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[[File:Redgirl and knight01.jpg|thumb|301x301px|''The Rest,'' 1877, displays an idealized AndoranAntoran knight and his maiden|alt=The Rest, 1877, displays an idealized Andoran knight and his maiden]]
'''AndoranAntoran Chivalry''' is a system of various concepts that encompass the ideals, behaviors, and status of [[Casilló y Réal|AndoranAntoran]] knights and gentlefolk. First popularized in 1149 with the writing of ''To Become an Ideal Cavalier'' (''Convertirse en un Perfecto Caballero,)'' the proliferation of chivalric codes of conduct and social conventions across Andora was greatly helped by literature and the teachings of the [[Andoran Deusism|AndoranAntoran Deus Church.]] Literary sagas such as ''The Great Deeds (Las Estupenda Hazañas)'' and ''Fifteen Virtues (Quince Virtudes)'' told the stories of knights performing acts of honor and great renown. Modern scholarship has suggested that most of the writings from this period on the matter are apocryphal and {{wp|Anachronism|anachronistic}}, but did have a great impact upon the chivalry of the day.
The idea of chivalry in AndoraAntora traces its roots to the cavalrymen of the eastern principalities where the terrain was favorable to mounted combat. The day-to-day lives of these cavalry involved military proficiency, constant training as an individual, service to a higher authority, and battlefield control. As mounted combat become more culturally intrinsic and more ritualized, so too did the lifestyles of the cavalrymen. Concepts emerged that became central to combat of the day, such as it being forbidden for an infantryman to directly fight a horseman or vice versa. This was due to the common disparity in quality of training and equipment between the two, resulting on one hand an unfair match for the infantry, and on the other the potential shame of the cavalier if he lost, as many were landowners and nobles. The service of these self-equipped and trained soldiers became so important to the lords of the east that the formal office of knighthood was eventually created. Knights, as the most powerful individuals on a battlefield, became expected to become ideal people as well as warriors. The ideals of chivalry became codified in 1355 after several centuries of evolution as the '''Andoran Precepts of Honorable and Chivalric Life'''.
Chivalry is ingrained heavily into the culture of AndoraAntora. For much of its history its two constituent kingdoms were at war, and knights featured heavily in the militaries of both parties. There are five Chivalric Orders of Knighthood in the present day, three of which trace their heritage to the longest and bloodiest war between the kingdoms, the Thirty Years Bloodshed. So many knights were created during this war it is said that 80% of the population can trace their ancestry to one. In the modern era, chivalry has come to be accepted as a general social norm. 'Casual Chivalry' in contemporary AndoraAntora is a philosophy on living life which combines a knowledge of '{{wp|Courtesy|courtly}}' or high society manners, being true and honest with one's beliefs be they religious or otherwise, and the ability and capacity to defend oneself or others. These ideals combine into the moral and ethical concepts of AndoranAntoran honor and nobility, which all are generally expected via {{wp|social contract}} to follow. People are expected to act honorably and selflessly, to perform good deeds on occasion, to respect and consider their neighbors. Andora'sAntora’s populace remains one of the few in the world that integrates a written social code that is not politically designed nor religious into their everyday life. As a point of cultural uniqueness, the battlefield usage and practices of knighthood remain alive today in the [[Royal Corric Defense Forces|AndoranAntoran military]].
== Terminology & Origins ==
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