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.
Table of Contents
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
