The era of the knights is sung in many works of their contemporaries and in the novels of authors of subsequent times. The paladin himself, his chivalrous motto, coat of arms, lifestyle, service to a beautiful lady are shrouded in romance, and sometimes mysticism. As a rule, these were cruel warriors, but beautiful works of literature made their image irresistible and household - when they want to characterize a real man, they call him a knight.
Motto as a credo
And not only works of art contribute to this. The mottos of the knights of the Middle Ages, which were the most important attribute of the whole image, speak for themselves. All of them can be united under one common motto - “God, woman, king”. Although there were quite a few abstract and pretentious mottos: “I won’t become another” or “Neither to myself nor to people” and so on. But basically, the knights of the Middle Ages, as a phenomenon, symbolize the nobility of thoughts, feelings, deeds and declare that all forces and skills, their very life will be directed to the service and protection of the fatherland, faith and love.
The origins of the chivalrous code of honor
The ideals are beautiful, because they are based on the legendary speech of the wizard Merlin, instructing and admonishing the knights of King Arthur. His beautiful words compiled the Code of Honor of Chivalry. Based on the declared, mandatory norms of behavior, the image of a warrior over time has become very romantic. Aivengo, Roland, Sid, Knights of the Round Table led by King Arthur, Tristan - these wonderful images can be listed for a long time. Each of them had his own knightly motto, which, as a rule, was beaten out on the coat of arms, but the essence was the same - serving the chosen ideal. Like any phenomenon, chivalry appeared, reached its peak, disappeared as unnecessary, and even subsequently reproved. But it played a historic role, especially in the spread of Christianity.
Separate caste
And if the mythical knights of the Round Table, or the real environment of King Richard the Lionheart, are shrouded in a halo of attractiveness, then little good can be said about the Teutonic, Livonian and Polish heavily armed horsemen. Despite the very worthy chivalrous motto of the latter - “God, honor, homeland” - hypocrisy, intrigue and betrayal are more associated with them.
If you recall the Battle of the Ice, then with the word “knights”, not beautiful warriors with
exquisite manners stand in front of their eyes
, but a piece of iron that goes under the water. In medieval chivalry, it was also attractive that it was a separate caste of people in which everyone was equal, despite their origin. After all, only a fairly wealthy man could become a knight, but the incomes of all were not the same. The order could include large feudal lords and mendicant commoners. But they were all fraternities.
Eternal ideals
As already noted, the mottos of the knights were different, but initially all the warriors swore allegiance to some ideal, that is, the goals, as a rule, were noble. After all, boys from childhood were given first to pages, then to squire, and from a young age they grew up in an atmosphere of service to specific noble goals. The ideology of chivalry was formed over the centuries, and its basic tenets will never lose relevance. Actually, the ideal of male virtue is inherent in all times. Heroes of Ancient Greece and Rome, Russian heroes, Japanese samurai, Arab warriors - all of them have a knightly motto “honor and shame”. Capacious and understandable. Other mottos were brief, such as "I will master." More concisely, and most importantly - intelligibly, it is impossible to characterize a person who is able to complete any task. The noble and capacious motto of the medieval warrior “Betrayed without flattery” was so good that Emperor Paul I appropriated it to Arakcheev when he awarded the title of count to the latter. This suggests that the ideals of chivalry are always modern.
Specific traits
Chivalry is this particular layer of medieval society. It had its own attributes, inalienable from the image - vows, tournaments, coats of arms and mottos of knights, war cry, rituals, especially initiations, Code of honor, which includes norms of behavior in society. The appearance of the representative of this caste also has its own, only its inherent features, by which you can accurately determine the knight. How can you imagine a paladin without a horse, armor, sword and cloak? Without a horse, you can when he is on one knee, bowing his naked head in front of the Beautiful Lady. But as a rule, if he has a hat in one hand, then reins in the other. There is an established image, and only its inherent features.
What is a motto?
As already mentioned, the mottos of the knights of the Middle Ages have always been short and capacious. Sometimes, if the owner was the original, the motto could consist of one letter. Brothers in arms were aware of what she personifies, and mystery and mysticism were always inherent in these romantic warriors without fear and reproach. In theory, the motto expressed the creed of the knight, his life principles.
For example, “Bliss in fidelity”, “I defeat with the blow of a lion's paw”, and so on. It should be noted that the mottos themselves were divided into three groups - curly, figurative-verbal and actually verbal, the most common. The mottos were personal and generic, transmitted from generation to generation, and serving as a moral and educational symbol for posterity. There are state mottos - in tsarist Russia it was the phrase “God is with us”, in the Soviet Union - “Workers of all countries, unite!” Many countries now have their own state mottos.
Required Attribute
Among the knights of the Middle Ages, the motto was inscribed on the coat of arms, for example, in England - from above, in Scotland - at the bottom of the coat of arms, which, in turn, is also the most important attribute of a knight. The first knight's coat of arms of the Middle Ages appeared already in the X century, and in the XII they were already on many knight's shields. They served as identification marks in battle, and then signs of noble origin, merits to the fatherland and personal courage. Heraldry science studies the subtleties of the formation of emblems, all the allegorical signs inherent in them, the history of the creation and occurrence of certain family attributes of chivalry. There is nothing superfluous in the coat of arms, no decoration element.
The significance of every detail
Absolutely everything: form, background, arrangement of figures, any curl - carries a semantic load. The image can tell the knowing person everything about the owner: to which clan belongs, in which country, or even city, he was born and what is famous for.
Knight's coats of arms of the Middle Ages are original passports of holders. The entire field of the coat of arms is divided into two parts - the upper (chapter) and the lower (foot). Modern heraldry distinguishes several classes of emblems - concession and
family, emblems for matrimony or succession, patronage and crowned persons. The very first knight's coat of arms with a motto about which there is historical evidence belongs to Count Anjuisuom, Joffrey of the Plantagenet clan. It dates back to 1127.
Beautiful courtesy era
The emergence of chivalry, as well as its decline, is due to historical necessity. The Middle Ages is feudalism. Landowners needed to protect their possessions. Knights emerge as warriors-guards of overlord property. They originated in the state of the Franks, although their roots go back to the cavalry of Ancient Rome. Knighthood disappears with the advent of a regular army with strict discipline and coordination of actions. However, the knights of the Middle Ages in the corresponding period were the only real forces capable of both protecting the state and conquering new lands, an example of which are the crusades undertaken to protect the Holy Sepulcher from the Seljuk Turks. In addition, the knights were decoration and support of society. They had their own culture, their own minstrels, their own manner of behavior - all that is meant by the beautiful word “knight”.