Knighthood

Антропологический архетип chevalier courtois выступает модельной личностью и базовым конструктом концептуального поля куртуазии в средневековой лингвокультуре. Анализ типажа рыцарь учтивый с позиции лингвоаксиологии предполагает изучение языкового выражения оценок концепта на материале художественного дискурса XII-XIII вв. жанра куртуазной поэзии (лэ Марии Французской, романа Кретьена де Труа, лирика Бернарта де Вентадорна). Ценностный подход к диахроническому типажу личности позволяет смоделировать средневековую аксиологическую систему посредством анализа ценностной вербализации образа chevalier courtois на уровне номинаций, языкового портретирования, особенностей речевого поведения. В результате выявлены базовые ценностные концепты аксиосферы куртуазной культуры.

Estudio comparativo histórico-militar entre dos concepciones aparentemente lejanas, pero en el fondo coincidentes, de la caballería a ambos lados del mundo. Para ello, acotaremos el espacio temporal en el feudalismo: la Plena y Tardía Edad Media europea (siglos XI-XV), y la Era Feudal japonesa (Períodos Kamakura, Muromachi y Azuchi-Momoyama, siglos XII-XVI) atendiendo a los rasgos más característicos de la caballería en ambas culturas, así como a sus similitudes y diferencias. Y no sólo en el plano estrictamente militar, sino también en el socio-cultural, con especial atención a los valores caballerescos y al estatus aristocrático asociados al auge de los caballeros y los samuráis.

Статья представляет собой краткий обзор и авторский перевод фехтовального трактата «Le Jeu de la Hache» (MS Francias 1996), что значит «Игры с топором». Это анонимный манускрипт на среднефранцузском языке, предположительно написанный в XV веке миланским фехтовальным мастером при дворе бургундского герцога Карла Смелого (1433 – 1477) и состоящий из 18 страниц рукописного текста форматом 240 на 160 мм. Трактат полностью посвящен только одному оружию, рыцарскому топору (poleaxe), и содержит самое большое из известных собрание приемов с этим оружием. Манускрипт был обнаружен в 1544 году в библиотеке Франциска I в Фонтенбло. В данный момент находится в Bibliothèque nationale de France в Париже.

The phenomenon we call chivalry becomes visible in the sources from the mid-twelfth century onwards, when the elites in Western Europe found themselves faced with a variety of changes—political, social, intellectual, and economical—that forced them to redefine their status and function in the world.  European elites were increasingly concerned with good conduct, morality, and self-representation. As Peltzer demonstrates in his contribution to this volume, chivalry in the Empire was closely connected to the special position of the ministeriales. This chapter contributes to the definition of Imperial chivalry in analysing the construction and promotion of the ideal in didactic texts in the German vernacular. It argues that these texts emphasise in particular the aspect of service present in medieval knighthood and thus offer chivalry as an ideal especially to ministeriales and lower ranking members of the secular elites.

A book for postdoc students, informed readers and non-specialist scholars, it has the aim to present a thesis on the nature of social mobility, the transformation of categories and the limits of the power and legitimation of the lay ruling classes in Western Europe in the Middle Ages.

The thousand-year period often known as the Middle Ages (roughly 500-1500 C.E.) was a period of vibrant life and sometimes violent change. In diverse societies, people worked to understand their place in the world, and how they might best live in it. Many questions medieval people asked--for instance, how religious belief should relate to social order--are questions we are still asking and answering today. Through lectures, readings, and most of all through class discussion, we will explore topics in political, religious, social, economic, and gender history. Because our learning is a shared endeavor, you will be expected to attend and participate in class regularly.

За тематично–хронологічним принципом проаналізовано еволюцію
англійського історіописання XX – поч. XXI ст. щодо феномену «лицарського
турніру» у всіх його проявах. Висвітлено основні наукові концепції стосовно
ролі, місця та значення турнірів в житті лицарів. Дано оцінку «білим плямам»
сучасної історичної думки й перспективам дослідження пропонованої теми.

