knights
What is a knight? What is the concept of knighthood all about? Knighthood exists in two places simultaneously--in the world and in our imagination. We can speak of ideals versus realities, probably the central problem with knighthood and the chivalric ideals. Swords, horses, jousts, armor, castles, fair maidens, kings, queens-these are the words that come to mind when people mention the word knight. The mental image of a knight embedded in everyone's minds shows an armor-clad man on a horse. The noble beings beneath the armor are virtually unknown to many. Behind every knight's intimidating physical appearance lay the values, morals, and history of chivalry that has made these people great historical figures. In the fourth century A.D. the Roman Empire fell and various barbarian tribes invaded Europe. One of the dominant groups was the Franks of central and Western Europe, who gradually expanded their power until, in A.D. 800; their leader Charlemagne became emperor of the West. Charlemagne and his forebears added to the number of horsemen in their army, giving land to mounted warriors. In the ninth century the empire, torn by civil wars and invasions, broke up. Powerful local lords and their mounted warriors offer
The duties of each knight, whether associated with the round table or not, were to: (1) Be loyal to the king, in serving through victory and defeat, through famine and a bountiful harvest, (2) To uphold the laws of the land, (3) To kill only in self defense, or for the good of the king and land, (4) To uphold the knight's code, (5) To treat all women with the utmost respect and to rescue any damsel that may be in distress, (6) Not to break any oath that has been taken, (7) To give any enemy to be defeated a quick and painless death and to treat all other knights as brothers, (8) To protect and care for the land and not to destroy it, (9) To set a good example for any pages and squires that desire to become a future knight (McNeely).
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1336
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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