The Code Of Chivalry In The Middle Ages

The foremost aspect of chivalry that should be understood is what this code of conduct actually implied for the nobles of the Medieval Ages. When it comes to the concept of chivalry developed during the time of the Crusades in the middle Ages, it began as a code of conduct for the knights. For them, their actions were not solely occasional, but rather a way of life. The key ideals behind chivalry were not intelligible acts that could be performed. Yet, they were about attitudes and virtues that should be owned. The standard of chivalry, nonetheless, had considerably deeper roots. An author of Bloody Constraint, Theodor Meron said, “War and Chivalry in Shakespeare, states that the practitioners of chivalry, the knights, were expected to be cultivated gentlemen” (Meron, 2010). Besides, chivalry expected not only nobles, knights, and lords also to truly be men of virtue. The greatest important ideals were “honor, loyalty, courage, mercy, a commitment to the well being of the community and the avoidance of shame and dishonor” (Bloom, 2000). Chivalry was considered to be the standard, not the misfit. “Only the finest men of the upper class were held to this standard of behavior and they took their responsibility very seriously” (Bloom, 2000).
One area of study that must be addressed regarding chivalry codes is Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1387). Chaucer wrote in his book about knights and the qualities they were to possess. Furthermore, book of The Canterbury Tales were