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Elliemental
Elliemental
The Knight's Code/Chivalry
Jun 9 2010, 6:08 AM EDT | Post edited: Jun 9 2010, 6:08 AM EDT
OK, slightly off-topic question/discussion. But what exactly were the rules of chivalry and the Knights code? What sort of things could a knight do to court a lady? Was courtly love something different? What were the boundaries? Do you find this valuable?    
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AugustRose
AugustRose
1. RE: The Knight's Code/Chivalry
Jun 14 2010, 1:50 PM EDT | Post edited: Jun 14 2010, 2:29 PM EDT
I'm answering this from an Arthurian Legend class I took a few years back, but courtly love, I believe, is an aspect of chivalry. Chivalry was a broadly defined code, a way to live one's life such as faithful service to one's lord or king, defense of God and the Church, protect the weak (poor and women), be courageous and never shrink from battle yet be merciful and generous when able, etc. Chivalry and the Knight's code are more or less the same, except that higher ranked men (kings, sons of kings) could aspire to chilvary as well.

Courtly love is when you faithfully serve one lady in particular. She is usually of a rank above you (or sometimes equal, but preferably above) who is unattainable--often b/c she's married to someone else. The lady becomes the driving force behind the knight's/noble's actions, inspiring him, but also potentially leading him to ruin. That's why Lancelot and Guinevere are prime examples of courtly love, but Erec and Enide are chivlaric romance only b/c they marry, are equals, and end happily together.

Henry VIII initially saw his relationships w/ Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour as patterned after courtly love--pursuit of an unattainable woman, though in both cases *he* was the married and higher ranked one instead her, not to mention he ended up *attaining* both of his "loves," but since both (esp, Anne) end in tragedy and death, I suppose we'll let it pass lol. His marriage to Catherine of Aragon was patterned after chilvaric love (equals, married, and was supposed to end happily). Do you find this valuable?    
AugustRose
AugustRose
2. RE: The Knight's Code/Chivalry
Jun 14 2010, 2:08 PM EDT | Post edited: Jun 14 2010, 2:08 PM EDT
Might find this useful. Capellanus's Rules of Courtly Love:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/capellanus.html Do you find this valuable?    
Kittywake09
Kittywake09
3. RE: The Knight's Code/Chivalry
Jun 14 2010, 2:15 PM EDT | Post edited: Jun 14 2010, 2:15 PM EDT
"Might find this useful. Capellanus's Rules of Courtly Love:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/capellanus.html"
Thanks for that AugustRose Do you find this valuable?    
Elliemental
Elliemental
4. RE: The Knight's Code/Chivalry
Jun 14 2010, 2:17 PM EDT | Post edited: Jun 14 2010, 2:17 PM EDT
Thanks for all the info, August Rose. I'll be checking out all those link :) Do you find this valuable?