![]() Sharing what’s valuable in life means not just giving away material goods, but also time, attention, wisdom and energy - the things that create a strong, rich and diverse community. Words and attitudes can be painful weapons in the modern world, which is why a knight in shining armor exercises mercy in his or her dealings with others, creating a sense of peace and community, rather than engendering hostility and antagonism. More than bravado or bluster, today’s knight in shining armor must have the courage of the heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved.Ī knight in shining armor holds him- or herself to the highest standard of behavior, and knows that “fudging” on the little rules weakens the fabric of society for everyone. ![]() By combining these, we have created what we consider to be the seven knightly virtues of the modern code of chivalry: There were, however, several common themes found in these lists of knightly virtues. (And if you’ve read some version of a “true code of chivalry” on the Net or in a book somewhere, rest assured it was written sometime long after the Age of Chivalry was past.) Many people - from successful knights to contemplative philosophers - compiled lists of virtuous qualities, called the “knightly virtues,” which they felt defined chivalry. The spurs represented courage, and when a young man was knighted, it was sometimes said he had “won his spurs.” (The spur pictured belonged to a German knight of the 16th century.)Īlthough we often refer to the “code of chivalry,” in truth, there was no such thing as a uniform code of knightly behavior and attitude in the Middle Ages. By his death in 1916 one obituary referred to him as "the last of the dashing figures of the war between the states.Essential elements of today’s code of chivalry All of a knight’s virtues were symbolized by the equipment he used, and perhaps nothing was more symbolic than the knight’s spurs. The more we hear of him the prouder the Southern people may feel of such a knightly soldier." One writer, George Cary Ellington, described Mosby as a "gallant and chivalric spirit," while noting Mosby's modesty prevented him from acquiring "that boyish vanity which has distinguished most of the world's great cavalry leaders" (). In a January 1895 clipping, one article gushed about Mosby's military spirit "too restless to be totally confined to strict discipline. Mosby frequently told the story of a wounded young soldier on the battlefield - who refused water, instead instructing the bearer to take it to his colonel - as a "model of chivalry" and therefore worthy of emulation (Daniels, p.37).Īfter the war newspapers merely enlarged the myth surrounding Mosby. Blazer "passed anything that had been done in the Shenandoah campaign and recalled the days when Knighthood was in flower" (Memoirs, p.370). A skirmish fought late in the war between Mosby's men and Union soldiers under Capt. The tears and lamentations of the scene aroused our sentiments of chivalry, and we went in pursuit" (Memoirs, p.158). Mosby described chasing some Yankees, who reportedly rode into the small town of Middleburg, Va.: "Women and children came out to greet us - the men had all been carried off as prisoners. Allusions to classical figures also supported Mosby's claim as a part of a greater historical continuum. Support of his mother state Virginia urged Mosby to fight, but age-old examples of gallant knighthood reinforced his actions during the war. ![]() This fact, however, merely served to heighten the importance of creating a postwar example of Mosby to keep such notions of honor active. The close of the Civil War sealed off further possibility to actively uphold the chivalric code of honor. Others ascribed to this belief as well, especially after the war. Mosby tapped into an ancient, romantic heroic ideal through his daring wartime raids and self-conscious "virtuous" conduct. The Civil War, however, took place at a time when these notions of primal honor still survived. Modern times unfortunately provide few instances for this opportunity. To actively defend one's ethical code, one must be at war. In medieval times, the knight upheld society's honorable virtues. It is one in which a ritual, tragically common in the American South but at one time more widespread in the Western world, helped a community to overcome its fears and reassert its primal values" (Wyatt-Brown, p.3,4). It sprung, rather, from an ethic "deep in mythology, literature, history, and civilization. The code of honor did not exist solely within antebellum Southern culture. Chivalry and Mosby The Tradition of Chivalry
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