The Knight and Chivalry – Revised edition - Softcover

Barber, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0851156630 ISBN 13: 9780851156637

Publisher: Boydell Press, 1996

Synopsis

Revised and fully updated version of a seminal work in the field of chivalry. A combination of scholarship with quite exemplary thoroughness. SPECTATORA profoundly intelligent book which combines the results of monumental research with elegance and lucidity.DAILY TELEGRAPHThe concept of chivalry is oneof the central ideas of the medieval world. It developed out of the unique intellectual and practical climate of the times, and found expression in both words and deeds. Richard Barber's wide knowledge of medieval literature and history gives special depth to his study of this fascinating subject. From the prehistory of chivalry - the warrior-knights of early medieval Europe and their developing social role - he moves to an exploration of the chansons de geste, the early romances, and the biographies and handbooks for aspiring knights, to discover the early expressions of the chivalric code. In an extended survey of tournaments and of the knight on the battlefield in the incessant warfare of the middle ages, he studies chivalry in action. Aspects of chivalry, the tensions inherent in courtly love and honourable warfare, made the church's antagonism inevitable, but also gave rise to the great adventure of the crusades and the foundation of the military orders, here vividly recounted. Last but not least comes the adoption of the ideals of chivalry by the princes of western Europe in the formation of the secular orders, before the knight was ultimately transformed into the renaissance courtier. Second edition, revised, expanded and updated.Dr RICHARD BARBER is the author of The Arthurian Legends, King Arthur: Hero and Legend, Tournaments, biographies of Henry II and the Black Prince and The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe.

About this title

About the Author

RICHARD BARBER has had a huge influence on the study of medieval history and literature, as both a writer and a publisher. His first book on the Arthurian legend appeared in 1961, and his major works include The Knight and Chivalry (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971), Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Penguin Guide to Medieval Europe and The Holy Grail: the History of a Legend which was widely praised and was translated into six languages.

Edition details

• Publisher: Boydell Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0851156630
• ISBN 13: 9780851156637
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 472