The History of Chivalry Or, Knighthood and Its Times, Volume 1

Mills, Charles, 1788-1826Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.6
Word count
580K words
Chapters
59

Tags

English Originals World History Institutional HistoryHistorical ReappraisalMilitary StrategyHeroismChivalryMiddle AgesTraditional AestheticsMartial Ethos

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The History of Chivalry; Or, Knighthood and Its Times, Volume 1 (of 2) by MillsAuthor: Mills, Charles, 1788-1826,Language: English, Class: CR: History: Heraldry, Release Date: Jun 17, 2012

Editor's review

This is Volume 1 of Charles Mills's two-volume The History of Chivalry, an electronic reprint of a public-domain historical work. This volume generally sets out the origins and framework of the whole work, describing the formation of chivalry, the status of knights, and the background of the age; it is the foundation for entering the entire set. Its strength lies in a nineteenth-century scholar's systematic treatment of chivalry; both language and viewpoint bear a distinct mark of their time, making it suitable as source material for the history of historiography and institutions. The book is in the original English; the free e-book is convenient for searching and excerpting but provides no modern annotations. Reading it together with Volume 2 is recommended for a complete grasp of the author's thinking; read alone, it still offers relatively self-contained introductory content.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read this volume first to grasp the author's framework before moving to Volume 2, to avoid a disconnect between the two.
  2. Begin with the table of contents and chapter openings to establish basic concepts of chivalry before reading the main text closely.
  3. Keep paper or electronic notes on proper names and institutional terms for later reference.
  4. Read alongside a modern introduction to medieval history to correct outdated views promptly.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59

FAQ

Can Volume 1 be read on its own? Yes. This volume largely sets out the origins and framework of the whole work and is relatively self-contained; read alone, it conveys the author's basic thinking and the early face of chivalry. To understand Mills's account fully, however, reading it together with Volume 2 is still recommended to avoid a disconnect.
Does this book have modern annotations or an introduction? No. It is a public-domain e-book published by Project Gutenberg; the text is an electronic presentation of the original work, without modern scholarly introduction, annotations, or bibliography. Readers need to supply background material themselves or consult modern research works for assistance.
Why does the language feel archaic? The original was written in the nineteenth century, and Mills's sentence patterns, vocabulary, and argumentative style all bear the marks of that era, differing markedly from modern English writing. This is normal; readers can first adapt to its rhythm or use reference works for unfamiliar expressions.
Is it suitable for history beginners? Not very suitable for complete beginners. The book is an English original in nineteenth-century historiographical style without a modern introduction, so beginners may struggle with proper names and institutional terms. Those with a basic background in medieval history who are willing to read slowly and check references can use it as supplementary material.

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About the author

Mills, Charles, 1788-1826 Author · British · 1788–1826

Charles Mills (1788–1826) was a British historian. Public information about his life is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly his substantial two-volume work The History of Chivalry; or, Knighthood and Its Times. Centred on chivalry and its age, the book examines the institution's rise and development together with its social and cultural setting, reflecting the nineteenth-century British approach to medieval historical writing. He also wrote a history of the Crusades. His works present medieval military and religious themes in narrative form, combining institutional history with the spirit of the age, and are representative of popular historical writing of their kind.