While chivalrous ideals were far much more than a fairytale and very much considered to be apart of a Knight’s everyday responsibilities to both himself and his country, the reality is that these values were upheld far less than one might think. In fact, the closest these ideals ever came to realisation was during the Crusades – military campaigns to the Holy Land in which England played a crucial role, specifically in the Third Crusade under the leadership of King Richard the Lionheart. However, during peacetime, knights were known to take advantage of their favourable situation to live as greedily and selfishly as they wished, and not at all for their generosity, honour or martial ability. As with many popularised historical concepts that have found their way into pop culture, the modern public’s general idea of the old English knight as opposed to the reality of one, is often very very different.
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