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Geoffroi de Charny,Richard W. Kaeuper,Elspeth Kennedy | 128 pages | 12 May 2005 | University of Pennsylvania Press | 9780812219098 | English | Pennsylvania, United States Geoffroi de Charny - Wikipedia

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Richard W. Kaeuper Introduction. Elspeth Kennedy Translator. On the great influence of a valiant lord: "The companions, who see that good warriors are honored by the great lords for their prowess, become more determined to attain this level of prowess. Read how an aspiring of the fourteenth century would conduct himself and learn what he would have needed to know when traveling, fighting, appearing in court, and engaging fellow knights. This is the most authentic and complete manual on the day-to-day life of the knight that has survived the centuries, and this edition contains a specially commissioned introduction from historian Richard W. Kaeuper that gives the history of both the book and its author, who, among his other achievements, was the original owner of the . Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Original Title. Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Sep 21, Mary Catelli rated it really liked it Shelves: history-medievalprimary-source. A medieval knight discussing knighthood. Bit different in structure than a modern treatment would be. Discusses what men-at-arms do in various ways, and how love ought to be secret though he speaks of men who say they would not consent to be Queen Guinevere's love it were not known and what sorts of virtues are and how they are important. Nov 30, David rated it it was amazing. After reading this book I feel like I've wasted the last 20 years of my life. This is how I'm going to live the rest of my life. Feb 11, Jessica O'Toole rated it it was amazing Shelves: smedieval-history-non-fictionhistory-non-fictiontrue-letters-records. This is a direct view into the mind of a 14th century knight. A real, fucking knight. Proper, hardcore, walking or riding about with a sword and dagger in real bloody shining armour "And they are dressed in such an indecent way that that which everyone ought to be most ashamed to show is what they show all the time to those who want to look, for they cannot refrain from showing their backsides to whoever wants to see them. Proper, hardcore, walking or riding about with a sword and dagger in real bloody shining armour knight. And he's talking about big, muscly, burly men men showing their arses about. It cannot get much better. Now that's out of my system, this small and entirely worthwhile read is an absolute must if you are interested in any tiny way about how the knightly class genuinely aspired to be. Now, it's important to remember that de Charny lived in an era quite different to our own, and he was chosen to produce this work because he presumably lived up to practically every minute standard he lays in this work. He's the epitome of ideal, and so actually how most knights behaved on a daily basis was probably quite different, and how much they revered themselves was probably far less subtle. However, de Charny seems to be very on board with how unknightly many of the men around him acted, because he calls out all their wanton behaviour, just as much as how incredibly noble many others were, because he highlights all the good stuff. He goes into great detail describing A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny what you should be doing to achieve glory through the chivalric code, and the honour of God's approval. In all honesty, this guy sounds bloody awesome. In the gruesome and gruelling Middle Ages you'd be wallowing in goods and glory with this guy's gold about your middle finger. I'd happily live in his castle and shoot off to all my friends about how amazing my knightly husband was. I'd be forever Lady de Charny and live out my life as a proper powerful widow, using all his glory to remind the world just how fucking ace my dead husband was, and as such, myself. If I didn't die cruelly in childbirth first. But, you know, nuance. See, if a book written years ago can't inspire that kind of dreaming, then there is no hope in the world, is there? As an aside, there's actually a really nice little bio A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny the text proper. I could see poor Sir Geoffroi's face vividly in the story when he possibly used guerilla ignoble tactics to attack Edward III's troops in France one day; subsequently, Edward III made a complete mockery of him in public gasp! Aw, poor Geoffroi. Sep 28, Joe Colistro rated it really liked it. As the intro points out, the value placed on an actual account of chivalric virtues from someone who lived them cannot be understated, especially given the current cultural context and appropriation of medieval themes by the far- right. Jun 27, Ailed rated it really liked it Shelves: nonfictionhistory. This book is possibly the best introduction to chivalry one could ever have. The author was an exemplary knight so he obviously knew his stuff. I had a lot of fun reading it, probably because I find the subject very interesting. Geoffroi's fortitude and devotion become apparent almost immediately and I couldn't help but admire him. May 04, Jlnpeacock Peacock rated it liked it. There is excellent information, especially in the Historical Introduction. The difficulty lies in the style of writing. It can be very tedious