The Nine Worthies

It is sometimes sad how little we in the modern age study the long distant past.  Many of us will have studied in depth back as far as the Second World War, a good deal of us knowledgeable about the First World War, but beyond that it becomes alarming sparse.  Many won't have learned anything before that beyond what they learned in primary school, and even that was just to pass the class.  We don't study beyond what little we already know of the past, and as history has shown, our knowledge of the knightly class has been skewed by the Victorian Era, rewriting the history to better reflect on how they wanted the world to be.  But, that doesn't mean that we should discard all their notions of it outright.

In some aspects, it's impossible to remove the romantic side of chivalry anymore without doing it harm.  If true chivalry exists between the extremes of the brutal warrior and the gentile poet, then there must be parts of it that come from each.  Complete removal of the historic side for the romantic shows the knight to be unable to perform the crucial function knights were created for, prowess.  Conversely, showing knights as only warriors on horseback does them an equal disservice, that of making them seem nothing more than blood thirsty.  They were people that had to learn to find the middle ground, and had their own lessons.  The great thing is, the writers of the day felt it important enough to record chivalric virtures. We even have examples of what they thought of chivalry, and who they used as the archetypes themselves.

One well known work from such times is "The Nine Worthies."  Written in 1312 by Jacques de Longuyon, it is part of a bigger piece called "Voeux de Paon" (The Vows of the Peacock).  A popular song of great deeds, it can be used as a framework to understand how people thought of knights even in the 14th century, when chivalry was in its heyday. 

In the work, Jacques has three groups of three men.  The groups are divided by the religion/time of each.  Each of these men exemplifies a different aspect of chivalry, though no one person has all of them. From the Pagan world, There is Alexander the Great, Hector of Troy, and Julius Caesar.  From the Jewish realm, there is Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus.  From Christianity, there is King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey de Bouillon. 

From this list, there are many things about these men that are patterns.  Except for one, Hector, all were conquerors.  All existed in a time before high chivalry.  All were honorable and brought victory to their Nations.  All were either royalty or from noble birth. And, except for one or two, all are so timeless that we know of them to this day without much searching. 

As stated previously, each person named in the work were a great example of what it meant to be a knight in the 14th century.  Some of the figures are easy to understand what virtue they represent, and most have multiple aspects.  Julius Caesar, for example, was a great advocate for discipline, while Alexander was known for his generosity.  Judas Maccabeus was known for his steadfastness of faith through some of the most trying times, never wavering.  Charlemagne was known for his wisdom, prizing knowledge and even learning to read, and encouraging the same in others.

The remaining "worthies" are equally as important,and it is worth learning about these men to understand what it truly means to be chivalrous, as it was then and should be now.  They can teach us a lot of what it means to be knightly at all times, not just when we think others are watching us. 

Like Vaughn Ripley said, "Chivalry isn't just a fancy word with a neat meaning; it's a way of life"