Chivalry - kishidou (English spelling) chivalry

The Christian ethics of life that arose in the knightly society of medieval Europe. When the church legalized knighthood, knights were required to swear a series of religious and secular virtues when ordained by the church, such as generosity, respect for honor, and contempt for rest, pain, and death. These variously drawn moral charts can be broadly summarized into the following three principles:

The first is a religious principle, in which a knight must protect the Church and the clergy with his consecrated sword. Needless to say, the ideal of a knight dedicated to God was sought after by the "Christian knight" who fought against pagans during the Crusades. The second is a secular principle, in which a knight must fulfill his duty of loyalty to his direct lord as a feudal vassal. However, after the 13th century, this duty was replaced by service to the king and great lords, whose power was gradually concentrated. The third is a personal principle, in which a knight must be faithful under all circumstances to all the vows he voluntarily agreed to, to the honor of his man. This includes the virtue of protecting the weak, such as widows, orphans, the poor, and those defeated on the battlefield, and the mentality of the worship of women, which is famous in Western European chivalry, is also related to this principle.

As courtly society came into being from the mid-12th century to the 13th century, knights' courtship and loyalty to their beloved noble ladies gave birth to a new idea of ​​love known as "courtesanta," and led to the development of chivalric literature. The courtly manners (courtesantaism) of chivalry became increasingly refined toward the end of the Middle Ages, but the social role of the knighting system diminished. Around the 15th and 16th centuries, changes in tactics and a materialistic trend emerged, and the decline of knights became decisive. However, it can be said that the virtues of chivalry survived in a different form in Western gentleman's morals, especially in etiquette toward women.

[Inoue Yasuo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中世ヨーロッパの騎士社会のなかに生まれた、キリスト教徒としての生活倫理。教会による騎士身分の合法化とともに、教会から叙任されるにあたり、騎士は一連の宗教的、世俗的徳目についての宣誓を要求された。たとえば、寛大であること、名誉を重んずること、休息や苦痛そして死をも軽蔑(けいべつ)すること、などである。それらの、さまざまに描かれてきた道徳表は、大別すれば次の三つの原則に要約することができる。

　その第一は宗教的原則で、騎士は聖別された剣をもって公教会と聖職者を保護しなければならない。神に献身する騎士としての理想像が、十字軍時代に異教徒と戦う「キリスト教騎士」に求められたことはいうまでもない。第二は世俗的原則で、騎士は封建家臣として、直属の主君に忠誠の義務を尽くさなければならない。ところが13世紀以後になると、この義務は、権力を集中しつつあった国王や大諸侯への奉仕に置き換えられていった。第三は個人的原則で、騎士はいかなる状況下においても、自分の意志で同意したあらゆる誓約に、男子の名誉にかけて忠実でなければならない。寡婦や孤児や貧者、あるいは戦場の敗者などの弱者保護の徳目がこれに含まれるが、西欧の騎士道に有名な貴婦人崇拝の心性もこの原則とかかわっている。

　12世紀中ごろから13世紀にかけて宮廷社交界が成立してくると、騎士のあこがれの高貴な奥方に対する求愛と忠誠は、「宮廷風恋愛」といわれる新しい愛の観念を生み、騎士道文学を開花させた。騎士道における宮廷風作法（クルトアジー）は中世末期に至るほどますます洗練されるが、騎士制度が果たす社会的役割は縮小していった。15、16世紀ごろには、戦術の変化や実利主義的風潮も表面化し、騎士の没落は決定的なものとなる。ただ西洋の紳士道徳、とくに女性に対する礼儀作法のなかに、騎士道の徳目は形を変えて生き延びたといえよう。

［井上泰男］

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