"Strong of Body, Brave and Noble": Chivalry and Society in Medieval France

by Constance Brittain Bouchard

Medieval society was dominated by its knights and nobles. The literature created in medieval Europe was primarily a literature of knightly deeds, and the modern imagination has also been captured by these leaders and warriors. This book explores the nature of the nobility, focusing on France in the High Middle Ages (11th-13th centuries). Constance Brittain Bouchard examines their families; their relationships with peasants, townspeople, and clerics; and the images of them fashioned in medieval literary texts. She incorporates throughout a consideration of noble women and the nobility's attitude toward women. Research in the last two generations has modified and expanded modern understanding of who knights and nobles were; how they used authority, war, and law; and what position they held within the broader society. Even the concepts of feudalism, courtly love, and chivalry, once thought to be self-evident aspects of medieval society, have been seriously questioned. Bouchard presents bold new interpretations of medieval literature as both reflecting and criticizing the role of the nobility and their behavior. She offers the first synthesis of this scholarship in accessible form, inviting general readers as well as students and professional scholars to a new understanding of aristocratic role and function.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France, Medieval History, Medieval, War

232 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Joshua]

I'm learning more and more than what I know about the Medieval Period of Europe is in fact either outdated information or else an overly simplistic understanding of a really frustratingly nuanced topic. Though in fact, I find that tends to be the case more as I age with almost all the history I've been taught.

Constance Bouchard's book was a balanced, and well-researched look at the current body of knowledge of Medieval history and distilled down into a concise assessment. Which is all a way of saying this book was often like digesting a hollandaise: there were just so many ideas packed into a really delicious read. Bouchard demonstrated her ability as a writer, as a researcher, as a historian, and simply an enthusiast for the period. By the end of this book, my knowledge of knights, castles, troubadour poetry, monks, chivalry, etc. were all altered to the point I realize that I have so much to learn about this time and period and rather than be deflated Bouchard left me feeling inspired. Reading this book often feels like jumping into a new wealth of ideas and facts and stories and I can't wait to start.

Strong of Body Brave and Noble feels like a fresh start to a topic I only thought I knew a great deal about, and I loved every page.

[Sam]

I read this for a class and it is so easy to read and understand while still being a college level work.

[Ryan Patrick]

A useful introduction to a complicated topic. Relatively short, but explores some of the terminology that can confuse beginning students of the Middle Ages. What is the difference between a noble and a knight? or a castellan? Why is 'feudalism' not a popular term among medieval historians? How is feudalism different from manorialism? How did twelfth-century knights understand 'chivalry'?Answers to these and more!

[Jessica Vandergrift]

This book was a quick enough and easy to read. Though I am disappointed in the lack of footnotes and the author's admittance that she has made "no attempt to be exhaustive in citing the extensive scholarly literature." (xvi) This was assigned at the grad level for reading, but I believe it would more appropriate at a high school or undergrad level as well.

[Nate]

Solid read. Dispels popular historical myths. A focused topic with little broad appeal, but worth checking out if interested in the concepts of nobility, knighthood, chivalry, etc. and their evolution from the late "Early Middle Ages" to the "Late Middle Ages."

[Amy Hopkins]

A clear and concise overview of the subject matter. Bouchard writes very well.

[Janet Holt]

Rating: 5
Read for ANTH 310L

[jim]

I bought this book years ago primarily to mine the bibliography for a paper I wrote in school. I never read the book and probably wouldn't have much wanted to at the time anyway. I am glad, however, that I kept it around as, nearly 15 years later, it was a really nice refresher to everything in which I buried myself in school.

I didn't really plan to read this, but I was out of other things to read, and this had been sitting on my shelf for years, so I picked it up. I was really pleased with how engaging and entertaining Bouchard managed to keep the text especially considering the other things that I've been reading as of late. It was actually a nice change of pace to be involved in something somewhat academic and straight-forward instead of trying to glean meaning from the flowery prose and intricate plotlines of the likes of Italo Calvino, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, or Jorge Luis Borges. It's impossible to delve too deeply into any one facet of Medieval society in the space allotted and given the incredibly wide range of times and topics to be discussed. So this wasn't, by any means, a comprehensive study but rather an overview of a period many of us probably think we know better than we do.

The pacing of the book and divisions of the topics worked well together to paint a picture, or perhaps create a movie, of the way in which life, society, the Church, and the ways in which individuals saw themselves changed and morphed into ever nebulous shapes throughout the Middle Ages. While managing to avoid being both dry and preachy, Bouchard clearly illustrated the ways in which relationships between individuals, the land, the Church, commerce, and the Nobility worked together to create a rich fabric of life that was much more complicated than I think most modern readers believe. I particularly enjoyed chapter 4, "Nobility and Chivalry." The discussions of Arthurian Romances especially piqued my interest such that I think I need to read that again soon. I think I would have gotten more out of that book had I read this one first. (Likewise with William Marshal: Court, Career, And Chivalry In The Angevin Empire, 1147 1219)

So that section of the book was the primary piece dealing with how the old Nobility saw themselves, their actions, and their interpersonal relationships... culminating, perhaps, in Chapter 5 with understanding their personal relationships to the Church. The rest of the book seemed much more focused on the organization of society, and the path it took to arrive at its eventual destination. It was exciting to watch the world grow from fiefdoms to castles to cities and see the evolution of societal hierarchy in the decline and then reassertion of the centralized power of kings with the ever-present shadow of the Church looming over everything.

I find it interesting that I enjoyed this as much as I did... I felt like I did when reading How the Irish Saved Civilization, which was one of the driving forces behind my choice to become a history major in the first place. A feeling that, once I *was* a history major was almost completely lost. (unless I was reading about HRE Frederick II... how is there not yet a movie about that guy...) Anyway. While I'm not sure I could recommend this to a very wide range of people, I would highly recommend it to anyone with a lapsed interest in the European Middle Ages.

[Steve Bivans]

Strong of Body is an excellent read. It is well organized and covers the important issues dealing with nobility in medieval France. Its one weakness might be that it is Franco-centric, which may silence subtleties found elsewhere in medieval noble society. How does nobility in France compare with England, Germany, Italy, Spain and elsewhere? All in all, Bouchard covers the topic well and brings the complexities and nuances of nobility and chivalry into sharp focus, which makes it a recommended read for anyone looking for a detailed introduction to the topic.

[Carrie]

An assigned reading for my medieval europe history course. This was a great read; fascinating and interesting, providing a lot of new information about the concepts of knighthood, chivalry and courty love. This dismissed a lot of myths and was written at a level that makes it a good book for undergrads and grads alike. If you like medieval europe, this is a must read!

[Bill Tucker]

Not a real challenge to plow through, since this is mostly a rehash from Western Civ nearly 20 years ago. Still, it's a pleasure to read.

[Mackay]

Necessary for anyone interested in medieval history. Not always the smoothest read, but incredibly interesting.

[Angel Mouser]

I had to read this for class but it was very detailed and interesting if medieval history is your thing

[Karen]

Academic, but an interesting and worthwhile read. Was able to cite it in a couple of papers.

[cee]

interesting and well-researched; could have gone a little more in-depth but a good overview