Editing Knight (section)

==Medieval and Renaissance chivalric literature==
{{main|Knight-errant}}
{{further|Chivalry|Chivalric romance|Matter of Britain|Matter of France|Minnesang|Jinete}}
[[File:Traicitié de la forme et devis comme on fait les tournoys BNF Fr. 2695 f98r.jpg|thumb|Page from ''[[King René's Tournament Book]]'' (BnF Ms Fr 2695)]]
Knights and the ideals of knighthood featured largely in [[medieval literature|medieval]] and [[Renaissance literature]], and have secured a permanent place in literary [[Romance (heroic literature)|romance]].<ref>[[W. P. Ker]], ''Epic And Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature'' pp. 52–53</ref> While chivalric romances abound, particularly notable literary portrayals of knighthood include ''[[The Song of Roland]]'', ''[[Cantar de Mio Cid]]'', [[The Twelve of England]], [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Knight's Tale]]'', [[Baldassare Castiglione]]'s ''[[The Book of the Courtier]]'', and [[Miguel de Cervantes]]' ''[[Don Quixote]]'', as well as [[Thomas Malory|Sir Thomas Malory's]] ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' and other Arthurian tales ([[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'', the [[Pearl Poet]]'s ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]'', etc.).

[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s  ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (''History of the Kings of Britain''), written in the 1130s, introduced the legend of [[King Arthur]], which was to be important to the development of chivalric ideals in literature. [[Thomas Malory|Sir Thomas Malory's]] ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' (''The Death of Arthur''), written in 1469, was important in defining the [[Ideal (ethics)|ideal]] of chivalry, which is essential to the modern concept of the knight, as an elite warrior sworn to uphold the values of [[faith]], [[loyalty]], [[courage]], and [[honour]].

Instructional literature was also created. [[Geoffroi de Charny]]'s "[[Book of Chivalry]]" expounded upon the importance of Christian faith in every area of a knight's life, though still laying stress on the primarily military focus of knighthood.

In the early Renaissance greater emphasis was laid upon courtliness. The ideal courtier—the chivalrous knight—of Baldassarre Castiglione's ''[[The Book of the Courtier]]'' became a model of the ideal virtues of nobility.<ref>Hare (1908), p. 201.</ref>  Castiglione's tale took the form of a discussion among the nobility of the court of the Duke of Urbino, in which the characters determine that the ideal knight should be renowned not only for his bravery and prowess in battle, but also as a skilled dancer, athlete, singer and orator, and he should also be well-read in the [[humanities]] and classical [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]] literature.<ref>Hare (1908), pp. 211–218.</ref>

Later Renaissance literature, such as [[Miguel de Cervantes]]'s ''[[Don Quixote]]'', rejected the code of chivalry as unrealistic idealism.<ref>{{cite book|author=Eisenberg, Daniel|title=A Study of "Don Quixote"|location=Newark, Delaware|publisher=Juan de la Cuesta|date=1987|isbn=0936388315|pages=41–77|quote=Revised Spanish translation in Biblioteca Virtual Cervantes}}</ref>  The rise of [[Christian humanism]] in [[Renaissance literature]] demonstrated a marked departure from the chivalric romance of late medieval literature, and the chivalric ideal ceased to influence literature over successive centuries until it saw some pockets of revival in post-Victorian literature.

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