The Role Of Chivalry In The Age Of Knighthood

In childhood we are taught right from wrong by the impressions our families and culture have provided to us. As our minds age our instincts for right and wrong are demonstrated subconsciously. Unfortunately, right and wrong have never been truly defined. From beyond the far-off times of knights and chevaliers, right has always been a shade of grey. Just as every person sees their own vision of what is true and just, “right” has been a word sung by both the heroes and villains of every story. In the Age of Knighthood, chivalry was an ideal built as a control mechanism for expectations in a violent society; it was an attempt to guide people in power to separate right from wrong. But in these times, chivalry was not just a belief or way of life,
it was law. Of course, chivalry was a law expected only of those in higher social standing, namely in a male order. As time does to every facet of life, it has affected the value of chivalry entirely. The value of chivalry has changed so considerably in the span of its existence that it no longer caters only to men of high social standing, but to men, women, and children of independent livelihoods.