leotaylor: All I know is most women respect a gentleman and most guys do too.
I am someone trying to live by my own Code of Gentleman Chivalry ,while walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and Buddah.If anyone thinks otherwise-well,thats there mistaken idea.
I lost much in the past few months and have learned alot about myself-who I once was,who I am and want to be.I cannot alter past things I've done,but can only change my future.The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.I've taken a few steps and hope the journey,like the Odyssey is worth the trip-not single the end result.
If I choose to act a certain way toward people,it is not to trick or decieve them-or get laid or anything else.It is my own kind of code-how I preceive myself and hope others will see me.Anyone,see's otherwise,I might see that as a dent in my armor or code,and it might bother me,as it did before,but I am not trying to manipulate others as control freaks do.
It is simply,how I see things and attempt to do things I feel are right.
The Code of Chivalry
I wanted to put these here because I think that there are some good ideals within the code of chivalry. Plus it's interesting to see how our ideas about chivalry and/or honor have changed with time. Sure, some of this is obviously outdated and probably not very useful, but some of it is still good advice; I'm sure you'll recognize which points are useful even today.
The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry
From Chivalry by Leon Gautier
Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt repect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
The Code of Chivalry
From the Rifts: England Supplement
I'm pretty sure I got this list somewhere else, but I haven't found out where. Still, some reference is better than none, so thanks to Jeremy Treanor for giving me this one.
Live to serve King and Country.
Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear.
Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor.
Live for freedom, justice and all that is good.
Never attack an unarmed foe.
Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack.
Never attack from behind.
Avoid lying to your fellow man.
Avoid cheating.
Avoid torture.
Obey the law of king, country, and chivalry.
Administer justice.
Protect the innocent.
Exhibit self control.
Show respect to authority.
Respect women.
Exhibit Courage in word and deed.
Defend the weak and innocent.
Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms.
Crush the monsters that steal our land and rob our people.
Fight with honor.
Avenge the wronged.
Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause.
Fight for the ideals of king, country, and chivalry.
Die with valor.
Always keep one's word of honor.
Always maintain one's principles.
Never betray a confidence or comrade.
Avoid deception.
Respect life and freedom.
Die with honor.
Exhibit manners.
Be polite and attentive.
Be respectful of host, women, and honor.
Loyalty to country, King, honor, freedom, and the code of chivalry.
Loyalty to one's friends and those who lay their trust in thee.
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Rules of Courtly Love
I wanted to put these here because I think that there are some good ideas in these sets of rules. It's also interesting to see how our ideas about love have changed with time (OK, so we don't exactly have the idea of courtly love around anymore, but still). Some of this is certainly outdated and probably not very useful, but some of it is still good advice; I'm sure you'll recognize which points are useful even today. Both lists apparently come from the same source, The Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus. Thanks to Mark Lipsman for pointing out an error (now corrected) in point 2 of the second list below.
The Twelve Chief Rules in Love
From The Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus
Thou shalt avoid avarice like the deadly pestilence and shalt embrace its opposite.
Thou shalt keep thyself chaste for the sake of her whom thou lovest.
Thou shalt not knowingly strive to break up a correct love affair that someone else is engaged in.
Thou shalt not chose for thy love anyone whom a natural sense of shame forbids thee to marry.
Be mindful completely to avoid falsehood.
Thou shalt not have many who know of thy love affair.
Being obedient in all things to the commands of ladies, thou shalt ever strive to ally thyself to the service of Love.
In giving and receiving love's solaces let modesty be ever present.
Thou shalt speak no evil.
Thou shalt not be a revealer of love affairs.
Thou shalt be in all things polite and courteous.
In practising the solaces of love thou shalt not exceed the desires of thy lover.
The Art of Courtly Love
From The Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus
Marriage is no real excuse for not loving.
He who is not jealous cannot love.
No one can be bound by a double love.
It is well known that love is always increasing or decreasing.
That which a lover takes against the will of his beloved has no relish.
Boys do not love until they reach the age of maturity.
When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is required of the survivor.
No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons.
No one can love unless he is propelled by the persuasion of love.
Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice.
It is not proper to love any woman whom one would be ashamed to seek to marry.
A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved.
When made public love rarely endures.
The easy attainment of love makes it of little value: difficulty of attainment makes it prized.
Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved.
When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved his heart palpitates.
A new love puts an old one to flight.
