| m-link"> | | | | rising in power and it was exerting its power and its |
| There has been a long-standing debate about | | | | tenets over people. In the early centuries many Knights, |
| Medieval Knights. Were they chivalrous and gallant | | | | kings and lords joined with the rising power of the |
| caretakers of their peasants? Or were they vicious | | | | church with their own agendas in mind, but the tenets |
| and cruel thugs who ruled their people with an iron | | | | of the religion in as far as treating people better began |
| hand? | | | | to make a foothold into the continent. |
| The answer to that question is both! But I don’t | | | | The Launching of the Crusades |
| mean at the same time. Medieval Knights changed | | | | In 1095 the first crusades were launched. This marked |
| over the course of centuries and this change was | | | | the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of a new |
| more than just in their combat techniques, tactics, | | | | period of Medieval Europe. It began the process of |
| weapons and armor. They also changed in their | | | | bringing all of Europe together under one leadership. |
| attitudes of how they handled their people and how | | | | This brought to an end the centuries long warring |
| they approached forming and maintaining their lands | | | | between small lordships in Europe and this allowed the |
| and kingdoms. | | | | re-establishment of trade and the return of peace to |
| The Early Knights | | | | the continent. It also firmly established the culture and |
| The period we consider to be the Dark Ages, which | | | | beliefs of the Catholic Church into the social structure |
| started in the 5th century with the fall of Rome, was a | | | | of the land. These beliefs included many things including |
| very dark time for all of Europe. And it was also a | | | | the concepts of killing as a bad thing and that a person |
| very dark time for the reputation of the Knight. Most of | | | | of privilege should treat the poor with dignity. Following |
| Europe was fragmented into pieces. Trade and | | | | the religion of Christianity became the most important |
| prosperity came to a halt, plague hit the continent, and | | | | aspect of a Knight’s life and it is in these later |
| many invading armies came from both the north and | | | | centuries of the Middle Ages when Knights began to |
| the south. To make matters worse, all of Europe was | | | | change and become more chivalric and good by |
| fighting within itself. Small kingdoms were pitted against | | | | today’s standards. |
| each other in constant war that lasted for centuries. | | | | We can never really know for certain exactly how |
| This overall environment of difficulty, war, and poverty | | | | things were a thousand years ago. Every Knight was |
| was the breeding ground for Knights that were cruel | | | | surely different, and to know whether a Knight was |
| and unjust. It was a symptom of the times that the | | | | villainous or chivalric we would have to look at each |
| only code of the Knight was the code of force. Force | | | | one individually. But we do know that the early |
| was the way that most of the continent acted. It was | | | | centuries of the Middle Ages were a difficult and |
| the predominant way someone could gain and control | | | | barbaric time and Knights were probably likewise |
| power, land, wealth and people. Knights from these | | | | barbaric. And we do know that over the centuries the |
| early centuries were probably very barbaric and bad | | | | continent of Europe was transformed into a peaceful |
| by today’s standards. | | | | place with a religion to live by. And Knights followed |
| The Rise of Christianity | | | | this religion. Over these centuries chivalry and a code |
| In the 10th through 12th centuries the behavior of | | | | of conduct slowly evolved and took root in the culture |
| Knights began to change. The Catholic Church was | | | | of Europe, and the code of conduct of the Knight. |