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Question #1: Is intention or outcome more important to virtue?
Interesting question, particularly as in some early works vertus has more to do with martial strengththan with the virtue we think of as related to moral strength. In 1484 Caxton described vertue in this way:'the roote of all vertue is obedynce and humylyte.' (Introduction to Tales of Aesop)... --Pat MacGregor
Some Thoughts on Chivalry & William the Marshal (page 18)
"According to some, such as Leon Gautier and David Huzinga, chivalry was at its apex during the 12th century. The period saw a parade of personalities as rich as one could want; Richard I, Saladin, King John, the Templars, the Hospitallars, and last but certainly not least, William the Marshal.
Although these powerful men strode purposefully across the stage of their epoch, they were in manyways simpler knights than those who were to follow. Their inclination was towards conflict; towardswar, and they honed themselves as fine blades in service of their liege, their kingdoms, and their God.They fought and they loved in a way that was rougher than the ideal put forward in the romancesgerminating in their day; indeed together waith their famous predecessors they strove to do what wasright, no matter what the cost..."
William the Marshal: A lyric passage (page 20) David Friedman
A lyric passage about William the Marshal and the famous passage against King Richard recordedin his eulogical chanson.
"William the Marshal is come to France
To win him renown, with his sword and his lance.
In all that fair country, no knight can be found,
In battle or tourney to cast William down...."
The Old Man and the Mountain (page 23) Conrad Claus
This is a first for Chronique: a work of fiction set in a real-world medieval place. I am curiousas to what our readers reaction to the story might be; if possible, I have found other such pieceswhich might be of interest. Let us know what you think!
"Gather about gentles so that I may tell you a tale of the Holy Land, witnessed by mine own father andand related to you from me, word for word, as if from his own mouth..
"In the 1169th year following the death of the Lamb I was serving as a lay brother with the Knights of the Order of Saint Thomas of Acre..."
Tournaments in the Days of William Marshal (page 30)
A description of how an early tournament was fought, taken from the historical records.
"By the mid-12th century, the era of the rought and tumble tournament was at its zenith. Knights of the day had discovered that the stirrup and the heavy lance, used in conjunction with the mass of a fullcharger, could be used to break up enemy formations and send the enemy away in disarray.
"In order to accomplish this technique, tight discipline was required: the men of the charging line muststrike their target at once, in chorus, to achieve the maximum effect. This required training, and in the early days at least, tournaments were little more than training for war. When Richard I licensed tournamentsat five sites in England, he cited the following reasons:.
"The famous King Richard, observing that the extra training and instruction of the French made themcorrespondingly fierce in war, wished the knigths of his kingdom should train in their own lands, so that they could learn the art of tourneying and the art and customs of war and so that the Frenchcould no longer insult the English knights for being crude and less skilled."
Arms and Armour in the Days of William Marshal (Page 34) Brian Price
A summary for arms, armour and accoutrement worn during the 12th and 13th centuries, collected from manuscripts, pictoral records.
"During the period from the fall of Rome to the 13th century, the armour of the fighting man, miles, and the knight changed little. His sword, shield, mount and heraldic display changed greatly, however,and we will in a few pages try to give a brief overview of what one might have seen if they were tourneying in the days of William Marshal."
Running a Marshal Style Tournament (Page 39) Brian R. Price
Interested in running a 12th century tourney in the SCA? This piece is designed to let you know what you need, what this style of tournament encuorages, and lists a few cautionary things you might want to be aware of.
Rules for a William Marshal Tourney (Page 40)
These are the actual rules for a Marshal tourney that you can use as for even announcements,advance pamphlets and the like.
A Tournament in the Style of William the Marshal
Heralds and Marshals familiar with the combat rules
A large field, preferably with terrain features
Coins or tokens for ransoms
"Item: A melee-style tournament wherein the dedans collect themselves and prepare for battle on the_____ day of _________ in the year of our Lord 199_. They shall issue forth a challenge and enter intobattle with the tenans to display their courage and prowess and to win ransoms from their opponents.
"Item: Of all Knights, Esquires, Dukes, Earles, Counts, Viscounts, and others whose noble bearing inarms affords them the knightly spirit for combat, they are hereby challenged to appear on the field ofbattle to defend their courage and prowess against all attackers. They shall assemble themselves, nolater than half past eleven in the morning, and shall fight until their martial spirit is exhausted."
A William Marshal Tourney in the West Kingdom (Page 43)
"On a warm, sunny day in February (we live in the Bay Area, CA), we set about to recreate something of tournaments as they were fuoght in the days of William Marshal..
"Using the tournament declaration preceeding, I had arranged for a site at an event that traditionallyfeatured melee activities, but had sparce attendance. We circulated word of the tournament in advance,building some tension amongst those who have a preference for the chivalry of the 12th and 13th centuries. Such men arose and took to the field that day, making the even such a great successthat I must say with some pride, that it was a profit-maker for the principality and for the Page, our designated charity.."
Chivalry, An Alternative View (Page 47) Hugh T. Knight
An essay arguing for more authenticity, more influence of the history of tournamentsthan for the romance.
"As medieval re-enactors, we are faced with a variety of choices on almost every issue regarding the degreeof authenticity we attempt. I think that all serious re-enactors would agree that we should try for the mostauthentic re-creations we can manage within certain constraints. Some of those constraints include constraintson available information, safety, health, the availability of time, cost, and effectiveness of purpose. For example,we can't allow someone with an early period persona to fight without hand protection any more than we canallow people to fight with sharpened steel weapons. We also apply modern standards of sanitation to ourencampments so as to avoid the authentic but unpleasant problems of plague..."
Equestris Ordo (Page 51) Colin Morris
Reprinted from STUDIES IN CHURCH HISTORY #15 (Oxford, 1978), by gracious permission of the author and the editor, Derek Baker. Since in this Chronique we are focusing on chivalry in the days of William Marshal, I have included this essay to clarify something of the movements that were striving to formulate and shape the knight and his ideology during this very important period. Mr. Morris brings an excellence and depth of underatanding that I am pleased to be able to offer our readers.
"The motives of individuals are necessarily conditioned by the expectations of society. Some walks of life are recognized as demanding a high degree of self-sacrifice and noble motivation, as being (in modern terms) vocations. Others are careers worthy of esteem, and yet others are condemned, so that it is supposed that no ethically minded person would engage in them."
On Winning (Page 57) Steen Jensen
An essay discussing how the concept of victory fits into the idea of chivalry.
"In the romances, in history, knights triumphed through the inspiration of love, the faith in God, or duty to a lord, but never simply for the thrill of victory. Even William Marshal, untouchable in battle, is remembered for his loyalty and consistency much more than for being a brute on the field. Those for whom victory by itself had value were the black knights in history and in literature."
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