Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe [Paperback]

This original and authoritative text reveals how chivalry was part of the problem of violence in medieval Europe, not merely its solution. The ideal was to internalize restraint in knights, but a close reading of chivalric literature shows chivalry also praised heroic violence by knights. This fascinating book lays bare the conflicts and paradoxes surrounding the concept of chivalry in medieval Europe.

Prologue
Issues and Approaches
1. The Problem of Public Order and the Knights
2. Evidence on Chivalry and its Interpretation
The Link with Clergie
3. Knights and Piety
4. Clergie, Chevalerie, and Reform
The Link with Royaute
5. Chevaleriue and Royaute
6. English Kingship, Chivalry, and Literature
The Ambivalent Force of Chivalry
7. The Privileged Practice of Violence: Worship of the Demi-God Prowess
8. Knighthood in Action
9. Social Dominance of the Knights
10. Knights, Ladies, and Love
11. Chanson de Geste and Reform
12. Quest and Questioning in Romance
13. Chivalric Self-Criticism and Reform
Epilogue
Bibliography

Bringing together the insights of leading historians of medieval chivalry and those of literary scholars, two parallel fields whose practitioners do not always communicate as frequently or fruitfully with each other as they should, is the major contribution of Kaeuper's elegant synthesis. --Speculum

A vibrantly written book...Kaeuper has taken chivalry out of the knight's court and revealed its presence and importance throughout many layers of medieval society. --Historian