Good character alone makes any man worthy of love.
If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely revives.
A man in love is always apprehensive.
Real jealousy always increases the feeling of love.
Jealousy increases when one suspects his beloved.
He whom the thought of love vexes eats and sleeps very little.
Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved.
A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved.
Love can deny nothing to love.
A lover can never have enough of the solaces of his beloved.
A slight presumption causes a lover to suspect his beloved.
A man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love.
A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved.
Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women.
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Links for More Information
A Code of Chivalry -- Modern, based on the "Old Code" by Brian R. Price
Glencove Castle -- has links to lots of information on chivalry and medieval times
The Order of the Knights of Dawn -- "a chivalry order of modern times", they promote the values of medieval Knighthood in a more modern way
Heraldry on the Internet -- Lots of good info and links. Not exactly chivalry, but it's related and I enjoy it.
A Heraldic Primer from the SCA, partly under construction.
Tempus Peregrinator's Little Heraldry Book
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Note regarding Coats of Arms for a family surname: if you go by the usual rules, only the direct male descendants of a man who bore Arms are allowed to use those Arms (and some rules are even more strict than that). The family arms that are relatively easily found are just Arms that belonged to someone with the same surname as you in the past. This also why you can find different Arms for the same family name. There is no genealogical link implied by family arms and so technically you can't use those Arms as your own and have them recognized by the heraldry world as yours. I have found three different Arms for the Marshall name so far; here are pictures for the interested: coat 1 version 1, coat 1 version 2, coat 2, and coat 3. Thanks to Greg Marshall for pointing out that the first coat is English (not Irish like I thought), the second belongs to Marshall Sellaby, County Durham, and Chelsea, Middlesex, and the third is that of a gentleman or esquire as indicated by the helm. If I can't find an ancestor with Arms to claim for my own, which will probably be the case, then I will look into having Arms created and registered for my use, most likely by the American College of Heraldry. If I do that at some point, I will try to make sure I get an image of those Arms up here.
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James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu (plain ASCII text only, please, here's why)
This page was last updated on April 9, 2002.
This page has been accessed 313,553 times since 13-Oct-96 CronCount
(actually it's since 3-May-1997, because that's when this page was created)
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My Approach to Chivalry Today
by Scott Farrell
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Historians think of chivalry as the unwritten agreement which the knights of the Middle Ages used to conduct themselves in tournaments and warfare. Literature experts view chivalry through the precepts of the medieval church and its unique "cult of the Madonna." And for those who know of chivalry only from old fantasy novels and King Arthur movies, chivalry implies a sense of courtesy which is exemplified by a gentleman holding the door for a lady, or spreading his coat over a mud puddle so she can walk across it.
Interestingly, all of these views are correct. The true spirit of the Code of Chivalry springs from three sources of the Middle Ages: the battlefield, the cathedral and the court.
The job of a knight was to defend the kingdom in times of war, and a great deal of training (both physical and mental) was required for this job. So, from the knight's duties on the battlefield comes the chivalric admiration of courage, strength and loyalty.
A knight was also expected to be pious, to respect the traditions of the medieval church, and to use his strength and armor to protect the monks and bishops from harm as they did the work of giving aid to the poor and crippled. From the cathedral, then, springs the chivalric sense of charity and generosity, and the role of a knight as the protector of the defenseless.
Finally, the knight was also a servant at the King's court, and was expected to conduct himself with the refinement of a scholar or cleric when performing his duties there. From these courtly interactions comes chivalry's nobler side: a sense of obligation, humility and respect for others.
These three distinct but complimentary sides of the Code of Chivalry are what I have combined in the Seven Knightly Virtues of Chivalry Today. You don't need to be a soldier, a priest or a politician to appreciate the value of a combination of determination, introspection and cooperation.
In my mind, this is exactly what Chivalry Today is all about â 1) Recognizing the need for duty and service (to your loved ones, your family, your business or your community); 2) Understanding the importance of spiritual tranquility (which is a product of graciousness and charity, and those qualities are not limited to any particular faith); and 3) Undertaking every endeavor with honor and integrity (no matter how tempting it is to cut corners or let someone else do the unpleasant work).
In essence, every aspect of modern life can, and should be approached with a sense of chivalry and knightly virtue that springs from this three-pronged origin of the Code of Chivalry. That's my approach to Chivalry Today!
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