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Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe
RICHARD W. KAEUPER, 1999
Oxford, Oxford University Press
338 pp, L30
ISBN 0 19 820730 1
A more informative title for this book would be Chivalry and Violence in England and France in the High Middle Ages as Portrayed in Chivalric Literature. As such, it is a vivid and often illuminating analysis of how the ideals and behaviour of the knightly classes were represented by their chroniclers, who were often unsparing in their criticism of lapses from the highest standards of conduct. What emerges from this analysis is the over-riding importance of personal prowess, 'a one-word definition of chivalry'. In this literature, almost anything was forgiven the most valorous fighter, the `fastest gun'. Kings needed them, and indeed the best kings were themselves the bravest knights. Even God himself loved the best fighters; and though He might not condone illicit violence, He was prepared to overlook some of the lapses of those who daily risked mutilation and death. The best knights deserved the most beautiful women, even if their attentions were unwanted, though this was uncommon since the most beautiful women wanted the most valorous knights just as ardently as they themselves were desired. In those...