What should a knight be like? What were the knightly ideals? What does it mean to be in the modern world?
What were the ideals of chivalry?
A knight must first of all be a Christian. It was impossible to become a knight without receiving holy baptism.
“These are times of ardent faith,” wrote one of his enlightened contemporaries, “when people have no doubts. They imagine the universe as a vast theater, where an endless drama is played out, full of tears and joys, the characters of which are scattered between heaven, earth and hell; a drama whose outcome is predetermined, whose actions are controlled by God himself, but which in every scene presents large and varied interweavings. Divine persons, angels and saints join every moment to guide humanity, while Satan and his dark legions tempt and confuse him without end. A person, drawn by heavenly mercy and hellish temptations in two opposite directions, is free of will and master of his fate. He has an earthly life to choose between two attractions and, depending on whether he yields to the first or the second, his soul flies off after the death of his body to happy places where eternal joy reigns, or is cast into the abyss - a refuge of despair.”
According to these ideas, man's greatest misfortune was sin; it was necessary either to avoid it or to be cleansed of it. But at the same time, it was believed that there were no unforgivable sins, no atrocities that could not be redeemed by sincere repentance and godly actions.
A knight must be not only a Christian, but also a fighter for the Christian Church. He was ordered to guard and protect her. One of the French ballads says this directly: “We are clergy,” says the minister of the Church, the archbishop, “and it is our duty to serve God, to whom we pray for our friends. And you, knights, do not forget that God created you to protect the Church.”
While defending the Church, the knight was obliged to provide assistance to all those who were under its protection - widows, orphans, and the weak. And I must say, there are, especially in literary monuments, wonderful examples of how knights followed this law. Here's just one of them...
Feeling the approach of death, Charlemagne bequeathed to his son not to rob orphans of their fiefs, and from widows of their last money. However, his son, King Louis, quickly forgot his father’s behests and offered Count Guillaume the possession of the fief of one of his vassals, the deceased Marquis Beranger.
But Guillaume, knowing that the Marquis still had a son, became furious with anger. In the presence of all the vassals, he scolded his king: “Noble knights, listen to me! See how Louis, our rightful lord, rewards his best servants. During the battle with the Saracens, Turks and Slavs, the king was knocked off his horse. The Marquis Beranger rushed to him, lowering the reins, with a shining sword in his hand, he cut a clearing around the king, like a boar between dogs. Then he jumped off his horse to help his lord. And the king sat in the saddle and rushed off like a cowardly dog. The Marquis Beranger remained, and we saw how he was killed and cut into pieces, but, alas, we could not come to his aid.
He left behind an heir, whose name is little Beranger. To betray this child, you have to be, I swear to God, worse than a coward and a traitor. If anyone dares to take the land of little Beranger, this very sword will cut off his head.”
It was on such ballads that the morality of the future knight was formed. By the way, one can judge from this ballad how little the feudal lords considered their kings at the dawn of chivalry.
Knights were supposed to serve as defenders of right and good against evil. In the fight against enemies, the knight was inspired by his love for his homeland, to which he was firmly attached. The knight considered his country the best country in the world.
This is how touchingly the same literary hero, Count Guillaume, says goodbye to his country France, leaving it for a long time: “He turned towards dear France, and the wind from there blew in his face; he opened his chest to give more air access. Standing against the wind, he knelt down: “Oh, the gentle breath blowing from France. It contains all the people I love. I entrust you to the right hand of the Lord, because I myself do not hope to see you again.” Tears flowed from his beautiful eyes. They flow in streams over his face and abundantly wet his clothes.”
Knights, defenders of the Church and the weak, were supposed to serve as examples of courage and show this courage especially in the fight against infidels. The physical ideal of a knight was a strong and brave warrior who “with one blow of his sword cuts a warrior on horseback and in armor from top to bottom along with the horse,” who “without difficulty unbends four horseshoes at a time,” “raises a knight in armor to the head, which stands on his hand,” and finally... eats a quarter of a ram or a whole goose at dinner.
The knight values his name: “It is better to die than to be called a coward.” For a knight, honor is more valuable than life.
It was necessary to deal “knightly” with a defeated enemy of equal rank. The knight had to treat his captive as the most honored guest, even if he was his mortal enemy. Captives, as a rule, offered a ransom for their release, as well as expensive armor and a war horse. A knight could not attack another knight without declaring war.
