tolerable for elite fighters rather than non-knightly or sub-knightly populations. He discusses how chivalry buttressed status and profession, shaped active piety, and fostered intense warrior attachments and heterosexual relationships. Though showing regional and chronological variations, chivalry at its core enshrined the practice of prowess in securing honor, with this process significantly blessed by religion. Both kingship and church authority sought to direct the great force of chivalry and, despite tensions, finally came to terms with rising knightly status and a burgeoning military role. Kaeuper engages with a wide range of evidence in his analysis, drawing on the chivalric literature, manuscript illumination, and sermon exempla and moral tales.--, Provided by publisher

Part I. An approach to chivalry: was it real and practical? -- The reality of medieval chivalry -- Models of medieval chivalry -- Part II. Three broad chronological phases -- Phase one: knighthood becoming chivalry -- Phase two: knighthood and chivalry fuse -- Phase three: chivalry beyond formal knighthood -- Part III. The privileged practice of violence -- Chivalry and war -- Tournament -- Part IV. Chivalry, governing institutions and ideals -- Kings and knights -- Chivalry in dialogue with religious ideals -- Part V. The world of chivalric emotions -- Love and amity, men and women -- Anger, wrath, fear, thirst for vengence