Dance of the Knights Quiz | Other People

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which century did knighthood become its own distinct social rank or class, the achievement of which was largely restricted to the nobility?

Answer: 12th century

By the end of the 12th century, a clear social difference was established between the "milites gregarii," common war-faring horsemen, and "milites nobiles," or true knights. Future knights, almost exclusively the sons of knights or other well-to-do noblemen, were singled out during boyhood, at first becoming pages and then squires.

After completing this apprenticeship, a squire was formally inducted into knighthood in a ceremony known as "dubbing" or "the accolade."

2. The code of chivalry, which established the guidelines for a knight's rule of conduct in the medieval era, was applied to three aspects of a knight's life. Which were these?

Answer: military duty, social life, and religious life

In the Middle Ages, the ideals of chivalry were closely related to those of honor, the achievement of which was the purpose of noble conduct. And despite the fact that the code of chivalry was influenced by Christian notions, it applied to members of other religions as well: the Muslim, Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, was regarded by medieval writers and historians as a chivalrous figure.

3. The first military order of knighthood were the Teutonic Knights, established in 1099 during the First Crusade.

Answer: False

The first military order of knighthood were the Knights Hospitaller, who derived their name from a hospital founded in 1023 in Jerusalem to care for poor, sick, and injured Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. The group of men that congregated around the hospital evolved into a military and monastic order, the Knights Hospitaller, or Hospitallers, which in 1099 obtained their own charter, dictating that they protect and defend the growing Christian community in the Holy Land. Like the Knights Hospitaller, the earliest orders of knights were--or soon became--monastic as well as military.

4. By which of the following names were the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon also known?

Answer: Knights Templar

The Knights Templar, established in 1129, were a monastic military order charged with the defence of the Holy Land. The fate of the Templars was tied closely to that of the Crusader states: as these rose in and fell from power in the Holy Land, so did the Knights Templar. They were formally disbanded in 1307, leaving a legacy that laid the foundation for modern banking systems.

5. In medieval literature, knights were portrayed as gallant figures in search of adventures through which they could prove themselves through noble deeds and gestures. One of the most famous of these literary figures, known as knights errant, was Sir Lancelot. In which literary work did Sir Lancelot first appear as a main character?

Answer: Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart

It was in "Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart," ("Le Chevalier de la Charrette") dating from the 12th century, that author Chretien de Troyes established Lancelot's infamous adulterous relationship with King Arthur's queen, Guinivere. Despite this relationship, Sir Lancelot was described by all whom he met throughout the work as the perfect knight.

6. The Prologue of "The Canterbury Tales" began with a portrayal of the Knight, whose actual deeds were so violent as to suggest a disparity between the ideal knight, who embodied the code of chivalry, and real knights' actual deeds. Which writer and sharp social observer depicted the Knight so ironically?

Answer: Chaucer

The Knight's self-described deeds and travels in "The Canterbury Tales," written at the end of the 14th century, suggest a transition from the Code of Chivalry to mercenary motivation, as the Knight appeared to have been "hired" for warfare rather than interested in honor for its own sake.

The emergence of this sort of "professionalization" is one of the major themes of "The Canterbury Tales."

7. During which famous historical period or event did the notion of a knight as an armored cavalryman, whose main duty was military, emerge?

Answer: Hundred Years' War

Ironically, during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), the evolution of military tactics shifted emphasis from the cavalry to the crossbow, which helped lead the English to victory in the all-important Battle of Agincourt.

8. There were no women in chivalric orders established after the Crusades.

Answer: False

Nearly at its inception, the Order of the Garter, established in England in 1348 as an order of chivalry, received women in its ranks. Orders of chivalry, having lost their monastic aspect then also lost their traditional military aspect as well. In 1917, the newly established Order of the British Empire was open from the outset at all levels to women and included the ranks of Dame Commander (DBE) and Dame Grand Cross (GBE).

9. With the waning of the Middle Ages and the rise of professional armies, the title of "knight" was separated from notions of military duty. By 1560 strictly honorific orders were established. Which of the following was one such order?

Answer: Order of St. Gregory the Great

The Order of Saint George, established in 1325/6, Order of the Golden Fleece (1430), and Order of Saint Michael (1469) were chivalric orders. The Order of St. Gregory the Great, established in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI, recognizes Catholic men and women for exemplary service to the Catholic Church and the Holy See.

10. By the 17th century, the notion of chivalry was an object of satire. Which famous novel, published in two volumes by Miguel de Cervantes, parodied the knight-errant of medieval literature, and featured perhaps the most famous knight in literary history?

Answer: Don Quixote

"Don Quixote," published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615, featured the knight-errant Don Quixote, whose foolish deeds were apparent to all but himself: he believed windmills were giants to be defeated. Ironically, however, Cervantes commended Quixote's idealism, unique in a world he depicted as devoid of all but mercenary self-interest. In Don Quixote, chivalry did not die after all!

Source: Author lola0177

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Dance of the Knights Trivia Quiz

Here is a quiz on the institution of knighthood, from its origins, throughout the Middle Ages, and into modern times. I also explore the code of chivalry, chivalric orders, and famous knights in both history and the history of literature.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>