at times. Jul 09, Dwayne Coleman rated it liked it Shelves: medieval-lit-and-culturemartial-arts-and-warriors. Not for the casual reader--a bit repetitive and dry in places. Mar 15, Ann rated it it was amazing. Aug 16, Lee Craven added it. A must read for all men, who wish to be men. Jun 13, Oliver Eike rated it liked it Shelves: historynon-fictioncultural-franceeuropean-literature-british-literathistory- medieval-history. An interesting read if you want an insight into a mindset of the time. Mar 21, Cascata Nerina rated it really liked it Recommends it for: researchers. Shelves: classicseducationalhistorical-culturemilitarynon-fictiontextbookwriting. However, that must be put into context with the writer of the book and the time period. Because although the writer is actually one of A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny most famous for writing about chivalry from a knight's point of view he was not educated and trained in rhetoric the way a or a priest would be. As for the over bearing message of throughout the Review of A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny Geoffroi de Charny Initial impressions were that the book was very dense reading and overly religious. As for the over bearing message of Christianity throughout the text it, it was written in 13th century France, of course it's going to be filled with overt religious tones - everyone was then. The book that I'm reading is a modern translation of the original text. It was translated by Elspeth Kennedy and I think she did a wonderful job A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny keeping it readable when it very easily could have been denser. Not only did she keep it generally readable, but as the introduction by Richard W. Kaeuper says it "is better understood if read out loud and dramatically, ideally with a flagon of wine at the ready" Kennedy maintained this read aloud air quite well. However, even if the original lacked punctuation there are sections of this which could have done with a little more of it. The entire book comes in at under pages. However, the heart of the text, The Book of Chivalry, takes up only 60 pages. The first section is a historical introduction and the end has all the usual notes and further reading suggestions. Though the book is a slog to get through I think it is an excellent primary A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny for any researcher. After all, this is a book that one can purchase at the store and keep in the house without worrying about destroying a priceless object. Most people will never see originals, so this is a good substitute. The book begins with a biography of Charny ad Kaeuper pointed out a few things that make later passages in the book quite humorous. However, he does not hesitate to give a A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny grounding in the history of chivalry. Modern Medievalism: Lessons on manliness, from a medieval knight's own words

The treatise is intended to explain the appropriate qualities for a knight, reform the behavior of the fighting classes, and defend the chivalric ethos against its critics, mainly in clerical circles. Geoffroi de Charny was intensely involved in the first phase of the Anglo - French conflict known as the Hundred Years' . The first record of his campaigns against the English appear inand despite being captured twice, Charny grew in prestige from a minor member of the to one of the most respected knights in France, especially under the kingship of Jean II of France. Jean created the Company of the Star inintending the chivalric order to outshine that of his rival, Edward III of England, who had shortly before created the . Charny was promptly made a member of the Company of the Star, and it is believed that A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny wrote his Book of Chivalry in this context. However, the Company began to lose members immediately due to losses on the battlefield, both in civil and against the English. InJean II was captured A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny the Battle of Poitiersleading to the complete breakdown of the order. It was in this same battle that A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny, along with many other French knights, died exemplifying the chivalric ethos that he described in his treatise. He approaches his subject from a conceptual basis, explaining the qualities associated with worthy knights. Moreover, although he does touch upon issues of courtlinesshe is more preoccupied with the maintenance of knightly hardiness and war- readiness. For Charny, the essence of knighthood is prowess, and all of his various themes solidify the importance of this concept. Charny is unwilling to dismiss even slight displays of chivalry, but does insist on prioritizing deeds of arms. The worthiness of these deeds is assessed by the degree of dangerpainand suffering that they entail. Thus, Charny begins his work by describing feats performed in tournaments and joustsstaged conflicts that could still be quite violent. Charny follows this section by describing feats done in real warthen arguing that the added danger gives such feats more intrinsic worth. A A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny theme emerges throughout the book: those feats that involve less danger or are performed for shallow reasons are still chivalrous and worthy of honor, but deeds involving great