Antoran Chivalry: Difference between revisions
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As the ''caballeros'' became more and more pervasive in cultural understandings of war, the idea of formations of mounted soldiers spread from the coastal regions to the Antoran interior. While mountainous terrain did not provide as much room for ideal cavalry maneuvers, the principalities of the west saw the virtue in organizing forces of horse. These ''caballeros'' were used in skirmishing, flanking maneuvers, and scouting, taking on a slightly different connotation than their eastern cousins. While the heavy horse of the Antoran coastal states were designed as the mailed fist that crushed enemy formations and rode down routed soldiers, the lighter horse of the interior lords were better suited to locating, reporting on, and harrassing the enemy, preventing him from organizing efficiently while the main infantry moved into position and tore him apart while he was distracted. This resulted in the western ''caballeros'' being viewed less as paragons of leadership, virtue, and raw martial skill, and more of responsible guides; the men that led the army onto the path to victory rather than leading the army ''on'' the path. Due to the importance of the duties of scouting and skirmishing, they were no less respected, and the position was seen as just as indicative of status.
The codification of chivalry and the acts of ''caballeros'' into a hard set of rules began with the writing of ''To Become an Ideal Cavalier'' in 1149. Penned by the [[Tunseism|Tunesism]] scholar Guilliam de Cartevija, it was the first literary work to describe in detail the responsibilities and expectations placed upon a ''caballero'' and how he should act to accomplish them. With some obvious but not direct religious overtones, the work was generally accepted as a good guide on comportment. In 1203 it was joined by the
==== de Vries Noble Commandments ====
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Further texts, such as the 1297 work ''The Great Deeds'', which chronicled the life of ''caballero'' Frederico de Largo and his efforts to always act with moral goodness, and the 1321 anthology ''Fifteen Virtues'', a collection of fifteen poems about different knights and their triumphs over different obstacles, can be considered part of the courtly romance and romantic chivalry movement of Antoran literature. This saw the idea of ''caballeros'' rescuing, learning from, escorting, or courting women enter into mainstream practice as a way to entertain and add aspects to stories that ladies could relate to. The courtly practices in literature soon became reality in noble life across the region. This combination of honor, virtue, skill, and piety would combine to make ''caballeros'' into the true Antoran embodiment of the knightly concept.
As Tunesism fell out of use in Antora in favor of
== Antoran Precepts ==
[[File:Joan of Arc - John Everett Millais.jpg|alt=Marta Lilía de Conzelaña, widely considered the most famous woman knight, was said to be the perfect embodiment of all Precepts, here depicted kneeling in armor and a red skirt holding a sword, looking upwards|thumb|200x200px|Marta Lilía de Conzelaña, widely considered the most famous woman knight, was said to be the perfect embodiment of all Precepts]]
The Antoran Precepts for Honorable and Chivalric Life were written in 1355 by King Marius Ignatius II of Réal. The king was considered a scholar in his day and was a great student of philosophy. The Precepts were written as part of a larger effort by Marius Ignatius II to set standards for behavior in his court and on the battlefield. The entire text was unique at the time for its total disregard for religious doctrine and lack of theological content. The king argued that for one to act properly, one did not have to believe in any higher power, as he had seen many men who were avowedly atheist or of
The Precepts are still used today as the code for the knights of The Precepts are still used today as the code for the knights of Antora, revised from the originals slightly:, revised from the originals slightly:
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# As a knight, you will have the power to make those who embody the heritage and ideals of your office into knights of honor, so long as it is documented and recorded for your lord and monarch.
The courtly reforms were so successful that the royal knights of Réal quickly became made up of only the most skilled, moral, and responsible ''caballeros'' in the Kingdom. The common folk brought most issues before a royal knight to be judged rather than their own lords knights, which prompted the nobility to send their retainers for study at the court of the king. The royal knights also became highly desirable social matches for unwed ladies, which further prompted more gentlemen to attempt to live by the Precepts in hope of good marriage prospects. Marius Ignatius II is credited with transforming the Réoran feudal system from one with a strata of morals into one that was filled with lords and gentlemen who were always considerate, kind, generous, and welcoming. The lords of Casilló were so impressed by the manners of their longtime enemies they too adopted the Precepts, with one unnamed Count at the Arranzic court in 1371 remarking, "we all, gentlemen, have been willingly domesticated by the chivalry of the
=== Aspects of a Knight ===
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