Module Identifier HY12320  
Module Title CHIVALRY & KNIGHTHOOD IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE  
Academic Year 2004/2005  
Co-ordinator Professor Phillipp R Schofield  
Semester Semester 1  
Course delivery Lecture   18 Hours  
  Seminars / Tutorials   5 Hours Seminar.  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours 2 HOUR, 2 QUESTION CLOSED EXAM  60%
Semester Assessment 2 X 2,500 WORD ESSAYS Essay: 2 x 2,500 word essays  40%
Supplementary Exam2 Hours 2 HOUR, 2 QUESTION CLOSED EXAM PLUS MISSING WRITTEN WORK   

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to.
Understand the key concepts of chivalry

Identify the developments of knighthood across the medieval period

Broadly understand these themes in a comparative sense across Europe

Have a firm grounding in the secondary source material and on-going debates on the subject

Reflect upon and critically analyze secondary and primary sources

Collect, collate and analyze historical evidence and produce both oral and written argumentative work

Work independently and collaboratively

Develop oral abilities through group discussion and oral presentation (non-assessed)

Produce work in a professional manner and develop skills appropriate to the study of history

Brief description

The module will define chivalry and discuss the development of knighthood from the eleventh-century armed warrior to the fifteenth-century elite courtier. These themes will be discussed in a European context, and will also compare more closely changes in the Low Countries, France and England. The module will introduce students to important themes in the study of the middle ages, including lordship, kingship, nobility and feudalism.

Aims

This module will introduce students to the medieval world through a thematic approach using the concepts of chivalry and knighthood to explore themes like nobility and social construction. It will cover a currently unavailable area of history teaching in the department.

Content

Lectures will cover the following topics:
An introduction to medieval society
The emergence of knights and the introduction of the dubbing ceremony
The knight's place in society: obligations, lordship and service to the king
Knights on the battlefield and the development of martial skill
What is chivalry?
Chivalric literature and courtly love
Knighthood, piety and the Church
The crusades and the military orders
The secular orders of chivalry
Heraldry, heralds and the public display of chivalry
The development of knighthood in the middle ages
Seminars will discuss:
What is chivalry?
Knightly heroes: are they or are they not chivalric?
The military orders of chivalry: was it right to fight?
The tournament: training ground for battle or expensive spectacle?
King and their courtiers: why was knighthood so important to the crown?
The decline of chivalry: what happened?

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4