The Culture of Chivalry

A collection of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to the culture of chivalry, the crusades, and medieval military practices.

First Crusade

A military campaign launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to relieve the siege of Constantinople and liberate Jerusalem from Muslim rule.

Outremer

Collective term for the four Crusader states established during the Crusades.

Indulgences

A system that allowed individuals to pay for remission of sins or to replace themselves in Crusades, becoming a financial transaction.

Military Orders

Knightly organizations, formed after the Crusades, that combined military and religious obligations, such as the Knights of the Temple and Knights Hospitaliers.

Chivalry

An aristocratic, secular ideology and code of honor observed by medieval knights, encompassing behavior on the battlefield and moral codes.

Courtly Love

A complex set of codes governing romantic behavior in medieval society, often characterized by the adoration of unattainable ladies.

Heraldry

The art and science of designing, displaying, and regulating hereditary symbols used to identify individuals, armies, and organizations.

Totemism

A belief system in which human groups maintain a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, commonly represented by an animal or plant.

Mounted Shock Combat

A type of cavalry combat where heavily armed knights charge at enemies with lances held under their arms, requiring special protective gear.

Crest

An emblem placed on top of a knight's helmet, often representing the individual's identity and bound by a wreath of colors.