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In Our Time

Chivalry

In Our Time

BBC

History

4.69.2K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2014

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss chivalry, the moral code observed by knights of the Middle Ages. Chivalry originated in the military practices of aristocratic French and German soldiers, but developed into an elaborate system governing many different aspects of knightly behaviour. It influenced the conduct of medieval military campaigns and also had important religious and literary dimensions. It gave rise to the phenomenon of courtly love, the subject of much romance literature, as well as to the practice of heraldry. The remnants of the chivalric tradition linger in European culture even today. Miri Rubin Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History and Head of the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London Matthew Strickland Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow Laura Ashe Associate Professor in English at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Worcester College Producer: Thomas Morris.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Thank you for downloading this episode of In Our Time for more details about In Our Time

0:04.0

and for our terms of use, please go to bbc.co.uk slash radio4, I hope you enjoy the program.

0:11.1

Hello and so Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, the medieval knight for whom the novel is named,

0:16.4

praises the idea of chivalry to the book's hero in Rebecca. Chivalry, according to Ivanhoe,

0:21.6

is that the stay of the oppressed, the redresser of grievances, the curb of the power of the tyrant,

0:27.7

nobility, were but an empty name without her and liberty fires the best protection in her

0:32.9

lance and her sword. Chivalry was the code of honor observed by medieval knights. It began as

0:39.5

a set of conventions about behavior on the battlefield and developed into an elaborate code of governing

0:44.5

many different aspects of knightly behavior, from a warrior's moral and religious duties to his

0:49.0

lover first. From the time of the crusades onwards, chivalry was a significant factor in European

0:54.8

society, not just influencing how war was conducted, but also leaving a significant legacy

1:00.0

in art, music and literature. With me to discuss chivalry are Mary Rubin, professor of medieval

1:05.5

and early modern history and head of the school of history at Queen Mary University of London,

1:09.9

Matthew Strickland, professor of medieval history at the University of Glasgow and Laura Ash,

1:14.9

associate professor in English at the University of Oxford and fellow of Worcester College.

1:19.5

Matthew Strickland, can you give us some idea when chivalry, as we generally are going to

1:24.0

regard it in this programme, first appeared in recognizable form? Yes, it emerges clearly from

1:30.5

the sources, the obscurity of the sources around the year 1100, but it has its origins in the

1:36.2

the post-carol engine world, the collapse of the carol engine empire in the late ninth and early

1:41.2

10th century. And how did we see it forming? So it has its origins, what were they? Well,

1:48.7

whereas the carol engine empires wars in the Emperor of Charlemagne. Yes, Emperor of Charlemagne.

1:54.1

Crown King, Christmas Day 800. That's the one. Emperor, sorry. Indeed. And his wars are essentially

...

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