The Knightly Life-style In The Medieval Western Europe

This thesis has four chapters. Chapter one has two sections. In the first section 1 introduce the definition of the knight, and interpret how the knight, as a caste, came into being. Then I outline his equipment, land and income sources. I pay much attention in the relationship between the nobility and the knight. Though the relationship is complex and controversial, I confront with it. After synthesizing different opinions, I conclude that the knight and the nobility conflated gradually from separation. In section two, chivalry, which includes the knightly spirit, the ceremony of dubbing a knight, tournament, courtly love and knightly training, is examined. The second chapter describes the knightly life in the early Middle Ages, when it characterized the Christianization of the knight. 揟he peace of God?and 搕he truce of God?influenced the knightly life greatly. Chapter 3 disserts the military, cultural and political life of the knight in the high Middle Ages. Crusades, composing activities of the troubadour and the bureaucratization of the knight were interlaced. They indicated the diversity of the knightly life. In the high Middle Ages, the class of knight, as a whole, mobilized upward upper class. As a result, the knight increasingly conflated with the nobility. In the fourth chapter, 1 describe the knightly life in the late Middle Ages. There was evidence that showed declination of the knight. The knightly social status dropped. His function was limited in the military field. With the maturity of the artillery and the professionalization of the forces, the monopoly of the knight in the forces lost. The chivalry declined. The thesis ends with a conclusion. I conclude that the evolution of the fief and the wars and military function of the knight influenced the knightly life. At the same time, Christianity, church, and the romances were also factors that influenced the knightly life.