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Life in the Middle Ages...
Medieval Chivalry
Chivalry is the generic term for the knightly
system of the Middle Ages and for virtues and qualities it inspired in its
followers. The word evolved from terms such as chevalier (French), caballero
(Spanish), and cavaliere (Italian), all meaning a warrior who fought on
horseback.
The term came to mean so much more during medieval times.
Chivalric orders first appeared with military activities against
non-Christian states. During the Middle Ages, Western Europe aggressively
sought to expand its area of control. The first orders of chivalry were very
similar to the monastic orders of the era. Both sought the sanctification of
their members through combat against "infidels" and protection of religious
pilgrims, and both had commitments that involved the taking of vows and
submitting to a regulation of activities.
13th Century conventions of chivalry directed that men should honor, serve,
and do nothing to displease ladies and maidens. Knights were members of the
noble class socially as bearers of arms, economically as owners of horse and
armor, and officially through religious-oriented ceremony. While some were
knighted on the battlefield, most spent long years as a squire, practicing the
art of war while serving his master. People during the Middle Ages heard of
the exploits of knights both mythical and real in epics like La Chanson de
Roland and Le Morte D'Arthur.
After the Crusades, knights continued to show their prowess and skills in
medieval tournaments.
These tournaments were typically called "Jousting Tournaments" and involve
two knights fully dressed in armour, and on horse-back would ride towards each
other each carrying large 'poles' of equal length and using their skill as
both a rider, and in accuracy to attempt to knock the other off their horse.
Many lords used these variety of tournaments to find a suitable husband for
their daughters. |
This Day in Medieval History
6th July
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1483: Richard III crowned King of England The events surrounding
Richard's ascension to the throne and the fate of the nephews he replaced as
king are still in dispute even to this day. His reign marked the end of the
War of the Roses although this was only after his death by the hands of King
Henry VII.
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Quotations in History
"And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the
voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is
always very close to madness."
Alcuin in a letter to
Charlemagne, Circa 8th Centaury
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"Chardewardon"
Basically a Pear Fruit Moose
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Makes 1 bowl
Chardewardon (Moose)
● 4 pears
● 1 cup white wine
● 1/2 cup sugar
● 4 egg yolks
● 1 tsp. cinnamon
● 1/2 tsp. ginger
Snowe (topping)
● 1 cup cream
● 1 egg
● 1 Tbsp. sugar
● 1 tsp. rose water
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Preparation & Cooking:
Moose
Peel and core the pears to remove any seeds then cut into small bite-sized
pieces.
Place the pieces into a medium sized sauce pan and add white wine. Bring to
a boil and simmer until the pears are fairly soft; typically about 15 minutes
depending on the temperature.
Allow the mixture to cool then transfer the softened pears into either a
pestle & mortar to grind, or into a good processor.
When suitability grinded into a soft mixture mix with the remaining
ingredients in the same saucepan with the rest of the white wine. Heat until
the mixture boils and becomes very thick, resembling something like oatmeal in
texture.
Transfer into a bowl served warm or cold, and add the Snowe topping on top.
Details are below for making this topping.
Topping
Crack open the egg onto a small plate or bowl and with a spoon
separate the white from the yolk. If you wish put the yolk to one side, as we
need 4 total for the Moose.
Transfer into a larger bowl and add in cream, sugar and rose water then
whisk together until mixture is thick enough to not drip away from your
whisking tool.
Recipe & Image Source:
MedievalCookery
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