The knights had to be selflessly devoted to their lord and maintain an unbreakable oath of vassal allegiance. The knight had to be true to his word. When making any promise, he swore by God, “who never lies.” And finally, the knights were supposed to be generous, according to their code...
From the book Knights author Malov Vladimir IgorevichWhat kind of real knights were we? Much has already been discussed in the book about chivalry and knightly times - about traditions and weapons, about coats of arms, heraldry, tournaments, about impregnable castles, famous battles and knightly orders... We went through dozens of pages
From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 3 [Physics, chemistry and technology. History and archaeology. Miscellaneous] authorWhen and why were knightly tournaments banned? Knightly tournaments were banned after the French king Henry II was mortally wounded during a tournament on July 10, 1559. The death of the king was accidental: the broken spear of his opponent, sliding on the shield,
From the book Encyclopedic Dictionary of Catchwords and Expressions author Serov Vadim VasilievichGod, how naive we were! Words from a romance written by composer Veniamin Basner to poems by poet Mikhail Lvovich Matusovsky (1915-1990). This line became popular after the romance was featured in the television film “Days of the Turbins,” based on the novel by M. A. Bulgakov
From the book Everything about everything. Volume 2 author Likum ArkadyWhat were the first skyscrapers? Everywhere in the world these days, where there are large cities, there are high-rise buildings that could be called skyscrapers. There is no reason to use this word to refer to all large buildings. It's just a name given to the very high
From the book 3333 tricky questions and answers author Kondrashov Anatoly PavlovichWhat were the first means of transportation? If you find yourself on a desert island and need to drag something from one place to another, what are you going to do? Drag! In ancient times, human muscles were the only means of movement. The man was himself
From the book Everything about everything. Volume 5 author Likum ArkadyWhat were the last words of Jesus Christ in his earthly life? Even on such an important issue, evangelicals contradict each other. Mark (author of the earliest Gospel, 15:34) and Matthew (27:46) say that Jesus' last words on the cross were: “My God, my God! what are you for
From the book The Second Book of General Delusions by Lloyd JohnWhat were the first fish? 500,000,000 years ago there were no fish at all. Coal deposits prove that the first fish appeared during the Ordovician period, which began approximately 460,000,000 years ago. But it is still unclear whether the first fish appeared in fresh or salt water. In the next
From the book Knights author Malov Vladimir IgorevichWhat were Richard III's last words? “A horse, a horse, half a kingdom for a horse!” is one of the most quoted phrases in English literature. But Richard III never uttered these words. His last words are part of what little we know from official sources
From the book Who's Who in the Art World author Sitnikov Vitaly PavlovichWhat were the ideals of knighthood? A knight must first of all be a Christian. It was impossible to become a knight without receiving holy baptism. “These are times of ardent faith,” wrote one of his enlightened contemporaries, “when people have no doubts. They imagine the universe
From the book Animal World author Sitnikov Vitaly PavlovichWhat were the real knights like in our mind? Much has already been discussed in the book about chivalry and knightly times - about traditions and weapons, about coats of arms, heraldry, tournaments, about impregnable castles, famous battles and knightly orders... We went through dozens of pages
From the book The World Around Us author Sitnikov Vitaly PavlovichWhat were the first opera houses like? For a long time, opera was available only to people of royal blood. She was their favorite entertainment and the main decoration of royal holidays. In 1637, an event took place in Italy that would forever go down in the history of musical culture: in this
From the book Who's Who in World History author Sitnikov Vitaly PavlovichWhat were ancient horses like? Like other animals, modern horses are very different from their distant ancestors. In many places around the globe, fossilized remains of those ancient animals that scientists believe are the ancestors of horses are found. Now
From the book Who's Who in the World of Discoveries and Inventions author Sitnikov Vitaly PavlovichWhat were the ancient books like? Books appeared a long time ago, but they did not immediately acquire the appearance we are accustomed to. What did ancient books look like? Paper was invented in China more than 2 thousand years ago. The Chinese kept the recipe for its processing secret for not a century or two. But that's the point
From the author's bookWhat were Neanderthals like? To understand how human development occurred, scientists carefully study everything that remains of primitive people: skeletons, tools of labor and hunting, dishes, etc. In 1856, in a limestone cave located in the valley of the Neander River in Germany, there were
