Book of Chivalry
The Book of Chivalry (French: Livre de chevalerie) was written by the
circles.Author and context
Geoffroi de Charny was intensely involved in the first phase of the
Major themes
Charny's book is unique in its focus. Unlike earlier works such as
Levels of worthiness
Charny is unwilling to dismiss even slight displays of chivalry, but does insist on prioritizing deeds of arms. The worthiness of these deeds is assessed by the degree of
Responsibilities of rulers and great men
Charny is intensely concerned that the most powerful members of society set a positive example for the lower orders, and especially for young knights. After acknowledging that knights of higher social standing—the “valiant lords” of society—may receive greater renown than worthier poor knights, he defends this feature of chivalry by explaining that it is because a noble lord can patronize, inspire, and cultivate other knights in the ways of valor. Nevertheless, Charny emphasizes that such lords have greater demands upon their deportment because their fame ensures that any scandal associated with their names will produce more notoriety than with a lesser-known knight. Thus, the great lords in particular must be temperate in their eating habits, avoid gambling and greed, indulge only in honorable pastimes such as jousting and maintaining the company of ladies, keep any romantic liaisons secret, and—most importantly—only be found in the company of worthy men.[4]
If Charny emphasizes the high moral standard expected of “great men,” his ideal
Chivalric reform
Charny's advice for rulers and great men is one facet of a wider push for knightly reform. In particular, Charny criticizes what he sees as the growth in indolence and love of luxury. Many of his passages warn against the atrophying power of a pleasurable lifestyle, as well as the spiritual and physical advantages of a more spartan regime. Thus, he advises that knights be temperate in their eating habits, seek hard lodgings rather than soft beds at night, and most importantly, avoid luxurious cloths. In fact, he spends a lengthy section mocking at nobles who all but bared their private parts by wearing tight leggings under tunics that did not fully cover the offending areas. This “shameful” dress is exacerbated in Charny's view by an excessive love of jewels and fine cloth.[6]
The role of women
Although he shows a lack of interest when it comes to
Knighting ceremony
Charny's treatise also contains one of the most detailed and straightforward descriptions of a
Orders of society
Charny also considers the role of knighthood within the larger context of society, discussing three other “orders” in Christendom: the order of
The order of priesthood Charny holds in rather higher esteem than the first two, claiming that those entering this order must learn its service in detail in their youth so that they can perform it faithfully. This office is so noble that priests should be entirely exempt from other offices.[12]
Knightly virtue and salvation
Despite praising other orders of society, Charny considers knighthood to be the greatest of these orders. Drawing upon medieval
References
- ^ Kaeuper, Richard and Elspeth Kennedy. The "Book of Chivalry" of Geoffroi de Charny: Text, Context, and Translation. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996. P. 3–17.
- ^ Kaeuper, Richard. Introduction to A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry by Geoffroi de Charny. Translated by Elspeth Kennedy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.
- ^ Charny, Geoffroi de. A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry. Translated by Elspeth Kennedy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. P. 48.
- ^ Charny 2005, p. 61-66.
- ^ Charny 2005, p. 75-80.
- ^ Charny 2005, p. 68-70, 102.
- ^ Charny 2005, p.52-53, 66-68, 103-105.
- ^ Charny 2005, p. 91-93.
- ^ Keen, Maurice. Chivalry New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1984.
- ^ Kaeuper, Richard W. Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
- ^ Charny 2005, p.93-94.
- ^ Charny 2005, p. 94-95.
- ^ Charny 2005, p. 95-103, 105-107.
Further reading
- Charny, Geoffroi de. A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry. Introduction by Richard Kaeuper. Translated by Elspeth Kennedy. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.
- Kaeuper, Richard W. & Elspeth Kennedy. The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996.
- Kaueper, Richard W. Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
- Keen, Maurice. Chivalry. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1984.