#Chivalry code poster code#

#Chivalry code poster code#

But the code of chivalry was never something that was consistently followed.Īs a code of conduct chivalry was enforced through peer pressure rather than hard-and-fast rules, and it was applied differently in different circumstances. The visualizations and rhetorical techniques of propaganda were artfully constructed to draw parallels between ancient battles and the more modern war effort.Agincourt 1415, by Will Gill (2015) The medieval code of chivalry was created in large part to protect the knightly warrior and to ensure his ability to survive his battlefield experience – it was, after all, a creation of the military elite, for the military elite. The glorious story of battle success in the European Middle Ages was retold in many ways through the ages, and at the start of World War One, very prominently through propaganda posters and other images. War offered the chance to be remembered as strong and patriotic, or even as a national hero, harkening back to tales of knights and chivalry of old. War itself, according to the story woven together by the governments and cultures of the Entente and Central Powers, was adventure. Images of the mythology of medieval war, the legends of heroism and chivalry, were widely propagated to garner new fighting forces. The iconic medieval knight served as the chivalrous protector of the homeland and the weak. Many posters included images of the distant past. Posters urged men to join the military to uphold the honor of their nation, and to do their manly duty in combat. Throughout Europe, and soon the United States, these were the words that rang out from poster after poster, plastered to every surface and circulated by any means available. “Take up the sword of Justice! Your king needs you to maintain the honour and glory of the Empire!” Clad in armor, knights, as the story goes, quickly rose from their peaceful lives as farmers or nobility to face their foes, to maintain the code of chivalry, and to seek the glory and adventure of battle.įast forward several centuries to the advent of World War One. Introduction:“For Honour’s Sake! Our Cause is Just!” A group of the king’s heralds called knights to do their duty in an impending war within the kingdom. Finally, the article makes the argument that the realities of the First World War shattered the chivalrous and romantic ideals of war so completely that the concepts and images were no longer appropriate for use as propaganda. The paper begins with an overview of the psychology behind visual persuasion and the history behind Europe’s cultural affinity for “chivalry,” then continues into specific case studies of period propaganda posters that hold not only themes of military glory and prowess, but also themes of race, gender, and religion as well. Examining several specific uses of medieval symbolism in propaganda posters from both Central and Allied powers, the article provides insight into the narrative of war, both politically and culturally constructed.

1:1 (2015)Ībstract: Spanning a number of academic areas, “Knights of the Front: Medieval History’s Influence on Great War Propaganda” focuses on the emergence of medieval imagery in the First World War propaganda. The Knights of the Front: Medieval History’s Influence on Great War PropagandaĬrossing Borders: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship, Vol.