13th-15th C. Horse Harness Tournament Pendants

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

Hi Jim,


After all I have read and studied in Anglistics seminars year after year in the 1970's and early 1980's (I took my State Exam at Regensburg University in 1982), and I sure had my fill reading on idealized medieval Minne - which meant the absolutely idealistic, high-held and untouchable ideal of platonic love to an already married (usually to a king!) and hence completely out-of-reach courtly lady - a kind of ove of course totally unaccepted by the instution of The Roman Catholic Church. Such a love basically bound to fail was the famous tale of Guinevere (the wife of King Arthur) and Sir Lancelot of the Lake (du Lac) from Thomas Malory's magnum opus Morte d'Arthure.
Nobody won, they all died in gruesome gores. All those both endlessly and mercilessly reiterated stereotype rituals (e.g. They walked in the blood of their enemies up to their knees, ... then they hearde (!) masse in the morning, etc. etc.): to me they were nothing but a manifestation of a long-since unstoppabable decline of knightly ideals once held as high as the mystic Holy Grail was for hundreds of years. To hear and see them presented so low down and trampled into the dirt thus openly just blew my mind ... It was both a bitter and tragic swan song on knightly ideas once so noble ...

Anyone here has ever read the original 15th c.Medieval Englisch version of Le Morte d'Arture? Malory wrote it during many years of imprisonment. If you did not, you sure a very lucky guy retaining a sound, sober and sane mind.



Now, was there jealousy in those days? Oh yeah, those folks sure shared all the most basic ardent feeings of the human soul and mind! And they were ready to massacre literally anybody for the strong feelings in their souls ... and to take the final blame as well.

Was there financial sponsoring? The sources do not mention such a term way too profane for the medieval mind - but yes, this one humble Mediavist here on the forum is absolutely sure because all those basic human feelings shook the Medieval world and and its knights to the very
bone of their earthly existence 500 years ago!


With my very best wishes,
Michael

Michael, sorry for the delay in responding here. What an amazing insight and perspective into these much heralded times, as well as being beautifully written! It is clear to see how well you know these times, after a lifetime of study, it is if you were there!

There truly are other sides to the romanticized and flowery tales told in Victorian literature and of course in our times, movies on knighthood, chivalry, warfare and the tournaments.

I wanted to thank you as well for all the time and effort you always have given to furnish us with such amazing illustrations and material to accompany the fascinating things you post and describe.

All of this gives these wonderful artifacts powerful dimension and us the opportunity to experience moments in history long ago from someone who knows them better than anyone.