Medieval Chivalry

Cambridge Medieval Textbooks

by Richard W. Kaeuper

Emerging in the medieval period, chivalry embodied ideals that elite warriors cherished and practices that formed their profession. In this major new overview, Richard Kaeuper examines how chivalry made sense of violence and war, making it tolerable for elite fighters rather than non-knightly or sub-knightly populations. He discusses how chivalry buttressed status and profession, shaped active piety, and fostered intense warrior attachments and heterosexual relationships. Though showing regional and chronological variations, chivalry at its core enshrined the practice of prowess in securing honor, with this process significantly blessed by religion. Both kingship and church authority sought to direct the great force of chivalry and, despite tensions, finally came to terms with rising knightly status and a burgeoning military role. Kaeuper engages with a wide range of evidence in his analysis, drawing on the chivalric literature, manuscript illumination, and sermon exempla and moral tales.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Chivalry, Medieval

447 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2016

Reviews

[Edmundsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to lie if I claimed that reading more than 700 pages of academic literature regarding medieval killing within one week has not affected my dreams already.

[Anya Ciccone · Rating 3 out of 5]

informative but takes about a million years to say something interesting. Spends a lot more time deconstructing with data / examples than building up with any actual claims, and when those claims are made they're built around thematic concepts that are easily deconstructed again. This might be a methodology problem though, no?