El caballero es el guerrero más prestigioso de la Edad Media. Profusamente armado, montado en un magnífico corcel, parece invencible. Guiado por el código de la caballería, mientras lucha con su espada y su lanza, el honor y la gloria le esperan. Este libro ofrece la información esencial que se necesita para convertirse con éxito en un caballero en la Edad Media. Entre otras cosas enseña: • Cómo superar una ceremonia caballeresca • Qué armas y armaduras comprar • Dónde debería ir de cruzada • Cómo hacer fortuna en la guerra • A qué orden de caballería unirse • Cómo ganar en un torneo y encontrar el amor de tu vida • Qué hacer en los asedios y las batallas Basada en anécdotas contemporáneas y descripciones, combinada con reconstrucciones actuales, este libro, escrito por un historiador medieval, proporciona un vívido retrato de lo que era ser un caballero en la guerra.

W sporządzonej onegdaj przez Bohdana Guerquina periodyzacji rodzimej architecturae militaris lata 1320−1410 opisane zostały w następujący sposób: "okres ten charakteryzuje wzmożony ruch budowlany na całym obszarze Polski oraz stosowanie różnorodnych typów układów przestrzennych zamków murowanych zarówno z kamienia, jak i z cegły". Następnie Guerquin skonstatował szczególne znaczenie akcji budowlanej Kazimierza III Wielkiego oraz dominację Małopolski w dziedzinie kreacji murowanego castrum, także rycerskiego. Niewątpliwie w Królestwie Polskim XIV w. to aurea aetas monarszych realizacji obronnych i rezydencjonalnych, w związku z czym nie może dziwić fakt, że to właśnie na elementarnym rozpoznaniu tych budowli skupia się obecnie wysiłek środowisk naukowych. Jednakże obraz architektury obronno-rezydencjonalnej zjednoczonego Królestwa nie byłby pełen bez choćby ogólnego podsumowania przemian zamków prywatnych, a więc ufortyfikowanych siedzib przedstawicieli warstwy uprzywilejowanej-stanu rycerskiego. Problem ten wciąż wymaga wielu badań. Głównym utrudnieniem jest zły stan zachowania samego przedmiotu dociekań. Większość bowiem XIV-wiecznych zamków rycerskich albo już nie istnieje, albo też ich substancja architektoniczna uległa tak dalece posuniętym przekształceniom, że odtworzenie stanu pierwotnego nastręcza wiele trudności. W związku z tym nierówno rozkłada się także stan naszej wiedzy o omawianych obiektach. Niemniej jesteśmy już dziś w stanie ująć problematykę zamków prywatnych czasów kazimierzowskich w sposób holistyczny, pokusić się o próby podsumowania zjawiska, zakreślenia kręgu zleceniodawców, najczęściej stosowanych rozwiązań przestrzennych, potencjału ekonomicznego i militarnego, wreszcie o przeprowadzenie analiz porównawczych. Oczywiście problematyka ta jest bardzo szeroka, nie roszczę więc sobie praw do wyczerpania tematu. Omawiane zagadnienie powinno się stać przedmiotem szerszego opracowania monograficznego. Tu chciałbym jedynie zaznaczyć najistotniejsze problemy badawcze, licząc, iż w przyszłości staną się motorem dalszych dociekań.

The anonymous Old French "Ordene de chevalerie" (ca. 1220) has often been used as a document of the medieval European knighting ritual. The famous scene, however, takes place within a complex comic plot that calls into question historical description. I argue that the "Ordene" offers both a theory of funniness and a theory of crusade. Laughter—both menacing and pleasurable—punctuates an extended joke that ultimately exposes the serious drama of Christian-Muslim violence.

In his book Knight’s Gambit, Faulkner used the medieval game of chess, Quixotic imagery, and romance to evoke a morality play (181) by which he underscored the ideals he agreed with, and repudiated those which he rejected from amongst the cavalier chivalry code of Southern cultural heritage, and showed the tragicomic nature of the Old South.  Taylor Haygood said that William Faulkner borrowed the myth of Camelot from Thomas Malory in order to illuminate a “mythic Old South that collapses from corruption hidden behind and undermining its gallant and beautiful facade.”  Like England’s Tolkien or Lewis, Faulkner engages in myth development.  He wants the South to be remembered and understood as a tragedy, and he knows that this arrested development (from the Civil War) is what will give it lasting power (Haygood, 45-6).

