The Code of Chivalry was a list of nine admonitions that were given to the Crusaders of the 12th century before they went to war. For centuries after, these principles were at the cornerstone of what being a knight was supposed to be all about.
The Code of Chivalry
- Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches and shalt observe all its directions.
- Thou shalt defend the Church.
- Thou shalt respect all Weaknesses and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
- Thou shalt love the Country in which thou wast born.
- Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
- Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation and without mercy.
- Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties in accordance with the law of God.
- Thou shalt be generous and give largesse to every one.
- Thou shalt be the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
ZMalfoy has written meditations about the first five. I would especially recommend them to the warriors among us and by that I mean not just soldiers in camo, but also parents and others who do battle with evil on a regular basis.
EXCERPT from Part 1 which deals with the first admonition “Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches and shalt observe all its directions”:
Let us first address this idea of “the Church.” Remember, this is pre-Reformation. “The Church” is the collective term for all of Christendom. … “Observe all its directions” includes the 10 Commandments, the Beatitudes, the entire Bible. All of it. If one would be a knight, the first thing you need to do is realize that you are more than this decaying mass of physicality. You are a soul using a body. … If you would rise above, you start by kneeling.
Read the rest @ http://4gfc.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/a-bit-late-for-the-feast-of-st-michael-the-archangel/
EXCERPT from Part 2 which deals with the second admonition “Thou shalt defend the Church”:
When the leaders of the State wanted to enforce their decisions, the knights were the strength of their armies. By admonishing knights to defend the Church, the Church is thus giving a counter-order to every member of the cavalry, giving them an “out” when the orders of their local (or higher) Lord go against what the knight perceives to be right under the first admonishment.
Read the rest @ http://4gfc.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/chivalry-day-2/
EXCERPT from Part 3 which deals with the third admonition “Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them”:
The knight will defend the weak and the weak (in their assumed humility) will be a sign of Grace to the knight. Incidentally, this is why the current “Cult of the Victim” is such an abomination– because it combines weakness and Pride, which is the worst of both worlds. A person chooses to be weak, and then in their Pride, shuts out the redemptive Grace that can sanctify such weakness. … This admonition, then, is about impressing this basic civil trust upon the knight. It is a reminder that all are weak, and that the knight uses his strength to respect and defend the weakness of others, and in turn accepts the strength of others to assist with his own weaknesses.
Read the rest @ http://4gfc.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/chivalry-day-3/
EXCERPT from Part 4 which deals with the fourth admonition “Thou shalt love the Country in which thou wast born”:
This is not love of the state, government, or even the current culture. I would say that love of the Country in which one is born (and, I am inferring from the statement, raised) is a love of the essence of that particular place, the essence that underlies and endures through civil wars, invasions, reckless and weak generations. One is to love that which makes your people your people, and to love the land itself– mountains and valleys, deserts and oceans, all the work of God in the place He has placed you. … You were born where you were born, and when you were born, for a reason.
Read the rest @ http://4gfc.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/chivalry-day-4/
EXCERPT from Part 5 which deals with the fifth admonition “Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy”:
There are certainly some things that should never be allowed under one’s roof. But it is very easy to go too far, and cross the line from prudent protection of the innocents you have responsibility for, into coddling them and leaving them defenseless against the snares and enticements of evil. … in teaching them to recoil, you are teaching them to cede ground, to abandon the lost and the hopeless who need the help of Heaven’s Soldiers the most. (Who needs our prayers more than Lady Gaga, and the typical Hollywood elites?)
Read the rest @ http://4gfc.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/chivalry-day-5/
ZMalfoy reports, “I’m not done with the series but … time. sigh.”
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