From the author's bookWhat were the Cro-Magnons like? Cro-Magnons were so named because the remains of these cave dwellers were found in the town of Cro-Magnon in the south of France. Also interesting is the fact that experts who studied the skeletons of these cave dwellers found that they were quite
From the author's bookWhat were the first skyscrapers? Everywhere these days, where there are large cities, there are high-rise buildings that could be called skyscrapers. There is no reason to use this word to designate all large buildings; this name is given only to very tall buildings and
What exactly was this so-called “knightly path to Salvation”? What should a knight do in order not only to receive worldly glory, but also to save his immortal soul? This is what Maurice Kean writes on this subject, conveying in his own words the thoughts of Raymond Lull, expressed in his treatise on chivalry:
His [i.e. knight – chevalry] the first duty is to defend the faith of Christ from the infidels, for which he will be honored not only in our world, but also after death: this is, of course, the speech of the true son of the crusader! The knight is also obliged to protect his secular lord, take care of the weak, women, widows and orphans, and constantly train his body by hunting wild animals - deer, wild boars and wolves - and participating in duels and tournaments. Under the leadership of his king, he must administer justice among the people under him and guide them in righteous labors. It is from among the knights that kings should choose their provosts, bailiffs and other senior officials. The knight, in turn, must always be ready to immediately leave his castle and go to protect roads or pursue robbers and intruders.
He also needs: to acquire certain knowledge of the virtues necessary to fulfill all the above duties; try to gain wisdom; cultivate mercy and loyalty. However, the most important thing in a knight is military valor, “for most of all knighthood is famous precisely for the nobility of courage (noblesse de courage)” (i.e. valor). And above all, honor is for him. Well, a knight must flee pride, as well as perjury, laziness, debauchery and - betrayal (it should be noted that Lull’s concept has a very archaic flavor - especially with regard to particularly serious types of betrayal: the murder of his lord, cohabitation with his wife, surrender of his castle to the enemy).
At the end of his book, Lull draws a conclusion about what kind of person the knight should become as a result. Firstly, he should have courteous and noble manners, dress well and show hospitality - of course, within the limits of his financial capabilities. Loyalty and truthfulness, courage and generosity (largesse), as well as modesty - these are the main character traits that we should expect in a knight.
This text seems a little pompous, but we should consider that for the Middle Ages this kind of sublime rhetoric, as well as symbolism and convention in the presentation of ideas, were the most common, widespread phenomenon. Moreover, in this case the knightly idea is presented briefly and dryly, one might say, theoretically. And we already see its literary refraction in the knightly and courtly novels of the Middle Ages.
According to Raymond Lull, it turns out that knightly piety is a complete and integral system of values that should be characteristic of every true knight. This system includes:
- knightly virtues - valor, loyalty, courage, generosity, generosity;
- military exploits - participation in knightly duels, knightly tournaments, wars for the king (or his overlord) and, finally, the Crusades;
- protection and patronage of churches and monasteries, widows and orphans, the disadvantaged, and unjustly convicted;
- performance of Christian rites and rituals - fasting, prayer, participation in temple services;
- courtliness, or secularism - the ability to behave at the royal court and in general in an aristocratic environment, education, gallantry, courtesy.
Here is an approximate list of elements that together made any knight an exemplary knight.
TICKET No. 5
TICKET No. 8
Historical novel is a genre
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
Features of a historical novel.
TICKET No. 13
TICKET No. 18
TICKET No. 19
TICKET No. 25
TICKET No. 5
1. Define the concept of “tragedy” using the example of William Shakespeare’s work “Romeo and Juliet”.
Tragedy is one of the types of drama, which is based on a tense, irreconcilable conflict, most often ending in the death of the hero. In the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" the problems of the invincibility of fate and earthly love are raised. The basis of the tragedy is the conflict (clash) of people, interests, positions, the manifestation of the hero’s insoluble internal contradictions. This conflict cannot be resolved otherwise than through the suffering of a person; it leads to his death, but also to spiritual growth, to a sharpening of feelings, to the manifestation of human qualities. The conflict involves the other participants in the tragedy, and it is experienced by everyone. In the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" the time itself, the setting, and the opposing characters are conflicting. Chance plays the role of inevitability.
