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Definition: chivalry from Philip's Encyclopedia

(Fr. chevalerie, knighthood) Code of ethics and behaviour of the knightly class that developed from the feudal system. A combination of Christian ethics and military codes of conduct, the main chivalric virtues were piety, honour, valour, chastity, and loyalty. A knight swore loyalty to God, king and his love. Chivalry was always prone to corruption, and the traditions died out in the 15th century.


Chivalry

From Encyclopedia of Gender and Society
In the Middle Ages, chivalry was a synonym of knighthood, describing either the reality of being a knight or the virtues associated with idealized portrayals of knights in medieval literature and culture. Thus, the degree of a man’s chivalry was measured by his adherence to codes of behavior that might vary with time and place but would always include skill and bravery in battle (“prowess”), personal responsibility and dignity (“honor”), and a reverent and protective stance toward women, translated into direct action to help a woman in need or in danger (“service”). This last aspect of chivalry, which is most commonly referenced today when a man is called “chivalrous,” usually consists of a man’s willingness to inconvenience himself for the benefit of a woman, for example, by opening a door for a female companion or by stopping on the highway to assist a stranded motorist. Such chivalry continues to be perceived as a masculine quality: A woman performing these same actions might be…
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From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(shĭv'Әlrē), system of ethical ideals that arose from feudalism and had its highest development in the 12th and 13th cent. Chivalric ethics originated chiefly in France and Spain and spread rapidly to the rest of the Continent and to England. They represented a fusion of Christian and military…
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From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Knightly class of feudal Europe, and especially the gallantry and honor expected of medieval knights. The ideal of courteous knightly conduct developed in the 12th–13th century. It arose out of feudal obligation ( see feudalism ) and stressed loyalty and obeisance by a knight to his God, his lord, …
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From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Code of gallantry and honour that medieval knights were pledged to observe. Its principal virtues were piety, honour, valour, courtesy, chastity, and loyalty. The word originally meant the knightly class of the feudal Middle Ages. Modern orders of chivalry such as the Order of the Garter are awarded…
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Full text Article chivalry.

From The Oxford Companion to British History
The French precursor of this term, chevalerie, indicates that this code of behaviour, to which the noble and gentle classes subscribed throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, derived initially from the special status and function of the mounted warrior. Developments in warfare c .800–1100 elevated…
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From Film Quotations: 11,000 Lines Spoken on Screen, Arranged by Subject, and Indexed
see also Courage , Generosity , Gentlemen , Heroes , Honor , Nobility “He's chivalrous to the point of idiocy.” Olivia de Havilland doesn't quite know what to make of physician-prisoner Errol Flynn . Captain Blood (1935, Warner Bros.) WALLY COOK: “You mean to say you stood there and let me beat up a…
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During the Middle Ages chivalry (derived from Latin caballus , “nag,” and closely related to French chevalier , Spanish caballero , and English cavalier ) denoted the class of knighthood and the ideals associated with it. The noble knight was distinguished from the peasant infantryman by several…
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From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
A general term for all that pertains to the romance of the old days of knighthood. The word is of the same origin as ‘cavalry’ and ‘chevalier’. Chivalry embodied the medieval concept of the ideal, with valour, courtesy, generosity and dexterity in arms the peak of any man's attainment. A great…
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From The Macquarie Dictionary
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Full text Article chivalric

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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From The Chambers Dictionary
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