The era of knights is sung in many works of their contemporaries and in the novels of authors of subsequent times. Romance, and sometimes mysticism, shrouded the paladin himself, his knightly motto, coat of arms, lifestyle, serving a beautiful lady. As a rule, they were cruel warriors, but beautiful works of literature made their image irresistible and a household name - when they want to characterize a real man, they call him a knight.
Motto as a creed
And not only works of art contribute to this. The mottos of the knights of the Middle Ages, which were the most important attribute of the whole image, speak for themselves. All of them can be united under one common motto - "God, woman, king." Although there were quite a few abstract and pretentious mottos: “I will not become another” or “Neither to myself, nor to people” and so on. But basically, the knights of the Middle Ages, as a phenomenon, symbolize the nobility of thoughts, feelings, actions and declare that all forces andskills, their very life will be aimed at serving and protecting the fatherland, faith and love.
The origins of the knightly code of honor
The ideals are beautiful, because they are based on the legendary speech of the wizard Merlin, who instructs and admonishes the knights of King Arthur. His beautiful words constituted the Code of Honor of Chivalry. Based on the declared, mandatory norms of behavior, the image of a warrior eventually became very romantic. Ivanhoe, Roland, Sid, the Knights of the Round Table led by King Arthur, Tristan - these wonderful images can be listed for a long time. Each of them had their own knightly motto, which, as a rule, was engraved on the coat of arms, but the essence was the same - serving the chosen ideal. Like any phenomenon, chivalry appeared, reached its peak, disappeared as unnecessary, and was even subsequently condemned. But it played its historical role, especially in the spread of Christianity.
Separate caste
And if the mythical Knights of the Round Table, or the real entourage of King Richard the Lionheart, are shrouded in a halo of attractiveness, then little good can be said about the Teutonic, Livonian and Polish heavily armed horsemen. Despite the very worthy knightly motto of the latter - "God, honor, fatherland" - hypocrisy, intrigue and betrayal are more associated with them.
If you remember the Battle on the Ice, when you hear the word "knights" you see not beautiful warriors with exquisite manners, but a piece of iron going under water. In medieval chivalry, it was also attractive that itthere was a separate caste of people in which everyone was equal, regardless of origin. After all, only a fairly we althy person could become a knight, but the incomes of all were not the same. The order could include both large feudal lords and mendicant commoners. But they were all brotherhood.
Eternal ideals
As already noted, the mottos of the knights were different, but initially all the warriors swore allegiance to some ideal, that is, the goals, as a rule, were noble. After all, boys from childhood were given first to pages, then to squires, and from a young age they grew up in an atmosphere of serving specific noble goals. The ideology of chivalry has been formed for centuries, and its main postulates will never lose their relevance. Actually, the ideal of male virtue is inherent in all times. Heroes of Ancient Greece and Rome, Russian heroes, Japanese samurai, Arab warriors - all of them have the knightly motto "honor and shame". Capacious and understandable. Other mottos were also short, such as "I will master." More briefly, and most importantly - intelligibly, it is impossible to characterize a person capable of performing any task. The noble and capacious motto of the medieval warrior “Betrayed without flattery” was so good that Emperor Paul I appropriated it to Arakcheev when he was awarded the title of count. This suggests that the ideals of chivalry are always up to date.
Characteristics
Knighthood is a special layer of medieval society. It had its own attributes, inseparable from the image - vows, tournaments, coats of arms and mottos of knights, a war cry, rituals, especiallydedications, the Code of Honor, which includes the norms of behavior in society. The appearance of a representative of this caste also has its own, only inherent features, by which a knight can be unmistakably identified. Is it possible to imagine a paladin without a horse, armor, sword and cloak? It is possible without a horse when he is on one knee, bowing his bare head in front of the Beautiful Lady. But as a rule, if he has a hat in one hand, then the reins in the other. There is an established image, and only its inherent features.
What is the motto?
As already mentioned, the mottos of the knights of the Middle Ages were always short and succinct. Sometimes, if the owner was the original, the motto could consist of one letter. Brothers in arms were aware of what she personifies, and mystery and mysticism have always been inherent in these romantic warriors without fear or reproach. In theory, the motto expressed the knight's creed, his life principles.
For example, "Bliss in fidelity", "I conquer with a blow of the lion's paw", and so on. It should be noted that the mottos themselves were divided into three groups - figurative, figurative-verbal and actually verbal, the most common. The mottos were personal and tribal, passed down from generation to generation, and serving as a moral and educational symbol for posterity. There are state mottos - in tsarist Russia it was the phrase "God is with us", in the Soviet Union - "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" Many countries still have their own state mottos.
Required attribute
The knights of the Middle Ages have a mottowas inscribed on the coat of arms, for example, in England - on top, in Scotland - at the bottom of the coat of arms, which, in turn, is also the most important attribute of a knight. The first knightly emblems of the Middle Ages appeared already in the 10th century, and in the 12th century they were already on many knightly shields. They also served as identification marks in battle, and then as signs of noble birth, merit to the fatherland and personal courage. Heraldic science studies the intricacies of the formation of coats of arms, all the allegorical signs inherent in them, the history of the creation and emergence of certain family attributes of chivalry. There is nothing superfluous in the coat of arms, no decorative element.
Each detail counts
Absolutely everything: form, background, arrangement of figures, any curl - carries a semantic load. The image can tell a knowledgeable person everything about the owner: what clan he belongs to, in what country, or even the city, he was born and what he is famous for.
Knight's emblems of the Middle Ages are a kind of passport holders. The entire field of the coat of arms is divided into two parts - the upper (head) and lower (foot). Modern heraldry distinguishes several classes of coats of arms - concession and family, coats of arms by marriage or succession, patronage and crowned persons. The very first knightly coat of arms with a motto, about which there is historical data, belongs to Count Anjouysuom, Geoffrey from the Plantagenet family. It refers to 1127.
Beautiful courtly era
The appearance of chivalry, like its decline, is duehistorical necessity. The Middle Ages is feudalism. Landowners needed to protect their possessions. Knights arise as warrior guards of the overlord's property. They originated in the state of the Franks, although their roots go back to the cavalry of Ancient Rome. Chivalry disappears with the advent of a regular army with strict discipline and coordination of actions. However, the knights of the Middle Ages in the corresponding period were the only real force capable of both protecting the state and conquering new lands, an example of which is the crusades undertaken to protect the Holy Sepulcher from the Seljuk Turks. In addition, the knights were an adornment and support to society. They had their own culture, their own minstrels, their own demeanor - all that is meant by the beautiful word "knight".