In Shakespeare's tragedy, pure, natural, sinless love and the disorder of the world (blood feud, ambition) collide. This is a conflict between pure heart and prejudice. In an atmosphere of mutual hostility, suddenly great love arises, which resists evil and affirms the beauty of the world.
The play also shows the clash between fathers and sons, progressive-minded young people. According to the custom of that time, the choice of a partner for the marriage of a son or daughter was made by parents, regardless of the feelings of the children. This is how it happens in the Capulet family. The father chose Count Paris as Juliet's husband without asking her consent.
Love is opposed to misanthropy. Romeo and Juliet not only rebelled against old views and their relationship. They gave an example of a new life. They are not divided by enmity, they are united by love. The main idea of the work is that the long-awaited peace comes thanks to the sincerity of the feelings of the young generation, ready to accept death in the name of eternal love and reunification outside of these cruel worldly principles.
TICKET No. 8
1. Determine the features of the historical novel genre using the example of W. Scott’s work “Ivanhoe”.
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
Historical novel is a genre
narrative literature, showing human destinies and
characters that convey the appearance of a particular historical era
The creator of the historical novel genre is Walter Scott.
Features of a historical novel.
1) Depiction of events of a specific historical era. These events are most often turning points when the fate of the country is decided.
The novel “Ivanhoe” recreates the time of feudal strife in the 12th century in England. There is a struggle between the Saxons (native inhabitants of England) and the Normans (conquerors). At that time, the country was fighting for the centralization of royal power. The work tells about the boundless tyranny of the feudal lords, the transformation of knightly castles into robber cells, the lawlessness and poverty of the peasants. The writer vividly depicts the cruelty of the servants of the Catholic Church, the robbery and violence of the crusading knights. Also in the center of the plot of the novel are episodes typical of the era (tournament of knights, siege and storming of the castle in order to free the hostages)
2) The private life of people is depicted against the background of historical events and is connected with them.
In “Ivanhoe,” the author describes the personal lives of the characters in the context of historical events, talks about extraordinary adventures and real historical facts. The novel revolves around the young knight Ivanhoe and the beautiful lady Rowena. The fictional character Ayyengo in the novel is a comrade of King Richard and a participant in the crusade. Real and fictional events are closely intertwined.
3) The presence of historical figures in the novel. This is Richard the Lionheart in the novel, but he is depicted here not so much as a real person, but as a good king from folk legends.
4) In the novel there are representatives of different classes (in “Ivanhoe” these are kings, knights, feudal lords and their servants, monks, robbers). Their clothing, housing, household items are described in detail, and even their manner of speaking is conveyed.
A historical novel introduces us to history, helps us understand the peculiarities of life and morals of people in a time distant from us.
TICKET No. 13
Tell us about the qualities of a real knight, based on the actions of the heroes of W. Scott’s novel “Ivanhoe.”
The main knight in W. Scott's novel is Ivanhoe himself. Throughout the entire work, he commits actions that correspond to the knightly code of honor. Under the guise of a pilgrim, he is the only one who, taking pity on the weak old man Isaac, gives him a place at the hearth. Then he saves him from robbery and death. Wins several duels of the Knights Templar, fights alongside King Richard, and takes part in the crusade. He saves the beautiful Reveka, without betraying the knightly concepts of honor throughout the novel. At the same time, Rowena remains his only lady of his heart. The duty of a true knight is to be a supporter of the weak. His main virtue is nobility. Ivanhoe is a fair and noble man. He is always ready to help honest people, to protect them from the willfulness of the insidious Normans. Ivanhoe understands well that a person’s strength lies in friendship, and his happiness lies in love. Everyone who surrounds him is captivated by the generosity, kindness and simplicity of the young knight. The most terrible crime of a knight is betrayal of honor and duty (Von de Boeuf and Briand de Boisguillebert), this crime is punishable by death.
The second incarnation of a real knight in the novel is Richard the Lionheart. He is most attracted to the life of a simple wandering knight; the glory he wins alone is dearer to him than the victory won at the head of a hundred thousand army. It is he, under the mask of the Black Knight, who carries the wounded Ivanhoe out of the burning castle in his arms, and then does many more good deeds: he saves old Cedric and Lady Rowena, reconciles Ivanhoe with his father and blesses the future marriage of the young man and Rowena.
