Emerging in the medieval period, chivalry embodied ideals that elite warriors cherished and practices that formed their profession. In this major new overview, Richard Kaeuper examines how chivalry made sense of violence and war, making it tolerable for elite fighters rather than non-knightly or sub-knightly populations. He discusses how chivalry buttressed status and profession, shaped active piety, and fostered intense warrior attachments and heterosexual relationships. Though showing regional and chronological variations, chivalry at its core enshrined the practice of prowess in securing honor, with this process significantly blessed by religion. Both kingship and church authority sought to direct the great force of chivalry and, despite tensions, finally came to terms with rising knightly status and a burgeoning military role. Kaeuper engages with a wide range of evidence in his analysis, drawing on the chivalric literature, manuscript illumination, and sermon exempla and moral tales.

Richard W. Kaeuper is Professor of History at the University of Rochester and Donald Bullough Fellow at the Medieval Institute, University of St Andrews. His previous positions include R. Stanton Avery Distinguished Fellow at the Huntington Library (1999 2000), R. T. French Professor at the University of Oxford (1980 1) and Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (1982). His previous publications include Holy Warriors (2009), Chivalry and Violence (1999), The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny (with Elspeth Kennedy, 1996) and War, Justice and Public Order (1989).