

George, although he was three years older than Richard, was not considered sufficiently mature for this responsibility, a fact which infuriated him.

At the age of twelve Richard was appointed Commissioner of Array for nine counties and charged with levying troops to clear Northumberland of Lancastrians. Richard worked diligently on all of his lessons, but his greatest effort was directed toward developing skill in the use of weapons.ĭuring the next few years the king heaped honors and lands on his two brothers. In the evening they were taught to sing, dance, and play musical instruments. Each day they practiced riding, hunting, and the use of arms.

#Duke of burgundy chivalry code code
The boys all lived together and received instruction in Latin, law, mathematics, music, religion, and the code of chivalric behavior and etiquette. These two youngsters became Richard’s closest friends and remained, to the end of their lives, his staunchest supporters. It was there that he met Robert Percy and Francis Lovell who were also being schooled in Warwick’s household. This was a quite typical way of obtaining training all the way through Medieval society right down to the apprentises of craftsmen and tradesmen. At the age of nine he was apprenticeship in the household of a great noble in order to learn all the knightly accomplishments, his cousin the Earl of Warwick In 1461 Richard went to the earl’s great castle of Middleham in Wensleydale to begin his training. He was created third Duke of Gloucester and lord high admiral at the coronation of his brother, Edward IV. As a young child he was exiled to Burgundy due to the shifting balance of power in the War of the Roses. But then, it was another time and Dracor, God of Justice, has not always reigned supreme in human history.Richard, Duke of Gloucester later Richard III was born in 1452 and was the twelfth child of Richard, Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. That many things which seem like basic values had to be spelled out. More interesting to my mind is that such a code had to be written. The lack of solid facts makes it fun to write about, but more subject to interpretation. The code from King Arthur’s court is perhaps the most famous, though much of this is shrouded in legend. There are other codes of chivalry, including the one espoused by the Duke of Burgundy in the 14th century, but it’s not really all that different from the list above. I could see how some of this code could really hamper a medieval knight. In my fantasy world, being chosen by the God of Justice to be one of his Knights and following the code of chivalry imbues certain holy powers, including the ability to channel the god’s power to smite evil.

The speak the truth at all times gives my Knights of Valor a great deal of trouble, and from time to time, they may have even had to interpret that a little creatively. A few of these seem redundant to me, and a few seem too bravado for my Knights of Valor, but I did think through all of them as I was creating my own code. Sounds a lot like what we’ve come to expect from knights that followed the code of chivalry. Never to refuse a challenge from an equal.Persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.Refrain from the wanton giving of offence.Serve the liege lord in valor and faith.While many parts of our past are lost to us, The Song of Rolland documented the code of chivalry during the time of William the Conqueror, around 1066 AD. The punishments for not following it, again another post. Real knights in the days of yore had a code of chivalry that they were supposed to follow. I’ve never listed the code these Knights follow, because that wouldn’t exactly keep the story moving in my novels, but their code is very much based on historical precedent. While the Knights in my stories live by a moral code directly tied to the god they serve, that code wasn’t created in a vacuum. While I don’t feel the need to be rescued, thank you very much, I’ve always been drawn to the white knight. Why? Because I like the good boy, the knight in shining armor, so to speak. The Knights of Valor are a prominent part of my fantasy romance novels.
