The Chivalrous Society

by Georges Duby, Cynthia Postan (Translator)

"Georges Duby in productivity and originality stands at the forefront of active medievalists in France and in the world. The present collection contains 15 of his short articles, most but not all of which appear in English for the first time. . . Of capital interest are his several essays that explore the evolution of nobility, knighthood, the noble family, and the ideals of chivalry across the central Middle Ages. They are both a summary and the point of departure of current research into the medieval aristocracy .... Indispensable."--Choice
 "[A] valuable collection. The title is exact. But it is no coffee-table account of courtly life eked out with colour photos of an author's subsidized holiday. It is an interlocking series of studies about the structure of families, the nature of knighthood and nobility, changes of attitudes towards kinship, and the influence of new clerical ideas . . . . Duby shows us noble families becoming specifically knightly, acquiring heritable toponymies, clustering round the patrimony, emphasizing the male line and the eldest born save when the female is an heiress, and in the course of time forming a homogeneous noble class whose members by St. Louis's age, whatever else they are, are gentilhommes. Passion is not spent, but canalized against the enemies of Christ. The discrete themes of undergraduate medieval history are in reality one complex whole: land, wives, dynasty war, celibacy, vows, pilgrimage, crusade, nobility."--Times Literary Supplement
 "Duby's researches in medieval agrarian and social history have established him as one of the leading international authorities in those areas. This volume brings together 15 of his most significant articles. The book represents the best of 'the new history."'--Library Journal

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Medieval History

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 1981

Reviews

[Eclaire-Moi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instructif

Ayant fait des études d’Histoire, j’ai trouvé cet ouvrage de Georges Duby fort instructif, un peu complexe par moment, mais intéressant tout de même.

D’un point de vue historique, bon nombre d’historien.ne.s ont travaillé sur ces sujets depuis et quelques interprétations de Georges Duby ont été révisé à l’aube de nouvelles découvertes et de nouvelles propositions d’interprétation mais c’est aussi ce qui fait la beauté de la science.

D’un point de vue historiographique, cet ouvrage est vraiment intéressant, car il témoigne de la manière dont l’histoire était écrite dans les années 1970 et quels étaient les axes de recherches.

Néanmoins, je pense qu’il faut déjà bien connaître l’Histoire de France pour le lire, car il n’est pas forcément accessible à tou.te.s.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chivalrous Society
Georges Duby
Read it in old blue woven hardcover at 254 (small thick type) pages including index and bibliography, maps, and charts.

In The Chivalrous Society, Duby uses existing Charters, and documents to apply a taxonomy approach to looking over this documentation to isolate the switch between title usage. By using a methodological taxonomy approach he is able to explain the "attempt to place themselves in a relationship with others, and then the ideological models, the exemplary types, to which these processes give birth, as well as the system of sanctions and rules which give this practical taxonomy its value and efficacity." Once established, the second portions follows his investigations in patterns of kinship and thus the birth of Chivalry. It's all very fascinating and this was an invaluable gem to find. Duby expertly analyzes and gives a full picture of the systematic birth of Chivalry as documented in time (isolated and accurate Charters/Records/Genealogies) and expounded upon by analyzing what we know of the interactions between the classes. Going as far as explaining economic grain production (helpful in identifying the control a Lord could have as an area of influence as well as income), and a very flushed out look at the youth of aristocracy (very fascinating) to help identify the overall tide of the birth of Chivalry.

As expected since Duby is a scholarly gentleman, it can be a little dry and was first published in 1977. Duby has written extensively on this era and I look forward to eating more of his hard work in the future. A must read for anyone digging under the epidermis of High Middle, and especially interested in the scholarly work to define the creation/birth of Chivalry. I would only recommend this for people very familiar with the time period.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic collection of essays from one of the 20th century's most important historian, but it has relatively little to do with Chivalry itself and more to do with the economic and social history around it.

Definitely recommended reading for medievalists, especially those interested in the culture of nobility around the year 1000, but those only interested in HEMA/historical combat probably won't find what they're looking for.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good collection by Duby. I especially liked his chapter on women and power.