Chivalry and Courtesy: Medieval Manners for a Modern World

by Danièle Cybulskie

A surprising look at how medieval etiquette can improve our lives today, from the author of the popular How to Live Like a Monk Medieval people are often portrayed as having poor hygiene and table manners―licking their knives or throwing chicken bones on the floor. In the Middle Ages, however, such behavior was not tolerated. Medieval society cherished order in nearly every facet of life, from regular handwashing to daily prayer. There were consequences if you didn’t adhere to the rules of good you wouldn’t be invited to the lord’s next dinner, you wouldn’t win the battle, and you wouldn’t win the lady.

Author Daniele Cybulskie explores the world of medieval etiquette, encompassing table manners and interpersonal relationships as well as running a household and ruling a kingdom. With wit and insight, Cybulskie draws on a wide variety of primary sources, from handbooks for young knights to romantic poems. Though we may no longer need best practices for things like dueling or ordering about our servants, the principles of generosity, kindness, and respect still apply today. After all, it’s a good reminder to “not talk when you have food in your mouth” and “anything you say should be entertaining, polite, and sophisticated.”

Illustrated with original drawings by Anna Lobanova as well as eighty medieval artworks, Chivalry and Courtesy is full of good advice for everyone, whether you are a peasant or a knight, a student or a CEO, a king or a queen.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Medieval, Medieval History, Historical

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Danièle Cybulskie is a historian, author, TEDx speaker, and medieval coach, who has been sharing her love of the Middle Ages with readers worldwide for over a decade. Her book, The Five-Minute Medievalist, debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Canadian charts (Western History), and her featured articles at Medievalists.net, as well as in several international magazines, have reached over half a million readers, and counting.

A former college professor, Danièle worked as the subject matter expert on OntarioLearn’s The Middle Ages and the Modern World: Facts and Fiction, now being offered at nine Ontario colleges. She earned her MA in English literature from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in medieval literature and Renaissance drama. Her mission is to make history fun, entertaining, and engaging, and to draw attention to our shared human nature across the centuries. When she’s not reading or writing, Danièle can be found drinking tea, practicing archery, or sometimes building a backyard trebuchet.