peril and done for pure motives bring a knight greater glory and renown. Charny is intensely concerned that the most powerful members of society set a positive example for the lower orders, and especially for young knights. Nevertheless, Charny emphasizes that such lords have greater demands upon their deportment because their fame ensures that any scandal associated with their names will produce more notoriety than with a lesser-known knight. Thus, the great lords in particular must be temperate in their eating habits, avoid gambling and greed, indulge only in honorable pastimes such as jousting and maintaining the company of ladies, keep any romantic liaisons secret, and—most importantly—only be found in the company of worthy men. In a section full of repetitive parallelismsCharny argues that the ancestors of contemporary rulers were chosen from among the people, not for a life of ease and corruption, but for service, nobility, and piety. Charny's advice for rulers and great men is one facet of A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny wider push for knightly reform. In particular, Charny criticizes what he sees as the growth in indolence and love of luxury. Many of his passages warn against the atrophying power of a pleasurable lifestyle, as well as the spiritual and physical advantages of a more spartan regime. Thus, he advises that knights be temperate in their eating habits, seek hard lodgings rather than soft beds at night, and most importantly, avoid luxurious cloths. In fact, he spends a lengthy section mocking at nobles who all but bared their private parts by wearing tight leggings under tunics that did not fully cover the offending areas. Although he A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny a lack of interest when it comes to courtly loveCharny does not entirely ignore the role of womenanalyzing their effect upon and reception of knightly conduct. One of the primary roles he assigns to ladies is the ability to inspire great feats of arm in the knights who have pledged themselves to their love. Charny is convinced that such great ladies share the chivalric values of their men. Thus, a lady will feel pride when her A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny is showered with praise and honor by his peers, but shame if he has not performed any great deeds. In fact, Charny argues that a noble lady should abandon any lover who fails in prowess, and that the unfortunate knight has no cause to resent this treatment, since it is his own fault. Lastly, Charny emphasizes that women have no recourse to chivalry in order to achieve honorarguing the necessity for them to adorn themselves with the jewels and fine clothes so inappropriate for men. Only by dressing beautifully and behaving gracefully can women achieve social respect comparable to that of a chivalrous knight. Charny's treatise also contains one of the most detailed and straightforward descriptions of a dubbing ceremony. The day before the ceremony, a knight should make his confessionfollowed by a long bath and a short repose in a bed of clean white sheets. Afterward, he is to be dressed by other knights: new, clean white linens, followed by a red tunicblack hose, white belt, and a red cloak. The knight will keep vigil until the following morning, when he hears Mass and receives Communion. He then receives two gilded spurs and a double-edged sword. Finally, the knights in charge of dubbing him receive him with a kiss and a collee a light blow. In discussing both the order of and the monastic world, Charny follows his traditional formula of good-better-best when describing the relative worthiness of those entering into each state. It is good for a man to enter either order late in life, bad for him to enter the order in his middle years, but ideal for him to enter into it as a youth, since those who do so A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny more likely to be sincere in their commitment. The order of priesthood Charny holds in rather higher esteem than the first two, claiming that those entering this order must learn its service in detail in their youth so that they can perform it faithfully. This office is so noble that priests should be entirely exempt from other offices. Despite praising other orders of society, Charny considers knighthood to be the greatest of these orders. Drawing upon medieval ascetic ideals, Charny presents the life of the knight as a sort of passion of suffering and danger. Thus, Charny concludes his book by pointing out that awareness of their own mortality forced knights, more than any other sector of society, to be prepared at any moment to meet their Creator. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Translated by Elspeth Kennedy. A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry. Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Categories : Medieval literature Handbooks and manuals. 