Hallam 1987, though outdated in its bibliographical details, provides an engaging reference from the start of the 13th century to the middle of the 14th. There are numerous general works on chivalry aimed at a popular readership that vary in approach and content, but Phillips 2011 identifies many of the key points and personalities in an engaging and popular style. Kaeuper 1999 concentrates on the effect of chivalry on violence and social order in Europe. Barber 2000 and Barber 2005 are good introductory texts for students and the nonspecialist. This seminal work brought to an end the era when chivalry had been studied through a rather romanticized lens. The best introductory discussion of chivalry is still Keen 2005, which has been updated in several editions. There are many general survey works on chivalry. The link between chivalry and high status was exemplified by the rise of chivalric orders, the elaboration of tournaments, and the promotion of heraldry as a sign of membership of this select group.

At the same time, the number of men assuming knighthood went into decline, perhaps due to the costs of becoming a knight and equipping yourself, and so knighthood and its attendant chivalric ideals became increasingly elite.

The clash of ideals between warfare and violence, and the peace required by religious devotion, was resolved with the rise of the Crusades and debates over Just War.

As the medieval period progressed, chivalric ideals were tackled in a range of written works-from biographies to comic tales and manuals of combat-as an attempt was made to define what chivalry was. A chivalric society arguably emerged in the 12th century with the rise of knighthood, and it really only applied to those who were part of militaristic elite nobles, knights, and men who fought.

It came to mean more than just knighthood, as chivalry was used to describe a way of fighting, a set of ideals in warfare and in love, and a whole system of society based around the idea of the noble warrior. The word itself, which first appeared in English in 1292, derives from the French chevalier or knight, specifically a mounted knight. Chivalry is a term that has many interpretations.

The age of chivalry