Chivalry was a phenomenon of the High Middle Ages. The
influence of chivalry was greatest in the period from 1100 to 1450 AD, and this
is the period in which my novels are set. During this period, Europe was
Catholic; there was no alternative to the Church of Rome, and the Pope was an
extremely powerful political figure. Furthermore, monasticism flourished and
several important new monastic orders were founded, notably the Cistercians,
the Dominicans, the Franciscans, and – most important for students of chivalry –
the Hospitallers, the Templars, and the Teutonic Knights.
The dominant political system in the period was feudalism.
Government was organized hierarchically, based on a complex system of
obligations in exchange for rights and privileges. Because land ownership
varied from region to region and across time, it is impossible to describe it
here in detail, but the notion behind feudalism was that the king controlled
all the territory in his kingdom and simply “lent” or “leased” it to
tenants-in-chief (i.e., his barons), in exchange for their services in
administration, justice, and particularly war. He could also grant land to the
Church in exchange for the prayers and spiritual services of the Church.
The barons and bishops did the same, granting rights to the
land they held from the king to their vassals, again in exchange for military
service and so on, down to the peasant class, or serfs. The peasants, who might
or might not be free, were responsible for tilling the soil for their overlord
in exchange for retaining a portion of the produce for their own use. It is
important to keep in mind that even serfs could accumulate considerable wealth,
which they sometimes used to buy their freedom – or just to build larger, more
comfortable homes. Archaeological evidence suggests that many “peasant homes”
were as large and as luxurious as the homes of knights and squires. (Wood, 1985, 1990) (Emery, 2007) (Platt, 1978)
In fact, contrary to popular opinion, medieval society was
highly fluid, and fortunes could be made – and lost – in just a few
generations. Judicious marriages, the use of heiresses to reward loyal but
landless followers, and the fortunes of war enabled men of “lesser birth” to
rise very high in medieval society. The sons of peasants could, in the right
circumstances, be knighted, and landless knights could become barons. (Keen, 1990) (Wilkinson, 1969) (Gies, 1974)
Examples of the latter are William Marshal, Thomas Holland, and Bertrand du
Guesclin.
Nevertheless, at the heart of feudalism was the notion that
in an ordered society, each man and woman had a God-ordained role to play based
on his or her “estate.” The king and his nobles were responsible for protecting
the realm against outside threats, ensuring the security of law-abiding
citizens against criminals, and dispensing justice. The Church was responsible
for the spiritual welfare of the people, providing services from baptism and
marriage to absolution, burial, and prayers for the dead. The “Third Estate,”
composed of peasants and merchants, ensured the material well-being of all.
From the medieval perspective, each estate made an essential contribution to
good governance; the notion that the “Third Estate” was supporting “useless”
and “exploitive” noble and clerical classes is a modern idea introduced most
dramatically in the French Revolution. (Keen,
1990)
The historical record makes it abundantly clear that the
Middle Ages was a period in which violence, cruelty, injustice, and oppression
were rampant. Terms such as “feudalism,” “the Crusades,” and “the Inquisition”
have become synonymous with oppression, injustice, torture, cruelty, and
mindless aggression. Indeed, it is commonplace, nowadays, to refer to anything
particularly inhumane or primitive as “medieval.” This is a gross
oversimplification of medieval society.
Although medieval society did not fulfill modern ideals of
good governance, and instances of brutality and repression existed in
abundance, many aspects of medieval society were more “progressive” and
“enlightened” than popular wisdom suggests. Women, for example, enjoyed
considerably more freedom and financial independence in the medieval/feudal age
than after the industrial revolution. (Ward,
1992) (Mertes, 1988) (Gies, 1987) Also, by the High and Later Middle
Ages, the level of education among the nobility, clergy, and merchant class was
significant. Nobles spoke, read, and wrote at least their own language and
Latin, and sometimes they knew a second modern language or Greek as well. Women
of the nobility and the merchant class were generally literate; they conducted
correspondence and acted as their husbands’ deputies, or as the heads of their
own households as widows or heiresses. (Mertes,
1988) (Ward, 1992) Furthermore, the clergy and many noblemen were more
familiar with the works of antiquity than was the case after the Reformation. Last
but not least, to name another example that might surprise readers new to the
topic, bathing was more common in the Middle Ages than in the Renaissance, and
– in the residences of the higher nobility – hot and cold running water was not
unknown!
The Middle Ages was a period of intellectual and artistic
flourishing. Trade was booming and was for the first time extended to China and
the Americas. (The Norwegians maintained regular ties to Vinland until the
plague decimated the Norwegian population in the mid-14th century.) Some of the most magnificent works of architecture known to man were built
during the Middle Ages. Most readers will be familiar with medieval sacred
architecture, from the awe-inspiring cathedrals such as York and St. Chapel to
the breathtaking beauty of monasteries such as Senanque, Moissac, and Bellapais.
Less familiar, however, may be the secular architecture of the period, which increasingly
offered (to those able to afford it) comfortable and gracious accommodations
with heating, plumbing, and light. The Palace of the Popes in Aquitaine, the
residence of the Counts of Poitiers, and the home of the Earls of
Northumberland at Warkworth Castle were magnificent residences. Even the lesser
nobility and the upwardly mobile merchant and peasant class increasingly built
and lived in houses that were substantial, well-lit, and warm. (Wood, 1985, 1990) (Emery, 2007)
This, then, is the world in which my “Tales of Chivalry” are
set. For more information visit www.tales-of-chivalry.com.
Bibliography
Emery, Anthony.
2007. Discovering Medieval Houses.
Prince's Risborough, Buckinghamshire:
Shire Publications Ltd., 2007.
Gies, Frances and
Joseph. 1987. Marriage and the
Family in the Middle Ages. New York:
Harper and Row, 1987.
Gies, Joseph &
Frances. 1974. Life in a Medieval
Castle. New York: Harper and Row,
1974.
Keen, Maurice. 1990.
English Society in the Later Middle
Ages: 1348-1500. London: Penguin
Books, 1990.
Mertes, Kate. 1988. The English Noble Household, 1250–1600: Good
Governance and Politic Rule. Oxford: Basil
Blackwell, 1988.
Platt, Colin. 1978. Medieval England: A Social History and Archaeology
from the Conquest to A.D. 1600. London:
Routledge, 1978.
Ward, Jennifer C.
1992. English Noblewomen in the
Later Middle Ages. London: Longman
Group Inc., 1992.
Wilkinson, B. 1969. The Later Middle Ages in England, 1216-1485. Harlow, Essex: Longman Group Ltd., 1969.
Wood, Margaret. 1965,
1983, 1990. The English Mediaeval
House. London: Bracken Books, 1965, 1983,
1990.