Trazee In-Depth: Chivalry Then and Now

In today’s society, chivalry — often proclaimed dead — refers to the courtesy and thoughtfulness of mens’ actions and treatment toward women, but the actual concept came about for something much more combative.

Officially deemed a code of conduct for Medieval knights in 1423, the Order of the Golden Fleece sought to elevate the level of play with rules promoting honor, loyalty and bravery during battle. This concept brought a bit more humanity to the traditional combat rules as Knights were expected to perform in a more gallant manner.

As there was no book of regulated rules on the subject, chivalry was a moral standard to uphold while making tournaments more ritualized and comparatively bloodless.

The word chivalry comes from the French word chevalerie, translating to horseman or “skills to handle a horse.” Handling a horse skillfully and masterfully in combat was one of the most important aspects of being a Medieval knight and eventually the term began to take on new meaning as the Middle Ages progressed. Chivalry seeped into all aspects of life, including treatment of countrymen, God and women.

Chivalry trickled into romantic courtship and personal relationships as men were soon expected to treat women with care and consideration — a new notion in the Medieval Ages.

Showing chivalry to fellow countrymen was a knight’s day to day: Speak the truth, protect the honor of fellow knights, live for glory, help the weak, complete every task no matter how hard, never refuse a challenge and never retaliate in anger. Showing strength, composure, loyalty and bravery was everything to a knight and the true making of a nobleman.

By showing chivalry toward women, Medieval knights were expected to be jealous and private. Andreas Capellanus wrote The Art of Courtly Love, detailing the dos and don’ts of courtly love in the 19th century. A few of Andreas’s rules include “real jealousy always increases the feeling of love and he who is not jealous, cannot love.” Andreas also said, “When made public love rarely endures” and “marriage is no excuse for not loving.” His poetic and simple instructions basically encapsulate the idea of love and relationships of nobility in the Medieval Age: Keep your business private, take care and be jealous.

Today, chivalry has always been depicted in films and entertainment as a man placing his coat over a puddle for a women to walk on, opening doors, letting women go first, defending her honor — standard female protection. It would admittedly be silly for a man to put his coat over a puddle when you can just walk around it, but the idea of men protecting women from life’s troubles is an old-fashioned concept we still see in our own modern way today.

Some of the more old-fashioned concepts of chivalry are seen less and less, but may be the most memorable, such as standing up from the table when a women leaves or arrives, opening the door for her, walking on the side of the sidewalk in the splash zone of cares and even walking her to her home or car.

Some modern adaptations of chivalry include calling a date to invite her out and taking the time to plan a date. The added technology aspect of our day-to-day lives altered the idea of chivalry and showing respect and appreciation for a person has had to adapt or die. Basically, being respectful and considerate is the new chivalry. Times may have changed, but chivalry is still clearly displayed in today’s society, just differently.

Men may no longer duel opposing challengers for the love of a woman, or show outright feelings of jealousy, overprotectiveness and possessiveness, but this may be partly due to the fact women are much more independent in our modern world. In fact, the lack of necessity for male protection actually increases the thoughtfulness in chivalry. The less women actually need and require men to open doors and physically protect them from a splash of a puddle, the more endearing it is.

The fact men are no longer expected to act a certain way toward women, the more thoughtful it is when they choose to do so. Defending a woman’s honor, walking her to her door and texting her in the morning is our modern take on the timeless chivalry code of conduct. Sir.