Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe

by Richard W. Kaeuper

This original and authoritative text reveals how chivalry was part of the problem of violence in medieval Europe, not merely its solution. The ideal was to internalize restraint in knights, but a close reading of chivalric literature shows chivalry also praised heroic violence by knights. This fascinating book lays bare the conflicts and paradoxes surrounding the concept of chivalry in medieval Europe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Medieval History, Sociology, Reference

350 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Sarah Jen]

Well, if nothing else, it cured my insomnia

[Adam McPhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chivalry not as the brutality of the past or the courtly refinement of the romance but as the tension between the individual prowess/war power of the horsed elite versus the need for public order. As explored through the chanson de geste, the romance of the round table, and contemporary chronicles.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a moment I thought, "video games have nothing on these guys" but then I remembered a few that might be even more horrifying than these knights covered in blood from head to toe after a days play. Play is the right word to use here surprisingly enough, but does not define the entire "chivalric" age but the out-of-control knightly violence experienced just before the crusades. What is most interesting is to observe the vestiges in today's military as well as previous ideas about honor, loyalty, ect among fighting men. Kaeuper does an excellent job of examining the role of literature informing ideals of the age as well as tracing the changes that took place in the concept of chivalry in relation to the political environment knights found themselves in. A fascinating read in general.

[Eunice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kaeuper´s aproach to the chivalric theme is what he thinks is the core of it. Prowess. Due to the pragmatic origins of chivalry, military origins, these class is profoundly marked by viloence and its expresions. Accordin to his thesis all expresions in literature are a derivation of the of the military prowess of the knights. Although very interesting, it is quite repetitive, the same romances and its summarizes are given again and again through the book.

[Deval · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scholarly work of the highest order by someone who obviously has studied the field for decades and can offer the fruits of his labour with intelligence and wit. There are a lot of insights and illuminating observations, especially in the chapters on the strange personalities and plots in the chivalric literature, measured against the historical records of the time. I admit that it may be a difficult read for the general reader but even then a chapter of this book contains more information and thoughtful analysis than hundreds of pages elsewhere. I am not sure what to do with the references to Mark Twain or Star Wars that pop up at a few places, but these are more than compensated for by dozens of gems of scholarly brilliance.

[Verónica Pazos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha flipado.

[Alex Chen · Rating 2 out of 5]

could have been half the length – dry and repetitious (though scholarly competent), but at least surveyed some of the interesting history and literature of the medieval period

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent scholarly view of the effects (and origins) of Chivalry throughout the middle ages and the way the violence within society was support, tempered and ultimately changed through it and despite it.

Particularly interesting are the discussions about Chivalric romance and literature and its effect and intended effects on the chivalric population at large.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were interesting things in this book, but I found him overly academic - and with an annoying habit of citing other historians or worse Victorian fiction.

Keen's "Chivalry" was simply better, more focused, and more engagingly written.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt a bit like reading a dissertation at times, but the subject was so interesting that you just roll with it. I loved this for its' attempt to ascertain what the knights believed, how they behaved, and what their contemporaries thought about it all.