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Yes, it's always angry disenfranchised young men, often white though not always. This is why I found calls for gun control so dumb; women never do this, do they have less access to guns? I almost wouldn't mind if, say, they shot up a conference of bankers or CEOs or Wall Street traders or politicians. But no, sadly, it's always a random and totally innocent public Your opening statements on gun control call to mind the excellent statements on human law in the Summa. Almost every time the treatise on law is brought up it is to make some very general point about unchanging moral truths, but very rarely do we A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny that Thomas tells us a less perfect positive law is often desirable if it preserves virtuous customs, and that custom is more important than positive law in preserving social order. Raising your children to be virtuous may be a greater work for social justice than signing on to such and such a movement. I will be sure to learn my singing! A neat article. It is sad that we have lost any sense of a virtuous caste of knights or clerics. I have been reading a lot of St. Bernard and St. Ambrose lately and they would indeed be mortified by the general conduct of clerics. It certainly makes me do a great deal of soul searching. Putting it all into practice is the trick O tempora, o mores I don't know where else to point this out, but the traddy world seems to be full of these resentment-filled involuntarily-celibate beta males. They use reactionary religion and fantasies of Inquisitions as their outlet, but I am just dreading the day we find out one of these shooters was a Latin Mass goer By the way, I miss your Renegade Trad posts! Even if we go to Mars. Saturday, October 17, Lessons on manliness, from a medieval knight's own words. The founding of the Order of the Star inan early and short-lived . These knights were the primary audience of Geoffroi de Charny's Book of Chivalry. From time to time, I like to read what people on the very opposite end of the political spectrum are thinking about any given subject and seriously try to understand their point of view. A couple of weeks ago, in the aftermath of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, I peered over at an acquaintance's Facebook post on the subject and scrolled through the deluge of diagnoses on why America has become the land of the school massacre. Since everyone commenting on that thread, other than myself, was a radical leftist, the consensus was that Umpqua was a symptom of our nation's oppressive patriarchy and culture of white supremacy. If you're here on my site, chances are good that you share my skepticism of those conclusions; the hard A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny force us all to agree, though, that whoever the shooter is or whatever his motive was, it will almost certainly be "his". We seem to be so busy pointing the finger at something we don't like or understand, whether it be mental illness, race, or "gun culture", that we're missing the obvious: that we have a crisis of masculinity. Virtually every mass shooter is a young male who sees himself as a failure of some kind A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny has, therefore, decided to take his anger out on the society that booked him a one-way trip to involuntary celibacy, lousy employment, A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny unending pangs of inadequacy. Of course, I'm not the only person who's noticed feminist columnists such as Soraya Chemaly certainly have. But where where they might prescribe that the only solution to ending our fears of being massacred in a public place is to destroy the idea of masculinity itself, I see just the opposite: that it's precisely the decline of "patriarchy" and the resulting void of duty, responsibility, and rites of passage that turn listless young men into monsters. The surest defense against cowards with guns is not legislation, but raising up a generation of men of virtue and to stand against them, as Chris Mintz did in Oregon. Thankfully, as "there's nothing new under the sun", we can turn the pages of history and see what the wisdom of our ancestors has provided in similar times of crisis. This comprehensive guide to a knight's code of conduct was hardly the only such manual of chivalry to have been penned in the Middle Ages, but Geoffroi's book is unique in being, so it seems, the only surviving guide to chivalry by an active knight. Other works passed down the ages were typically written by priests or , and while still valuable, tend to be heavy on theory, light on practicality; the warrior caste as idealized or demonized by the . Geoffroi was not just a real knight and veteran of battles, but was the medieval equivalent of a recruiting poster Marine. Once, when he was captured by the English, Geoffroi's captor actually released him, trusting him to go back home to raise money for his own ransom which, as far as we can tell, Geoffroi actually did. Another time, he resolved a personal feud he had against one Aimery of Pavia, the English-appointed captain of Calais, by raiding Aimery's castle, kidnapping him, then beheading him for his betrayal. The way I describe it surely makes Geoffroi sound like a brute, but Geoffroi made a sharp distinction between personal and state violence; A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny targeting only Aimery and not attempting to seize the castle or the city of Calais, Geoffroi respected the truce between French and English forces at that time. And at last, no knight could ask for a more ballad-worthy death in combat than Geoffroi de Charny's. Not only was this one of the most prestigious battlefield duties A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny Oriflamme was originally the banner of the Abbey of Saint- Denis and recurs frequently in literature as having mystical power, like a relicit was