Pere de Rovira was the first master of the Order of Temple in the province of Provence and Hispania. Pere came from a family of knights in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda (Vallès-Spain). During his tenure, with the help of his brother, the order received a major boost. One of the key moments in the growth of the institution coincided with thw campaign for the conquest of Tortosa (1148). The templars took part militarily under the command of Peter. Previously, as leader of the institution, he had negociated privileges that prepared the consolidation of the Temple in the Ebro valley. After the conquest, he devoted himself to organize the possessions granted by the count, which turned the Order of Temple into a bastion in the territory

A mariner, a knight, the governor of the Isle of Guernsey, and a nobleman with influence at the English and the Portuguese courts – Edward
Brampton, the son of a Jewish blacksmith, defied the so-called strict hierarchy of late medieval society and earned status, prestige,
and fortune

IN OUR PREVIOUS ARTICLE ENTITLED: The Spear of Destiny and the Grail Cup as Remedy for the Counter Evolutionary Forces of the Ancient Priestly Wisdom, Part I  we addressed the polarity of independence and collaboration in the context of modern spiritual evolution. We saw how the wrong sort of independence is used as a counter-evolutionary influence, and that collaboration is the remedy for an unhealthy independence. In the three articles in this sub-series within a greater series , we are dedicated to seeking a remedy for the three old practices of independence, hierarchy and secrecy. We are examining these ancient principles of priestly wisdom in order to recognize the activity of backward, atavistic, forces that linger in our present-day culture, forestalling the Christening of the Human Ego by what Rudolf Steiner called, “erecting something of a dam to hold back the whole stream.”  Understanding how independence, hierarchy and secrecy frustrate the maturation of the human ego is the key to overcoming their influence and rising to the level of the future Philadelphia culture, which is based on "brotherly love" or what we would call today "human love," and which is the objective of building a community of Grail Knights.

The Fechtbuch (Fight-Book) from 1459 AD by Hans Talhoffer is truly an uncanny work. In this edition of his work, the fight-master opens a window for us to his world. He shares knowledge from his own field of expertise – the martial arts of Renaissance Europe. Yet he also presents works from masters of the same and other fields – Zwaintzig Ussrichtung (Twenty Directives) by fight-master Johann Liechtenauer; Bellifortis (Battle Force) by military engineer Conrad Kyeser; and Hie Lert (Here Teaches) by astrologer-physiologist Jud Ebreesch. By text and by pictures, numerous diverse and lively scenes are shown that are sometimes quite bizarre – vigorous fighting lessons, for judicial dueling and for battle; war-machines, strange inventions and secret formulas; and treatises upon cosmology and physiology.

In this rich personal edition of his work, Talhoffer deals with a wide variety of things, from the lofty to the earthy. He has something to offer everyone – whether fighter, artist, botanist, philologist, herbalist, chemist, metalsmith, carpenter, jurist, kinesiologist, astronomer, culinarian, theologian, costumer, physician or otherwise.

Although fighting-arts are the focus of Talhoffer’s book, it is really something of a kaleidoscopic view of the interests and pursuits of the Renaissance German warrior, inclusive of manifold things meaningful to his life. However atavistic or unreal his world may be deemed now, it did truly exist and held wonder and honour worthy of our admiration.

The diversity of this book stands witness to Hans Talhoffer as one of the dynamic personalities of his generation – one whom we must deem was a true Renaissance Man.

All imagery herein is from the 1459-Thott edition, courtesy of the original 15th Century manuscript held by sterwardship of Det Kongelige Bibliotek in Copenhagen Denmark. I made this PDF to present that work here for the free learning of all sincerely interested persons. It may be viewed via personal computer, saved onto CDR and/or printed into hard-copy, allowing complete archiving of the document in whatever quality format one may choose – with the understanding that it is meant for noncommercial and nonprofit educational usage. The imagery herein is colour-corrected; and where needed in four folios, the action of the artwork is conceptually restored. The original uncorrected DKB facsimile still exists online. DKB is found in the Web at this URL: http://www.kb.dk

So first is the facsimile of the original book itself, which lets you see the words and pictures for yourself. Next are my transcription of its German and my translation of that into English – the transcription gives you direct comprehensible reference to the original German wording, while the translation gives you the first and only rendering of that wording into English. Lastly is my interpretive commentary, which helps you better understand many aspects of the words and pictures.

