Chivalry is a term which indicates strictly the organization of knighthood as it existed in the middle agea, and in a general sense the spirit and aims which distinguished the knights of those times. The chief characteristics of the chivalric ages were a warlike spirit, a lofty devotion to the female sex, a love of adventure, and an undefinable thirst for glory. The Crusades gave for a time a religious turn to the spirit of chivalry, and various religious orders of knighthoodarose, such as the Knights of St John, the Templars, the Teutonic Knights, etc.
The education of a knight in the days of chivalry was as follows: In his twelfth year he was sent to the court of some baron or noble knight, where he spent his time chiefly in attending on the ladies, and acquiring skill in the use of arms, in riding, etc. When advancing age and experience in the use of arms had qualified the page for war, he became an esquire, or squire. This word is from the Latinscutum, a shield, it being among other offices the squire's business to carry the shield of the knight whom he served. The third and highest rank of chivalry was that of knighthood, which was not conferred before the twenty-first year, except in the case of distinguished birth or great achievements. The individual prepared himself by confessing, fasting, etc; religious rites were performed; and then, after promising to be faithful, to protect ladies and orphans, never to lie nor utter slander, to live in harmony with his equals, etc, he received the accolade, a slight blow on the neck with the flat of the sword from the person who dubbed him a knight. This was often done on the eve of battle, to stimulate the new knight to deeds of valour; or after the combat, to reward signal bravery.
The rules of chivalry only applied to the nobility. While knights on the battle field and in combat enjoyed rules of engagement and a degree of mutual respect - with the notable exception of the Battle of Agincourt where the captured French knights were murdered at the order of king Henry V - peasants, or the ordinary common folk, were slaughtered and raped by knights as though they were not human at all, and certainly not treated in a chivalrous fashion. Research Chivalry
In Judaism, Kiddush is a prayer recited on the Sabbath, at festivals, and the New Year, acknowledging the sanctity of the holy day and concluding with the formula, 'Praised be Thou, O Lord, who sanctifies the Sabbath, ' or 'who sanctifies Israel and the festivals.' Before a festive meal on the eve of the Sabbath or holiday, the Kiddush is recited over a cup of wine by the head of the household. It includes the customary blessing over the wine and is accompanied by biblical verses. The wine benediction and biblical verses are also recited before the large first meal on the morning of the Sabbath or festival. No food can be eaten before the Kiddush is recited. It is also traditional to recite the Kiddush in the synagogue at the conclusion of the evening and morning services. This custom originally was instituted for the benefit of travellers who might be lodging and eating at the synagogue over the Sabbath or festival. Research Kiddush
Wassails was a festival occurring on New Year's Eve in England. The wassailers, usually the younger men and women of the village, went round to all the houses, singing and mumming and wherever they stopped the inhabitants refreshed them with food and drink before they continued on their way. It was originally a fertility festival to promote good crops in the coming year, with the wassailers visiting all the fields and orchards where they sang invocations and poured mead. Wassails eventually died out after the 17th century. Research Wassails
Watch night is a religious service held on New Years Eve until after midnight. The practice was started by Methodists during the 18th century. Research Watch Night
Albert Durer was a German painter, designer, sculptor, and engraver on wood and metal. He was born in 1471 at Nurnberg and died in 1528. His father was a skilful goldsmith of Hungary. In 1486 he left his father's trade and became an apprentice of Michael Wohlgemuth, then the best painter in Nurnberg. Having finished his studies he entered upon his 'wanderjahre,' the usual course of travels of a German youth. On his return to Nurnberg he married the daughter of Hans Frey, a mechanic, who has been falsely accused for centuries of embittering his life and bringing him to his grave. In 1505 he went to Venice to improve himself in his art.
His abilities excited envy and admiration. He painted the Martyrdom of Bartholomew for St. Mark's church, which painting was purchased by the Emperor Rudolph and removed to Prague. He also travelled to Bologna, to improve bisknowledge of perspective. On his return to Nurnberg his fame spread far and wide. Maximilian I appointed him his court-painter, and Charles V confirmed him in this office.
All the artists and learned men of his time honoured and loved him, and for many years he was one of the chief burghers of his native town. Profound application and great facility in the mechanical part of his art were the characteristics of Albert Durer, and enabled him to exert a great influence on German art. He was the first in Germany who taught the rules of perspective, and of the proportions of the human figure. He not only made use of the burin, like his predecessors, but was also among the first to practice etching and invented the method of printing woodcuts with two colours.
Among his masterpieces in painting are a Crucifixion, Adam and Eve, an Adoration of the Magi, and portraits of Raphael, Erasmus, and Melanchthon, who were his friends. Among his best engravings on copper are his Fortune, Melancholy, Adam and Eve in Paradise, St. Hubert, St. Jerome, and the Smaller Passion (so called), in sixteen plates. Among his best engravings on wood are the Greater Passion (so called), in thirteen plates; the Smaller Passion, with the frontispiece, thirty-seven pieces; the Revelation of St. John, with the frontispiece, fifteen plates; the Life of Mary, two prints, with the frontispiece. Albert Durer has also much merit as a writer, and published works on Human Proportion, Fortification, and the Use of the Compass and Square. Research Albert Durer
Baccio Bandinelli was Italian sculptor. He was born in 1493 at Florence and died in 1560. He was jealous of and strove to rival Michaelangelo. Among his works are a Hercules and Cacus, the dead body of Christ held up by an angel, Adam and Eve, etc. Research Baccio Bandinelli
Dirty Dick was the nickname given to Nathaniel Bentley, an 18th century English dandy who, following the death of his fiancee on the eve of their wedding, spent the rest of his life living in squalor until he died in 1809. A pub was built on the site of his house, in Bishop's Gate, London, in 1870, and named 'Dirty Dick's' in memory of the tragic man. Research Dirty Dick
Edward Hodges Baily was an English sculptor. He was born in 1788 at Bristol and died in 1867. He became a pupil of Flaxman in 1807, gained the Academy Gold Medal in 1811, and was elected R.A. in 1821. His principal works are: Eve at the Fountain; Eve Listening to the Voice; Maternal Affection; Girl Preparing for the Bath; The Graces, etc. The bas-reliefs on the south side of the Marble Arch, Hyde Park, the statue of Nelson on the Trafalgar Squaremonument, and other public works, were by him. Research Edward Baily
Fanny Adams was an eight-year old British girl who in August 1867, was murdered at Alton, Hampshire while playing with her sister and a friend, and her body dismembered and the parts spread about local fields or in the river. Frederick Baker, a local clerk was convicted of the murder and was hanged on Christmas eve. Coincidentally, just after her murder, the British navy changed rations to chopped and cooked meat, leading to the sailors to joke that Fanny Adams' remains were being served up to them. Research Fanny Adams
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Chivalry
