chivalry code to respect and honour women

Every flower carried a specific meaning, and books or lists were used to help both the giver and receiver decipher the intended message. The language of flowers ( floriography) has existed for thousands of years but was extremely popular in Medieval, and Victorian times. Tokens of affection took various forms: actual love tokens, poems, and most notably flowers. This allowed for intimacy, privacy, and some degree of secrecy in relationships. Since the couple would not be alone together they could, instead, pass notes and gifts to one another. The Custom: It was from this historical, and social landscape that the concept of giving coded gifts as symbols of affection arose. But, it was not necessary as many people still married for reasons of class, wealth, and finding an 'appropriate' match. Many relationships were arranged at the time. People would speculate something dishonourable was occurring.Īlso at this time the concept of love began to make an appearance in the world of relationships.

Therefore, one could not simply kiss their significant other or tell them how they felt.ī). There also was specific stipulations about upholding the honour and reputation of women throughout the code itself. It was of the utmost importance that honour, virtue and chastity (just to be clear we are talking about virginity) were preserved.įor knights who took an oath of chivalry it was their duty to protect and honour those weaker, and lesser than themselves.

If a person was spending time with their intended it was as a means to an end not simply 'hanging out'. It would have also been chaperoned. First of all, dating was not something that was taken lightly. Photo: A field of daisies The History: In Medieval society dating, and courtship rituals were quite different from that of today.

Chivalry code to respect and honour women