also the most dangerous because it made the bearer a target. So Jean Froissart wrote:. We know, then, that every word of the Book of Chivalry can be read with the weight of a man who turned words to deeds and went to his death to uphold A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny code, even while others around him dropped their banners and ran for their lives. I've studied Geoffroi's work over the past few weeks to see what can be useful to worthy men of all stations in 21st century life. It bears mentioning that "chivalry" meant something rather different in the 's than today. In common usage, we say "chivalry is or isn't dead" solely in reference to some courtesies toward women, but this has as much relation to medieval chivalry as a calendar of inspirational quotes has to the Bible. Geoffroi of Charny was writing about an unspoken ethos for men-at-arms, a "way of the warrior" every bit as encompassing as bushido was for the samurai of feudal Japan. Only a very small portion of the Book of Chivalry actually touches upon the proper treatment of ladies. Naturally, the many portions dealing with tourneys and medieval combat, while interesting, won't have much relevance for the average modern man, so I've decided to extract a few of the equally abundant general principles for conduct below:. On the enjoyment of food and drink. First, Geoffroi has a lot to say about his fellow knights' love of eating and drinking he was, after all, a Frenchmanwhich he found gluttonous and dulls a man's readiness to action:. At the same time, A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny is neither an ascetic nor a priest describing the ideals of knighthood from an ivory tower. As with many other things, he says "everything in its place", including food, which a knight may enjoy so long as he avoids excess. On games, gambling, and the proper pastimes of men. Geoffroi isn't much for games, but knows that young men will inevitably play them. He focuses instead on cautioning them not to bet high stakes, because when A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny man does, it no longer becomes play. Geoffroi also goes on to describe ball games as a women's sport that men have wrongly taken from them! Worthy men, rather, should be spending their leisure time on either war games or the arts of singing, dancing, and conversation. How radically the opposite of stereotypical masculinity today, and how odd to think that these words were said by a man who was no stranger to cutting heads from their shoulders! The only thing holding a man back from attaining honor is himself. We now speak of honor as a trait one innately has, but Geoffroi usually speaks of it as a thing that can be achieved by deeds. He also makes it clear that honor is not earned only by knights, but men of all classes or estates. Wealth is no measure of personal worth. A knight must still be cunning. Against the stereotype of the knight without any common sense or discretion, always charging headlong into danger, Geoffroi says:. On debating with idiots. This bit is something I should probably take more A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny of myself On the value of true friends. A warning to plutocrats: don't exploit the poor. On the true purpose and function of rulers. What is the point of having a king? The modern cynic would say that medieval kings were merely the descendants A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny those soldiers of fortune who were best at hoarding land and commanding armed A Knights Own Book of Chivalry: Geoffroi De Charny to enforce their will. Our presidents, by contrast, are elected to follow the whims of the masses. Contrary to either of these perversions, Geoffroi had quite a different notion of rulership:. Beware the "holier-than-thou". This archetype as Geoffroi describes it is less and less prevalent the further we sink into a post- Christian world, but in place of God or gods, we have new idols and standards with which to scrutinize others: dieting, body shaming, fashion, parenting choices, to name but a few. Beware those who adopt airs of sanctimony whether it has to do with religion or not as a smokescreen to cover their own faults. Good and Bad Reasons for Getting Married. Even in an age where marriage for wealth, titles, and position was the norm among men and women in Geoffroi's social circles, the good knight makes it clear that one who marries solely for material concern is attended by devils. The Order of Priesthood. At last, since some of my friends are discerning a call to priestly service, I thought to post this section, although they might not find it very relatable in the modern Church. Geoffroi's idea of a priest's responsibilities is so far removed from what nearly all seminaries teach today that one can wonder if they're even talking about the same thing. A priest, in Geoffroi's mind, isn't supposed to have to do anything except sing their services, and this still unlike marriage, knighthood, or religious life can only be properly taught from a young age! He says nothing about spiritual counseling, community service, or politics whatsoever. Labels: chivalryknighthoodmasculinitymass shootings. Tom tom October 17, at PM. Eric Brooks October 17, at PM. Unknown October 18, at AM. A Sinner October 26, at PM. Barb R. December 29, at AM. Newer Post Older Post Home. Subscribe to: Post Comments Atom. You can order the book here on Amazon.