chivalry
1. the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, esp courage, honour, justice, and a readiness to help the weak
2. the medieval system and principles of knighthood
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Chivalry
Amadis of Gaulpersonification of chivalric ideals: valor, purity, fidelity. [Span. Lit.: Benét, 27]
king of England; head of the Round Table. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur]
chivalrous medieval knight, righting wrongs in Europe. [Br. Lit.: Bevis of Hampton]
Castiglione’s discussion of the manners of the perfect courtier (1528). [Ital. Lit.: EB, II: 622]
personification of courtesy and chivalrous actions. [Br. Lit.: Faerie Queene]
capital of King Arthur’s realm, evokes the romance of knightly activity. [Br. Legend: Collier’s IV, 224]
Spanish military leader who becomes a national hero through chivalrous exploits. [Span. Lit.: Song of the Cid]
dashing and chivalrous Irishman. [Br. Lit.: King Noanett, Walsh Modern, 108]
ideal, early 18th-century squire. [Br. Lit.: “Spectator” in Wheeler, 85]
Dumas’s ever-popular chivalrous character. [Fr. Lit.: The Three Musketeers]
chivalrous adventurer. [Fr. Lit.: Count of Monte-Cristo]
when a countess dropped her garter, he put it on to reproach the sniggering courtiers, and instituted the Order of the Garter. [Br. Legend: Benét, 383]
“a knight well-spoken, neat, and fine.” [Br. Lit.: Two Gentlemen of Verona]
gallant, chivalrous knight of the Round Table. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur]
knight who, though Lynette scorns him as only a kitchen hand, successfully accomplishes rescuing her sister. [Br. Poetry: Tennyson Idylls of the King]
Arthur’s nephew; model of knightly perfection and chivalry. [Br. Lit.: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]
the epitome of chivalric novels. [Br. Lit.: Ivanhoe]
protected pilgrims to the Holy Land and fought the Saracens. [Medieval Hist.: NCE, 1490]
chivalrous knights in King Arthur’s reign. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur]
knight in King Arthur’s realm; model of chivalry. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur]
monumental work of chivalric romance. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur]
gallant and steadfast hero of medieval romance. [Ital. Lit.: Orlando Furioso; Orlando Inammorato; Morgante Maggiore]
knight-errant ready to rescue distressed damsels. [Span. Lit.: Don Quixote]
drops his cloak over a puddle to save Queen Elizabeth from wetting her feet. [Br. Lit.: Scott Kenilworth in Magill I, 469]
(1159–1199) king known for his gallantry and prowess. [Br. Hist.: EB, 15: 827]
paragon of chivalry; unyielding warrior in Charlemagne legends. [Fr. Lit.: Song of Roland]
symbolizes chivalry. [Flower Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 181]
comic strip character epitomizes chivalry. [Comics: Horn, 565]
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.