Description
Book SynopsisKaeuper argues that chivalric ideology of the high and later Middle Ages selectively appropriated religious ideas to valorize the institution of knighthood. He describes how both elite warriors and clerics contributed to a Christian theology that validated the knights' bloody profession.
Trade Review"Kaeuper's arguments brilliantly elucidate the theological ideas that were used to justify chivalric conduct. . . . The book is carefully and elegantly written, and the arguments are abundantly documented. It must be essential reading for any scholar concerned with the knightly culture of the Middle Ages." *
American Historical Review *
"It brings to bear the rich experience, wide knowledge, and balanced judgment of a long scholarly career while pushing forward the lines of investigation where they yield most results. . . . An excellent book that greatly enhances our understanding of medieval chivalric culture." *
Speculum *
"Kaeuper's book offers much to the understanding of knighthood because it examines a little understood aspect of chivalry in detail, namely, the religious ideas of chivalry and their application in the daily life of the knight." *
Parergon *
"A triumph. . . . in bringing attention to the specifically devotional aspects of chivalry and the ways in which this elite group of laity reacted to and transformed Church initiatives, Kaeuper deserves special credit." *
Sixteenth Century Journal *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Violent Knights, Holy Knights
Chapter 2: Two Model Knight/Authors as Guides
Chapter 3: The Religious Context for Chivalric Ideology
Chapter 4: Independence in Knightly Piety
Chapter 5: Knightly Ideology Developed and Disseminated
Chapter 6: The Hero and the Suffering Servant
Chapter 7: Knighthood and the New Lay Theology: Ordines and Labor
Chapter 8: Knighthood and the New Lay Theology: Confession and Penance
Chapter 9: Writing the Death Certificate for Chivalric Ideology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
