Beginning of Essay
Chivalry was a system of ethical ideals developed among the knights of medieval Europe. Arising out of the feudalism of the period, it combined military virtues with those of Christianity, as epitomized by he Arthurian legend in England and the chansons de geste o ....

Middle of Essay
.... orders of Alcantara, Calatrava, and Santiago. In the late Middle Ages, rulers formed secular orders of chivalry such as the English Order of the Garter and the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece. By this time, however, chivalry had become largely a system of etiquette. Tournaments, in which knights had originally risked their lives in jousting combat before the ladies, became simply elaborate, stylized, and harmless entertainments. Moreover, the expense of this and other trappings of knighthood led many nobles who were eligible for knighthood, having served the customary apprenticeship of 7 years as a page at a noble court and another 7 ....