In days of old when knights were bold
and horrors lurked every corner
there lived a king so cruel so cold
that there were enemies at each border
his highness ordered the knights so bold
to face these enemies so daring
yet little did they know they weren't told
of the monsters they were facing
The above poem written by renowned poet Edgar Allan Poe is
the perfect definition of a medieval knight, and the final passage surmises
what they did:
in days of old when knights were bold
and horrors lurked every corner
the knights so bold weren't scared we were told
and fought in every danger
To be a knight was to be revered throughout the lands in
every Kingdom none more so than Britain. The term Knighthood began sometime
between the 11th and 13th Century, it was a rank bestowed
on mounted troops of lower Nobility for example Lords of the realm, perhaps Britain’s
most famous Knight was William Marshall and his name was known on every
tournament field in the country.
In France the Knights of the temple of Solomon or the
Knights Templar were formed as soldiers of god to protect pilgrims on their
passage to the Holy lands.
Throughout the middle ages Knights became part of everyday
life. They fought our wars, often being the driving force of a victorious
battle, Bards would sing tales of their brave deeds and the lady’s loved a man
in shining armor, but could anyone become a knight? As is suggested in the
2001 movie “A Knight’s Tale” starring the late Heath Ledger it was probably not
possible to impersonate a knight of noble birth but it could have been possible
for the Squire of an existing knight to become one through hard work and
training.
The usual method of becoming a knight was through birth or
if you fought bravely on the battlefield, organised mass murder was the
normality in those days and so many men lost their lives through fighting
battles started by the nobility of the country, however if you survived and
killed more men than the man next to you then a knighthood was probably on the
cards.
It did however, take more than just being a good fighter to
become a knight, more so in the late middle ages (13th -15th
Century) when the ideals of Chivalry were introduced, although there is no
proof that the seven virtues of Knighthood existed (other than in more modern
writings) it is suggested that the values a Knight would hold were as follows:
Courage
This relates to overcoming obstacles and facing the enemies
without fear, standing up for those who cannot and protecting the innocent and
weak
Justice
A Knight upholds and serves justice, if someone has done
something which breaks the laws of the land or offends then justice is served
by the Knights hand.
Mercy
To give Mercy also shows strength, forgiveness is one of the
greatest Knightly virtues and sparing an enemies life on the field of battle
was seen as an act of Mercy and the debt was often repaid
Generosity
To be generous does not mean just to share what material
wealth you had it could also mean something as simple as sharing your horse
with a fallen comrade as depicted in the symbol of the Knights Templar, or it
could mean sharing your food, home or even your wisdom.
Faith
Having belief in something is what drives men (and women) in
the middle ages religious faith was forefront on all men’s minds especially
those about to go into battle, but it also took faith in other causes and
people after all who would go into battle for a King or Queen they had no faith
in?
Nobility
To be noble is usually associated with birth-right and it is
true that the Lords of the land were the first to be awarded Knighthoods, but
being noble can also mean being true to yourself at all times and keeping your
morals.
Hope
Knights were a symbol of Hope, if you were in the front line
of a battle and heard the clatter of hooves behind you as your Knights move
into position it would have been a welcoming sound and spurred you onward, to
the common man Knights were also seen as protectors bringing them hope in a
time when feuds between neighbors were rife and bandits raided their homes.
Together, these values make up the act of Chivalry and paint
a picture of what we know a knight to be, someone who will stand up for the
weak and defenceless and fight for them, someone who will help those in need in
whatever way they can and someone who will defend the country from its enemies.
This brings me to the actual topic of this article and
modern day Knighthood’s.
I recently saw that the comedian Billy Connelly was awarded
a Knighthood, now I love and respect Mr Connolly to bits; not only is he a
biker like myself he is a fantastic musician, comedic genius and one of the
most down to earth people on the planet but does he deserve a Knighthood?
Take a look at the two links below and ask yourself an
honest question, would any one person on those lists be able to uphold the
Virtues of knighthood and defend the country?
Putting the deceased Knighthoods to one side, those who are
on the lists and alive such as Michael Caine, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart,
Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John, all people
whom I personally admire as Musicians or Actors and I am in no doubt that the
actors mentioned could defend any country on film but if they were to take on
the true role of a knight they would probably go running to their agent or
manager demanding they were flown to a safe place.
It appears that in the 20th and 21st Century
there has been no military or services personnel awarded the honor of
Knighthood, now forgive me if I am wrong here but wasn’t the original concept
of Knighthood a military concept founded on the aspect of protecting the
country?
I believe firmly that only those who are deserving should be bestowed
this honor, a soldier fighting for his country, a police officer or fire-person
who serves the public, even our nurses and doctors who work in A&E saving
lives on a daily basis are much more worthy of the title than someone who is
there for entertainment.
Perhaps Her Majesty is getting mixed up with James Bond and
Sean Connery/Roger Moore, no offence Ma’am but they were “Acting” and James
Bond is a “Character” he didn’t really fight a cat stroking bald man or some
bloke with metal teeth.
As for the musicians who have been knighted they should
throw their titles away in disgust or return them to Buckingham Palace with a
note saying “give this to a deserving human who has actually done something for
the people of the country to keep them safe”.
