I 



CHAPTER V. 



Chivalry. 



section i. — institution and rules of the order. 



About the period of the battles of Merseburg and 

 Augsburg, that is to say about the middle of the tenth 

 century, an institution arose in Europe which exerted a 

 most extraordinary influence upon that continent for 

 some hundreds of years. 



Chivalry was without doubt one of the most important 

 causes of the elevation of society from barbarism to 

 civilisation. It gave the tone to the morals of the people, 

 it gave new rules for deciding social precedence, it was 

 the nucleus and foundation of the military power of 

 nations, and its customs and regulations contain the 

 substance of the """t of war during its existence. 



As every knight or member of the order of chivalry 

 was beyond everything a cavalier, as his title to his rank 

 was primarily based upon his reputation as a cavalry 

 soldier, no history of the cavalry service would be com- 

 plete without a full reference to the time when that 

 service contained within its ranks all the warriors, the 

 statesmen, the nobles, and the generals of the age, and 

 when the highest ambition of the proudest feudal chief 

 was to be able as a skilful cavalier to enter the order of 

 knighthood. 



The origin of the order of chivalry is somewhat uncer- 

 tain. As one of the rules connected with it entailed 

 certam observances in the inauguration of the kniglits, 



ill! 



j'^f 



