What does it mean to be a man? When a culture fails to answer that properly, the results can be disastrous. For men it can lead to broken identity, overcrowded prisons, spousal abuse, gang violence, chemical addiction and aggressive, anti-social tendencies that wreck havoc all over the world. For women it can mean living in a suppressed environment where involvement is marginalized. Using medieval chivalry as a springboard, this book leads the reader into a thought-provoking quest for values long ignored. By incorporating freedom, personal authenticity, democracy and equality (including feminism), this new form of chivalry is entirely relevant for today's world.
On the great influence of a valiant lord: "The companions, who see that good warriors are honored by the great lords for their prowess, become more determined to attain this level of prowess." On the lady who sees her knight honored: "All of this makes the noble lady rejoice greatly within herself at the fact that she has set her mind and heart on loving and helping to make such a good knight or good man-at-arms." On the worthiest amusements: "The best pastime of all is to be often in good company, far from unworthy men and from unworthy activities from which no good can come." Enter the real world of knights and their code of ethics and behavior. Read how an aspiring knight of the fourteenth century would conduct himself and learn what he would have needed to know when traveling, fighting, appearing in court, and engaging fellow knights. Composed at the height of the Hundred Years War by Geoffroi de Charny, one of the most respected knights of his age, A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry was designed as a guide for members of the Company of the Star, an order created by Jean II of France in 1352 to rival the English Order of the Garter. This is the most authentic and complete manual on the day-to-day life of the knight that has survived the centuries, and this edition contains a specially commissioned introduction from historian Richard W. Kaeuper that gives the history of both the book and its author, who, among his other achievements, was the original owner of the Shroud of Turin.
Bringing chivalry back into our modern-day world, this book shows us how to inspire today's generation of young boys to pursue honor, courage, and compassion. In an age when respect and honor seem like distant and antiquated relics, how can we equip boys to pursue valor and courageously put the needs of others before their own? This book helps parents to inspire their boys by captivating their imagination and honoring their love for adventure. Heather Haupt explores how knights historically lived out various aspects of the knights' Code of Chivalry, as depicted in the French epic Song of Roland, and how boys can embody these same ideals now. When we issue the challenge and give boys the reasons why it is worth pursuing, we step forward on an incredible journey towards raising the kind of boys who, just like the knights of old, make an impact in their world now and for the rest of their lives.
The Deeper Quest introduces us to philosophical concepts that were instrumental in developing our Western cultural background and deciding who we are as a people. Without knowing them we experience a personal and cultural deficit that is detrimental to present needs and those of the future. We feel lost, angry, incomplete. Regaining these concepts places us back on the path of our own evolution by giving us purpose and meaning. It also allows us to heal many of our social ills from the base up. Social problems are merely symptoms that point to our loss. As we correct who we are, they will naturally subside.
We seldom think about chivalry today, and when we do it seems only a relic of a code that was outdated long ago. But what did chivalry mean originally? And what would it look like today if we brought that original chivalry back into our 21st century lives? This study for high school students to adults will introduce you to "ancient code chivalry," that first manly credo invented to transform rough warriors into Christian heroes. In this study you will find not only amazing stories of knights and ladies you've probably never read about in any other history books, but you will learn their creed as well. If you can learn to live the Ten Commandments of chivalry found in these pages, you'll be sharing in the same great quests of thousands of the best knightly heroes of a bygone age.
