While “chivalry” was a prominent concept for knights in the late Middle Ages, “chivalry” was not a singular thing. Nor was it strictly “protecting women and those weaker than you.” I’m pretty sure many of the codes of chivalry centered around the qualities of being a good Christian soldier, which in the Middle Ages… probably on the toxic side of masculinity.
Wikipedia’s definition of Knight is:
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity.
During the Middle Ages Feudalism was all the rage in Europe, so knights under the employ of a head of state in a military capacity most likely means enforcing the subjugation of the peasants in their lord’s fief. So protecting the rich and powerful and their property (peasants), not protecting those weaker than you, which is also probably on the more toxic side of masculinity.
While “chivalry” was a prominent concept for knights in the late Middle Ages, “chivalry” was not a singular thing. Nor was it strictly “protecting women and those weaker than you.” I’m pretty sure many of the codes of chivalry centered around the qualities of being a good Christian soldier, which in the Middle Ages… probably on the toxic side of masculinity.
Wikipedia’s definition of Knight is:
During the Middle Ages Feudalism was all the rage in Europe, so knights under the employ of a head of state in a military capacity most likely means enforcing the subjugation of the peasants in their lord’s fief. So protecting the rich and powerful and their property (peasants), not protecting those weaker than you, which is also probably on the more toxic side of masculinity.