Chivalry is the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity and arms.

        William Marshal includes many of the aspects of chivalry.  William Marshal lived from 1147 to 1219.  He was the son of John Marshal.  John Marshal sent his son along in a ransom and did not think twice about it.  He also did not leave his son any inheritance.  William Marshal though fought his way up to a poor knight and finally a knight.  Chivalry was obviously important to him being a knight.  However, William Marshal was not the purest knight like other knights of his time.  William Marshal was illiterate, and not as honorable as compared to other knights.  “While resting by the road the Marshal and his friends were passed by a couple riding hard, a man and a woman.  The woman’s complaints of her weariness attracted the Marshal’s attention.  He stopped the pair and interrogated the man.  It transpired that he had eloped with the women, the sister of a monk.  This shocked the Marshal, but he was willing to let the pair continue since the woman did not appear to be under any constraint.  But and idle inquiry about how the two were to live changed his mind about intervening.  It turned out that the man had a sum of money which he intended to put out at interest.  The Marshal, under threat of violence, promptly confiscated the money and sent the couple packing into poverty and degradation, as we must imagine.  The audience of the Histoire was expected to approve of this... What we notice is that the money thus acquired went straight into the Marshal’s pocket, to be used for his own purposes of patronage; that some years later the Marshal himself was exploiting the Jewish debt market in Normandy; and that the roadside justice he did to this couple was summary and merciless and had no warrant.  Another man as outraged would have apprehended the pair and delivered them to the agents of the local archdeacon, the officer with the approved power to try and punish them.” (Crouch 55).  This shows how William Marshal was not as honorable as most knights should have been in the period.  He was motivated by profit and used conniving efforts to defeat enemies in warfare.

        The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny also shows of knights and of course chivalry.  Although the chivalry displayed in this work is more honorable than William Marshal.  Geoffroi de Charny lived in the 1250’s.  He also died as a knight wanted to die, in battle.  Charny lived during the 100 years war and was a writer.  Chivalry and honor were very important during this time period.  Though they believed more in God rather than fate.  They thought chivalry lead to immortality and salvation.  The highest men of the time were believed to be the knights, so to follow the rules of chivalry was very important to them.  The knights of the time were just good.  They behaved properly and helped others.  They were to be gentle, courteous, mannered, and eager to perform deeds.  These knights were also brave and physically strong.  To be a knight you needed to be strong.  Usually the rich were knights since they ate well and because of that were usually the strongest.  Knights fought for honor, and not just money.  They had inner goodness and were intelligent.

        William Marshal and Geoffroi de Charny strongly show what chivalry is, but they show how it can be different.  William Marshal shows more bravery and less honor.  While Charny shows how knights should be more honorable.  Also, during Charny’s period religion was more important, so not sinning and pleasing God is a priority.  “And there are those who should be held to be men of worthy by everyone.  That is those who love, serve, and honor God and His gentle Mother and all His power, and refrain from actions by which they might incur Their wrath, and who have within them such steadfast qualities that their way of life cannot be criticized for any vile sins nor for any shameful reproach, and they thus live loyally and honestly.  And these should be held to be men of worth.” (149).

        William Marshal and The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny strongly show how important chivalry was to their societies.  One looked to God and honor while the other wanted to win and gain personally.  Prowess, honor, and courage are just some of the things they looked to.  To them chivalry was a way of life, an unwritten rule as it were.  Chivalry was not written in stone but all knights knew how to follow it and never guess it.