Beyond the Code: Chivalry and its Implications in Fourteenth Century France
Abstract:
In fourteenth century France, chivalry served as the moral code and social structure for the nobility and fighting class. It governed their behavior and attitudes, and yet, was ill defined and varied in interpretation. A single and ubiquitous “chivalric code” was never established, yet medieval literature and legend indicate chivalric virtues such as loyalty, faith and devotion to God, courtesy, generosity, prowess, courage, and honor. Violence and warfare, however, overshadowed all else, and created a culture that glorified aggression and associated behaviors like rashness and ostentation. Chivalry proved detrimental to order and peace in the era due to the prevalence of such qualities among the knights and nobles.
Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, was a particularly influential noble and key political actor of the fourteenth century. He was in many ways the embodiment of chivalric qualities. However, he was an exceptionally complex and astute individual who challenged a number of these characteristics. He pushed against certain ideals and practices that were deeply embedded in French medieval tradition, and his life serves as microcosm for the ways in which fourteenth century France began to indicate chivalry’s decline.