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Key Words: Chivalry: A set of ideas that knights were expected to follow and live up to. Troubadour: A traveling poet-musician.

Knights: Warriors on Horseback
 * Charles Martel observed that the Muslims often caused trouble, so he organized Frankish troops of armored horsemen called knights.

The Technology of Warfare Changes
 * Leather saddles and stirrups, which were invented in Asia in 200 BC, changed European warfare.
 * The saddle kept the knight firmly seated on the horse, while the stirrups braced him and eabled him to carry heavy weapons.

The Warrior's Role in the Feudal Society
 * In the 11th century, Europe was a battleground for nobles fighting for power who assembled private armies of knights that were given land and wealth in exchange for the protection they provided.
 * As a vassal, a knight was typically obligated to serve 40 days in battle, and practice in his time off by hunting and wrestling.

Knighthood and the Code of Chivalry
 * The code of chivalry demanded that a knight be devoted to his earthly lord, his heavenly lord, and his chosen lady, and was to be brave, courteous, and loyal.

A Knight's Training
 * At age 7, a boy would be sent off to another lord's castle, and become a page and practice fighting skills and wait on the lord. At age 14, he became a squire, or a servant to a knight, and at age 21, he became a full knight.
 * After becoming a knight, most warriors traveled for a year or two and gained experience by fighting in local wars and tournaments.

Brutal Reality of Warfare
 * The guards surrounded the castles when at war, and they also lived there with the lord and his lady, aas well as their servants.
 * When under attack, the castle defenders poured hot liquid on the enemies, and archers fired arrows that could pierce full armour. The attackers used a variety of strategies to get the people in the castle to surrender.

The Literature of Chivalry
 * Although medieval literature downplayed the brutal reality of being a knight and glorified castle life, it was very popular.

Epic Poetry
 * Epics recounted a hero's deeds and adventures.
 * The Song of Roland is one of the earliest epic poems, and it's about a group of French soldiers who perish during a battle.

Love Poems and Songs
 * Under the code of chivalry, a knight's duties to his lady were as important those to his lord, and many poems' themes were about the hero being torn between the two.
 * Troubadours, traveling poet musicians, made songs about the joys and sorrows of love.
 * Some troubadours sang about love's dissapointments. (I know what that's like :'(...)
 * Others told about lovesick knights who wanted ladies they would never have.
 * Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most celebrated woman of the time, had troubadours flock to her court.

Women's role in Feudal Society
 * Although women were often powerless and thought of as inferior to men, they had important roles in society.

Noblewomen
 * Under the feudal system, a noblewoman could inherit her husband's estates, send his knights to war, and while he was away, be a military commander and a warrior.
 * In reality, noblewomen had very little power becaue they were confined to activities inside the house or convent, and most men passed down their fiefs to their sons.

Peasant Women
 * Peasant women, who were poor and powerless, workedfor hours on end, bore children, and took care of the family.