Description
Book SynopsisA comprehensive study of every aspect of chivalry and chivalric culture. Chivalry lay at the heart of elite society in the Middle Ages, but it is a nebulous concept which defies an easy definition. More than just a code of ethical behaviour, it shaped literary tastes, art and manners, as well as social hierarchies, political events and religious practices; its impact is everywhere. This work aims to provide an accessible and holistic survey of the subject. Its chapters, by leading experts in the field, cover a wide range of areas: the tournament, arms and armour, the chivalric society's organisation in peace and war, its literature and its landscape. They also consider the gendered nature of chivalry, its propensity for violence, and its post-medieval decline and reinvention in the early modern and modern periods. It will be invaluable to the student and the scholar of chivalry alike. ROBERT W. JONES is a Visiting Scholar in History, Franklin and Marshall College; PETER COSS is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, Cardiff University Contributors: Richard Barber, Joanna Bellis, Matthew Bennett, Sam Claussen, Peter Coss, Oliver Creighton, David Green, Robert W. Jones, Megan G. Leitch, Ralph Moffat, Helen J. Nicholson, Clare Simmons, David Simpkin, Peter Sposato, Louise J. Wilkinson, Matthew Woodcock
Trade ReviewA Companion to Chivalry is an elegant, well-considered volume that is of interest to both students and specialists, [...] it is a must-have for university libraries. * NOTTINGHAM MEDIEVAL STUDIES *
A Companion to Chivalry provides a masterful summary of half a century of scholarship on medieval chivalry, and will undoubtedly prove a useful reference point for graduate students, whilst clarifying for specialists the current state of the existing scholarship, as well as new avenues worth exploring in the future. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *
Overall this is a superb collection, a suitable companion to Keen's 1984 masterpiece, Chivalry. It usefully updates and expands Keen's work, highlighting subsequent scholarship and serving as a roadmap for students and scholars interested in chivalric ideas. * H-NET *
En conclusion, A Companion to Chivalry - qui aurait pu s'intituler A Companion to Chivalries, compte tenu de la multiplicité des démarches - remplit sa mission. Cet ouvrage trouvera sa place entre les mains des étudiants comme des spécialistes, d'autant plus que l'objet-livre lui-même, en couleurs sur papier glacé, est d'une facture admirable. * SOCIAL HISTORY / HISTOIRE SOCIALE *
Table of ContentsIntroduction - Robert W. Jones The Origins and Diffusion of Chivalry - Peter Coss The Organisation of Chivalric Society - David Simpkin The Secular Orders: Chivalry in the Service of the State - David Green The Military Orders - Helen J. Nicholson Marshalling the Chivalric Elite for War - Robert W. Jones Chivalric Violence - Samuel A. Claussen and Peter Sposato Chivalry in the Tournament and Pas d'Armes - Richard Barber Heraldry and Heralds - Robert W. Jones Arms and Armour - Ralph Moffat Constructing Chivalric Landscapes: Aristocratic Spaces Between Image and Reality - Oliver H. Creighton Gendered Chivalry - Louise J. Wilkinson Chivalric Literature - Joanna Bellis and Megan G. Leitch Manuals of Warfare and Chivalry - Matthew Bennett The End of Chivalry? Survivals and Revivals of the Tudor Age - Matthew Woodcock Chivalric Medievalism - Clare A Simmons Bibliography
