The feudal compact in the medieval literature - Essay Example

 The feudal compact in the medieval literature The scholars of the Renaissance considered the Middle Ages an epoch of obscurantism and “the middle” between antiquity and the Renaissance. However, it had its own distinctive developed culture and a system of values that were formed by the demands of the time. In the current paper, we will consider two notions of “chivalry” and “feudal compact” that are crucial for understanding the political culture and ethical standards of the Middle Ages. Moreover, on the example of the medieval literature the current paper will analyze the functioning of chivalry culture in the society of that time. “The feudal compact” is the system of relations in the medieval Europe that linked the vassal and his suzerain. The land allotment that was passed into possession was called “feud”. With the transfer of the land into feud, its presenter was becoming a lord suzerain and the recipient was becoming a vassal of the latter. This transfer involved a military service for a certain period per year and the performance of some other duties for the suzerain. These included money help in case of the initiation of a son, daughter’s wedding, or redemption of the lord who was captured. The lord, in his turn, defended his vassal. If the vassal broke his duties to the lord, all the lands given to him were confiscated. The hierarchy of vassal relations was similar to the hierarchy of land holdings and defined the principles of formation of royal military troops. If the size of the land received permitted, the new owner could transfer a part of his feud to his vassals on the same terms and conditions. In this respect, the multi-stage feudal ladder and the system of vassalage was formed from the supreme suzerain (the king) to the knights with one emblem and no vassals. The vassal relations in the Western Europe are characterized by the formula “the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal”. At the same time, in England there was introduced the direct dependence of all feudal landlords to the King including a mandatory service in the royal army (Greer, Lewis, and Greer 228). Chivalry was a special privileged social layer in the medieval society. Traditionally, this concept is associated with the history of Western and Eastern Europe, were all secular feudal warriors were considered as chivalry. However, the term “chivalry” is used for medium and small feudal lords that got their lands according to the described above system of the “feudal compact”. The origins of chivalry refer to the early Middle Ages, 7th-8th centuries, when traditional forms of life-long and inherited feudal landownership became widespread. According to the tradition, the knights participated in lord’s court and were the members of his council. The ceremony of outing the relations and saying the oaths of allegiance to the future lord was called “homage”. Thus, together with adoption of the new system of military and feudal relations, chivalry formed a new social layer. Warfare had become its main social function (Spielvogel 281). The knight’s military duty included the defense of the honor and dignity of the sovereign. Most importantly, the knight had to defend the land from the intrusion of the neighboring feudal lords in the internecine wars and from other countries’ troops in case of external attack. In the face constant feudal strife, the border between the protection of own possessions and the seizure of foreign lands was unsteady. In this respect, the adherent of justice was the intruder in fact. It worth considering the Crusades that hiding behind the godly mission of Christianization had in mind the conquest of the new lands. Knightly army was a powerful force. Their weapons, battle tactics met the technical and military demands of the time. Protected by the metal armor, the knightly cavalry was of low vulnerability for infantry or peasant home guard; and thus, knights played a major role in the battle. One of the manifestations of the chivalry culture in literature were the Minnesongs. These are the medieval German poetry of the 12th-14th centuries. Minnesingers’ poetry was formed under the strong influence of troubadours. The main themes of German Minnesongs are serving to Lady, high love, the emotional reflections of the lyrical hero. Among the most prominent Minnesingers were Dietmar von Aist, Heinrich von Morungen, Walther von der Vogelweide, and the Knight of Kürenberg. The creativity of Minnesingers is determined by the rise of the secular courts and the establishment of courtly esthetics. Their poetry was an aristocratic feudal art. Initially, these poets had a high social status. It is proved by minnesingers’ titles (Kaiser, Duke, Count) and their imaging system influenced by Knightly culture. One of the most important components of Minnesingers creativity was music. The tunes were composed by the poets themselves. Love songs were