The halo of mystery that surrounds the knight's sword in the Middle Ages corresponds to an ancient mythology echoed in the chansons de geste, Arthurian novels and Scandinavian sagas, as well as in iconography and archaeology. The sword is certainly a functional tool, a technical prowess and an object of art, but it is also an animated artefact which, by giving off a supernatural force, makes the knight invincible.
The fighter, the smith and the loving fairies who pass on their swords are at the heart of this book, which explores the mentalities of a bygone era whose stories continue to inspire heroic fantasy today. The sword is also the sign of the knight's social preponderance and the symbol of war, which he reserves exclusively for himself. It embodies all the intellectual abstractions surrounding the use of legitimate violence in society.

There has long been a debate among medieval scholars over the precise definition of knighthood and how the Latin term 'miles,' often translated as “knight,” relates to the knight’s identity in the Middle Ages prior to the reign of King Henry II of England (1154-1189). This project offers a systematic analysis of the term 'miles' in the twelfth-century text, the 'Historia Ecclesiastica,' by Orderic Vitalis. I examine the ways in which the historian refers to 'milites,' including their varying socio-economic backgrounds, their involvement in the military households of socially prominent men, and their military equipment, among other issues. This paper argues that Orderic’s usage of the term 'miles' indicates that he believed the 'milites' were professional soldiers and that “knight” is an inappropriate translation of the term 'miles.'

Although George R.R. Martin’s Land of Ice and Fire series, and the accompanying HBO television show Game of Thrones, are set in the fantasy land of Westeros, there can be little doubt of its correlation with the medieval world. The aesthetic of the show is rooted in the medieval past, and many of Game of Thrones’ elements mirror in particular the tropes of chivalric romance. The importance of medieval chivalry as an underpinning for the narrative of these texts is therefore clear. But rather than privileging the chivalric ideal, Game of Thrones instead deliberately deconstructs and ultimately undermines the construct of the medieval chivalric hero. It does so in a number of ways. One of these is through the use of various characters who act as knightly ‘others’, those who do not conform to accepted ideas of the medieval hero. Two such characters share an unlikely and somewhat prolonged relationship as they journey through war-torn Westeros – Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister.

Писање биографије једног средњовековног владара или велможе није нимало једноставно. То је у случају једног српског владара или велможе из средњег века још сложеније, с обзиром на малобројност и фрагментарност сачуваних извора. На овој скали можда је и најтеже приказати животопис владара у биографији чији је циљ био, како аутор Марко Алексић на стр. 313 каже: „да пружи оно најбоље што наука зна о Марку Краљевићу, али на разумљив и занимљив начин.“

This essay is the first and only exploration of what the German Tradition of Chivalric Arts (Ritterlich Kunst)—with its three main lineages of Liechtenauer, Nürnberg, Gladiatoria—meant by masse for fencing and wrestling.  The findings may prove both revealing and riling: My conclusion is that masse meant “mass” in context of those past martial arts.  That simple and obvious equation differs from the current and hitherto uncontested consensus that masse et.al. meant “measure”.  Moreover, said consensus has no regard for whether the context be fechten (fencing) or ringen (wrestling), where multiple meanings for the same word may have existed.  Accordingly, many otherwise smart and talented fencers, wrestlers and scholars may misunderstand what masse really meant in context of Chivalric fencing and wrestling.  Counter to that, I hope to present a definitive and contextual analysis of relevant passages from those major German fechtbücher (fencing/fight-books) which spoke of masse; and accordingly provide a new, alternative and correct understanding for that significant word plus other related and relevant terms of Medieval German fighting arts.

Published by Paladin Press in 1999, Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction (TOMAR) remained in print until 2017, when Paladin closed their business. A limited number of copies are available at the URL below.

Intended for the practitioner market, TOMAR is a massive tome of 660+ pages and more than 600 photographs and illustrations documenting the fundamentals of metalwork and engineering employed in the reproduction of medieval armour. Anchored in basic techniques, it was always intended that a follow-on advanced book be completed which would include more intensive techniques such as raising, square edge-rolling, locksmithing, and the like.

The book has earned hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon and has been called the "bible" of armouring. Find it here: https://brianrprice.com/.