Another publication about the most common misconceptions of modern man.
What were they like - real knights?
Brave defenders of the oppressed and warriors true to their word, for whom honor is more valuable than life, gallant admirers of beautiful ladies - this is how we usually perceive medieval knights. We believe that the main qualities of a knight are honor and nobility, courage and loyalty.
This is all, of course, very inspiring, but thinking this way, we are most seriously mistaken, because in reality there were no traces of such noble knights - they existed only on the pages chivalric novels.
But let's take things in order. Let's figure out what qualities of a knight were inherent in this class.
Qualities of a Knight
First of all, no one but yourself knights never defended. The overwhelming majority of them were ordinary bandits and for several centuries they terrorized those around them, robbed merchants and pilgrims, did not submit to any authority and, without much mental anguish, killed anyone who dared to resist them.
Secondly, the scenes from chivalric novels, where beautiful ladies tearfully asked for help and received it immediately. It's a delusion . In reality, at the sight of approaching knights everyone who could move independently, and beautiful ladies, first of all, in a panic, tried to hide out of their sight.
Here are just a few examples. In 1208 knights Simon de Montfort captured the city of Beziers in Languedoc, one of the centers of the heretical teaching of the Albigensians. To the question of one of knight and how to distinguish heretics from true Christians, the papal legate Arnold Amaury responded: “Kill everyone. God recognizes his flock." Noble knights Fifteen thousand people were slaughtered, mostly women and children.
Richard the Lionheart has the best qualities of a knight.
What are we even talking about when the very embodiment of nobility, Richard the Lionheart, after the capture of one of the Saracen fortresses, ordered the stomachs of some hundreds, and several thousand others, to check whether they had swallowed jewelry?
In 1369, Edward, aka the Black Prince, called by medieval authors “the noblest and most worthy knight,” captured the French city of Limoges. He granted freedom to his fellow knights who were captured and ordered the killing of all other inhabitants of the city. And in this case, neither women nor children were spared.
Noble knight Edward the Black Prince.
The “noble” knights who participated in the crusade organized by Peter the Hermit in 1096 marked their journey through Europe with robberies, rapes and murders, as local residents refused to supply them with provisions.
Many knight and went on a crusade just to loot more. And the kings of European states welcomed these campaigns, since in this way they got rid of uncontrollable and warlike people for a long time (and sometimes forever). knights.
In this light, the following story does not seem so implausible:
The knight returned to the castle to his lord. He was badly dented, his armor was bent, his helmet was broken, his face was bloody. His horse was limping, and he himself could barely stay in the saddle.
- What kind of trouble happened to you? – the senor asked the poor fellow.
He, with difficulty straightening up in the saddle, answered:
- Oh, I did a great job for you, sir! I gave your enemies a good beating in the north...
- What? - cried the surprised baron. – I don’t have any enemies in the north...
“Uh...” the knight said tiredly. - It wasn’t, so now it will be!
Manners of knights
But maybe knights were connoisseurs of beauty and distinguished by excellent manners? The knights had nothing like this, such qualities. It's a delusion.
Historians claim that their castles were always incredibly dirty, chickens and pigs swarmed in the courtyards among garbage, dirt and garbage, the rooms were heated with smoking coal and illuminated with torches. The knights ate with their hands, used their hair and beard as napkins and slept clothed. And the ability of noble knights to appreciate beauty is evidenced by the fact that, having captured Christian Constantinople, they destroyed wonderful works of ancient art, masterpieces made of marble, wood, and bone. And all for the simple reason that the crusaders perceived only gold as something valuable.
Let us also note that the barbarians from the West, who for some reason are recklessly called noble knights, in 1204 turned the richest book depositories of Constantinople with the most valuable works of ancient writers and philosophers into ashes.
Recover from the effects of the invasion knights with crosses on their cloaks, the Byzantine capital could no longer...
So were there really no knights in the best sense of the word? Are the best qualities of a knight that we listed at the beginning of the article just fiction? I can reassure the romantics. Although in very small numbers, noble knights still existed. Few trained to read and write knights they simply imitated book heroes: King Arthur, Lancelot, Tristan and other literary models. As they say, thanks for that. This is the great power of art! In those distant times, people still believed what was written...