accompanied with violin, harp, or lute. Erec by Hartmann Von Aue is a courtly romance of 12th century. Author took as a model the courtly romance Erec and Enid by French Chretien de Troyes’. The main attention in the Aue’s novel is paid to the description of courtly society and the relations between the knight Erec and his beloved lady Enide. The author showed the way the young knight behaves in the courtly society breaking the traditional rules. In the name of love, Erec forgets his knightly duties. Although, Aue’s Erec can not be considered a tutorial for the knights of that time, the author wanted his contemporaries to act the way Erec did. Considering medieval texts Minnesongs and Erec, it should be admitted that they refer to the notions of “chivalry” and “the feudal compact” indirectly, because we do not find here the clear formulations of subordination to the lord or knights’ duties. These texts appear to be the reflection of chivalry culture and mentality. The affiliation to the militaries gave certain rights and privileges to knights. It obliged them to certain rules that determined special class attitudes, ethical standards, traditions, and cultural values. Being more specific about how the notions of chivalry and the feudal compact refer to both texts, it is worth explaining the mentioned above term “courtly culture” and “courtly love”. Courtly love is the medieval concept of love, according to which the relationship between the lover and his lady are similar to the relations between the vassal and the suzerain. World outlook of the courtly literature is characterized primarily by the growth of individual identity. Heroic epic is a product of the early feudalism. It did not know the individual honor, but the honor of the family or the suzerain. In the courtly literature, in turn, in the center of the romance is a heroic personality of a smart, wise, and moderate knight. In the distant fairy countries he performed the feats in honor of his lady (Spievogel 299). The power of the tribal alliance in the courtly literature was reduced to nothing and it was no longer the main theme for the courtly literature. At the same time, the knight’s lord with his court appears in such literature only as the starting and ending point of the adventures of the hero. The described idea of courtly love as a product of knightly epoch permeates all the texts. In the Minnesongs we see such passage: “Love has commanded that I should sing, and forbids me ever to complain, though she no comfort nor hope may bring that my song its fitting reward should gain. She wishes that I should give my love away where my devotion no heart can sway and where faithfulness offers little as pay. I strive to leave her service, but in vain” (Rudolf II). In the above passage from the Minnesong by Rudolf II an influence of the idea of the devotion and allegiance is transferred from the political sphere to the personal. The author speaks about his devotion to his love (beloved woman) like he could talk about his suzerain. In Erec we also find a number of concepts that characterize the feudal epoch and the chivalry literature. In the considered abstract from Erec, the main character is full of heroic enthusiasm. At the very beginning Erec accompanied the Queen Guinevere. On their way, they met the knight with his dwarf servant. The dwarf humiliated Erec. He could not answer to this humiliation, because he was without armor. He begs Queen’s leave for the revenge: “My lady, since you have witnessed it yourself, I cannot deny that an enormous disgrace has befallen me in your presence – so great a disgrace that no man of my standing has ever experienced any greater humiliation than this […] I was forced to allow it to happen – this brings such shame down upon me that I shall never again dare to be seen before you or these maidens […] Grant, my lady, that I depart in your good graces.” (Von Aue) Erec could not stay idle. According to knightly code, a part of courtly culture, the man’s purpose was the adventure that he was looking for to test his courage and bravery. Another moment in this romance that refers to the chivalry was the idea of the Lady Love, who was Enide. Erec vows to defend Enide honor to his death. To conclude with, the Middle Ages was an epoch that produced a significant number of different concepts. “Chivalry” and “the feudal compact” are crucial notions in understanding the world outlook of the medieval society. These concepts received its’ embodiment in the courtly literature that was written by the people of the knighthood. The courtly poetry is pierced with the medieval ideas of honor and serving a lady. It can be clearly seen on the example of the German Minnesongs and the courtly romance Erec by Hartmann von Aue. Works Cited Greer, Thomas, and Gavin Lewis. A Brief History of the Western World. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2004. Print. Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. Print. Read More