The following passages from major Fechtbücher (fencing/fight-books) of the German Tradition are meant to show the presence and the relevance of the principle of Indes (Inthereof) as found originally in the Liechtenauer Lineage of Bloszfechten (bare/unarmoured longsword fencing).  The word is a strange combination of genitive article, adverb, preposition and pronoun.  MHD Indes equates with NHD indes or indessen, and was synonymous with MHD underdez and MHD dÿ weile and even MHD mit.  It may translate into NE as meanwhile, meantime; or the suitable instantly, immediately; or the commendable within; but really neither the questionable just as, nor the suicidal simultaneously.  All such have served in various modern translations.  However, I think that Indes is best served by the wholly original translation of:  Inthereof.  That word serves the demands of its unique martial context for a meaning relevant to both time and space.  “Inthereof” provides us a new & superior understanding of Indes.

There was nothing second-rate about the English way of war in the Late Middle Ages, argues Tobias Capwell, Curator of Arms and Armour at London’s Wallace Collection, in a major new study published late last year. The early 15th-century English warrior was at the forefront of military innovation. And the key to success was combined-arms tactics.

There is a looming question of why the Ordre du Temple of the 1800s possessed an archive consisting of documents largely of its own time, with very little to show prior to the Grandmastership of Dr. Fabre-Palaprat.
If the Ordre du Temple was legitimate, certainly one would expect there to
be a larger documentary footprint beyond what was produced. This will be an investigation into that archive, if it existed, as well as what might have happened to it, leaving us without it today.

В книге рассматривается история западноевропейского рыцарства как социально-политического и историко-культурного явления, прослеживается формирование и развитие идеологической концепции рыцарства, его самосознания и социальной психологии.
Книга представляет интерес для всех, кто интересуется рыцарскими обычаями и турнирами, идеалами и культом прекрасной дамы, сражениями и войнами.

У книзі розглядається історія західноєвропейського рицарства як суспільно-політичного та історико-культурного явища, прослідковується формування та розвиток ідеологічної концепції рицарства, його самосвідомості та соціальної психології.
Книга може виявитися корисною для всіх, хто цікавиться рицарськими звичаями та турнірами, ідеалами та культом прекрасної дами, битвами та війнами.

Henry VIII is not now remembered for his military exploits, which were rather thin. However, it is important to examine the fact that this is how he wanted to be remembered, nonetheless. War with France was the established means by which a King of England could secure lasting renown. Henry V is the best example, thus he was a model for Henry VIII. This paper will reveal the continuing power of the medieval model of martial masculinity in the early sixteenth century as Henry VIII attempted to commemorate his status as a warrior king. This paper will also discuss Henry’s designs for a monumental effigy of him on horseback that would have immortalized his martial image and presented an idealised portrait of manhood for his posterity. Henry made powerful use of this tradition of visual representation of the royal person most famously commissioning portraits by Hans Holbein and one significant wall mural to commemorate the Tudor dynasty as he wanted it to be remembered. Finally, this paper will consider Henry’s public representation of chivalrous masculinity through his participation in tournaments, in which the king sought to establish himself as a legendary jouster. For Henry VIII wanted to be remembered as a military and chivalric hero, who had equalled and even surpassed the most virtuous deeds of the Lancastrians and Yorkists.

Knightly Dueling is a complete overview of the fighting arts of German chivalric dueling, on horse and on foot, during the late Medieval and early Renaissance. Through the words and pictures of original source texts of the great German fight-masters of the 14th through 16th centuries – extraordinary works that poetically preserved medieval methods of the true knightly dueling of mortal combat over grave matters with battlefield arms & armour.Until now, no single book has encompassed and clarified the scattered existing historical information on German dueling with swords, lances, daggers, pollaxes etc. Knightly Dueling shows the ruthless reality of man-to-man combat of the German Kunst des Fechtens (art of fighting), providing a thorough understanding of Johannes Liechtenauer's Roszfechten (horse fighting) and Kampffechten (duel fighting). It gives Middle High German transcriptions, as well as the first and only modern English translations, of works from various fight books by Liechtenauer's renowned masterly interpreters, including Hanko Döbringer, Peter von Danzig, Hans Talhoffer and Andre Lignitzer. The book also presents an illustrated blow-by-blow account of a deadly duel from a German Fechtbuch (fight book); primary source information regarding specific training of noblemen for duels and the training of noble youth in the combat arts; and a unique glossary of historical German chivalric terms for arms and armour.Lavishly illustrated with lots of period artwork, Knightly Dueling restores the concept of German chivalry to its rightful martial role and is a must for any serious scholar of the dynamic field of European martial arts.

