ABSTRACT
Chivalry in its purest sense was the code by which the secular aristocracy of the medieval period behaved. It was intrinsically linked to the knight on horseback, and indeed the name chivalry' is linked to the French chevalier', horseman in English. It is important to understand the origins of chivalry before considering its impact and importance in our period, which was characterised by heraldry, orders of chivalry and even chivalric courts. The code of chivalry and its development can be seen clearly in these stories, as the earlier depiction of Arthur by Geoffrey described this king as a fighter, whereas Malory's later focus was on Arthur as a leader of chivalry through his Knights of the Round Table. The Song of Roland, one of France's oldest literary works, described the actions of the Emperor Charlemagne, and within this it described the Emperor's code of chivalry, as seen below, although some authors limit this to the first seven attributes.