Abrégé de l'histoire, de la nature et des caractéristiques de la chevalerie militaire du Saint-Sépulcre de Jérusalem, constituée en ordre équestre sui generis dès le XIVe siècle et en association de fidèles oeuvrant pour le maintien de la présence chrétienne en Terre Sainte à partir de 1847 et du rétablissement du Patriarcat latin de Jérusalem. L'étude examine la nature des liens qui unissent l'Ordre équestre du Saint-Sépulcre de Jérusalem au Pontife romain qui en fut le grand-maître de 1907 à 1928 et qui n'a pas cessé d'être le protecteur et le modérateur de cette milice du XIVe siècle à nos jours.

Axiom : When a new kind of sword originates and becomes prevalent, then it logically follows that both the sword and its new kind of fencing evolve and become perfected.  That is what must have started happening in Chivalric Europe circa 1100, when a new kind of sword—called variously longsword, langschwert, war sword, espée de guerre, great sword, grans espée, two-hand-sword, etcetera—came into being.  Its history is well-epitomised by the Liechtenauer Lineage of the German Tradition of the Art of Fencing, its Kunst des Fechtens.  The longsword probably first arose somewhere in Germany (i.e. Holy Roman Empire) and eventually spread via migratory innovation and/or native industry to England, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Italy, Benelux, Iberia, Poland, Bohemia, Prussia and Baltica.

Handout / Preliminary research for the 2003 38th Annual International Congress of Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, 2003. This was a longish (90-minute) presentation, and it discusses the sources and techniques of use for the medieval poleaxe, touching also on the chivalric context for its use. A later set of practicum notes also survives from 2005, and this is the foundation for an in-progress book-length work on my queue looking at the weapon, armored combat, and its social and martial context.

Esta dissertação tem por objeto o estudo da ideologia cavaleiresca em Portugal no século XV, e orienta-se em função de algumas questões fundamentais: quais os valores e ideais que caracterizavam a ideologia cavaleiresca? Havia alguma hierarquia entre eles? Qual a importância desta ideologia no Portugal do século XV? Para tentar responder a estas perguntas, utiliza-se um conjunto diversificado de fontes: crónicas, legislação, capítulos de cortes, pareceres e correspondência trocada entre os membros da família real, cartas de brasão de armas e epitáfios tumulares. A estrutura da dissertação divide-se em três capítulos. No primeiro discutem-se os sentidos polissémicos dos termos cavalaria e cavaleiro. No segundo analisa-se a conceção teórica da cavalaria, nomeadamente sobre a sua origem, funções na sociedade e os valores que a deveriam orientar. No terceiro procuram-se analisar alguns aspetos da vivência da cavalaria, como as justas, torneios e feitos de armas realizados em Portugal, a importância do sentimento cruzadístico para a ideologia cavaleiresca, e o significado da cavalaria para a realeza e para os vários setores da aristocracia.

This dissertation has by goal the study of chivalry and knightly ideology in Portugal during the XV century, and it's oriented according to some fundamental questions: which values and ideals used to characterize the knightly ideology? Was there any hierarchy between them? How important was this ideology during the XV century in Portugal? To attempt to answer to this group of questions, the dissertation uses a diverse group of sources: chronicles, legislation, chapters of cortes, correspondence exchanged between the members of the royal family, letters of coats of arms and gravestones' epitaphs. The dissertation's structure divides itself in three chapters. On the first, we discuss the polisemy associated with the terms chivalry and knight in Portuguese sources. On the second, we analyze the theoretical conception of chivalry, namely about its origin, functions in society and the values which should guide it. On the third, we look to analyze some aspects of the chivalry's experience, such as jousts, tournaments and pas d’armes made in Portugal, the importance of the crusading spirit to the knighthood ideology, and the meaning of chivalry to the royalty and to the several sectors of the aristocracy.