Study on Book of Chivalry - 1

To start of this textual study, I feel it is appropriate to give an introduction and purpose as to who the author of the Book of Chivalry is and why studying this book is important.

Sir Geoffrey de Charney, a 14th Century French Knight was not just a name in the pages of history, but rather a giant in his time and an insightful source into the ideal of True Chivalry.  While fighting in the Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453CE), fighting in deeds of arms and tournaments, he also wrote books on Chivalry, jousts, tournaments, deeds of arms and how one should conduct themselves in these events.  His works are Questions for the joust, tournaments and war and the Book of Chivalry; both which you can find in print.

Before I start the study I have to outline the purpose of the study.  The purpose of the study is to glean from the medieval texts on Chivalry so as to give a proper context of what Chivalry is, how it was applied back then and how we can apply it to today's times.

With this stated, let us move forward.

De Charney starts The Book of Chivalry with the subjects of Prowess, the types of Men at Arms, Deeds of Arms at Tournaments, Deeds of Arms in local wars, which Deeds of Arms that are honorable; and other topics such as pilgrimages, deeds which incur reward or pay.  We read the following quotes:

"These are the ones who are physically strong and skillful (agile) and who conduct themselves properly and pleasantly, as is appropriate for young men, gentle, courteous and well  mannered towards others, who have no desire to engage in any evil undertaking....."  

"And indeed, they (tournaments) earn men praise and esteem for they require a great deal of wealth, equipment, and expenditure, physical hardship, crushing and wounding, and sometimes danger of death."

"Therefore, one should value and honor men at arms for in the practice or arms in joust are pleased enough with what they do without undertaking any other deeds of arms....And these two uses of arms are both found in armed combat in war.....for it is from good battles that great honors arise and are increased,for good fighting men prove themselves in good battles....."

From what we see from the quotes, there is a certain thing to be noted.  Prowess and the warrior lifestyle are to never be separated.  While the distinction of deeds of arms (which can include sparring in HEMA, bouts in armor) and tournaments (HEMA tournaments or jousting tourneys) are in this: deeds of arms are single and is focused on evaluating one's prowess against an opponent.  While the tournament is the evaluation and competition of recognition of prowess against many opponents.  Yet both of these activities are rooted in combat training and in the instruction of HEMA (which was the actual training in the days of Middle Ages).

Yet one will ask, why should I invest time and money into learning to fight better?  One might add the comment: I have better things to do in life.  The answer to both objections is this:

Time and money invested in the self betterment of self and in the training or prowess with the purpose of fighting for the survival and protection of one's family/loved ones is never wasted.

Yet still again, one will ask "But even so, why should we prepare for war when we are in a time of peace?"  The answer is this:

One must never fall for the illusion of days of peace.  It doesn't take a second look to see that within days of peace, crime and murder go about, thefts and abuse happen without restraint. In addition, the threat of war looms in the international picture with tension ever rising.  By reason, it is prudent to be prepared for anything and everything, even if it means learning the art of combat.

By training to be a warrior, one becomes an empowered individual that is guided by instruction, discipline, vision, purpose, honor and wisdom.  This is not just the aspiration but also the goals of the modern warrior.

Therefore, the lesson from this study is this: prowess can be exercised and practiced in deeds of arms and tournaments, however these two things should never replace training for war.  Prowess and training in it is what makes one started on the path of the warrior and is the main thing that makes the individual distinct.  It is wise to be prepared for war in times of peace rather than to be ill prepared in times of war and haunted in times of peace.

Train on valiant Knight!

On the Practice of HEMA

HEMA or Historical European Martial Arts (no I am not referring to the medical word for blood) has been for the past 10 to 30 years reclaiming lost history and culture.

What do I mean by this?

First off, back in the old days of 1970's to 90's few individuals discovered in archives and libraries actual historical texts describing combat during the Medieval and Renaissance Eras.  By 2000, this lead to meetings and events where people began to learn how to sword fight, by 2010 HEMA grew into the study of arms and armor, mounted combat, historical exegesis, the market for historical fencing gear, blunt practice weapons grew, along with armorers making harnesses (full suits of armor) based on historical examples.  To this day, the study of HEMA has grown in its number of practitioners, marketers, teachers, and internet/media presence.

Yet with all this good news, there is still the gap between the study of HEMA and the application of True Chivalry.  Why?  Because when one studies HEMA, the idea of fair play which is dominant in sports and to a degree martial training today (depending on the school and instructor) is lost, the individual is introduced to techniques that are designed for killing and maiming the opponent.  The false idea of Chivalry vanishes in an instant, as a result there is a disdain for anything related to Chivalry.

Yet, is this scenario true?  Yes.  But there is more to my point.


When one is introduced to the study of HEMA, one must through their preconceived notions of history, chivalry and fighting out the door.  True Chivalry does exist within the study of HEMA, precisely, its study and application of Prowess.  Remember, one is not chivalrous by being a pleasure boy, rather one becomes chivalrous by practicing the lifestyle of the warrior and the practice of martial arts with the intention of actual usage.

By practicing fighting and martial skills, one is resurrecting an old form of living which is today cast away due to the comforts and pleasures of this world.  One is bringing back to life, a lifestyle of self awareness, vigilance, and bravery that is rooted in wisdom and combative knowledge.  Does that mean that one must live life like a hermit?  No, rather one must live with the thought that says "If my freedom to live life with purpose and vision must not be impeded, I cannot do whatever I want to do."

Having the knowledge of combat (along with the knowing how to kill someone with efficiency) brings a somber, sober reality.  Yet one cannot afford to live in self created depression.  One must live life with vigilance and discernment of when to fight and when not to fight.  The joy and peace of a life with purpose is realized when one is control of his mind and body, the relationships that one makes must be rooted in trust and selfless love for one another.  The warrior that seeks for peace will find it in a heart that rests in selfless love and contentment with life.

The study of HEMA is part of the study and application of True Chivalry through the training of prowess.  By learning to fight with wisdom and efficiency, one learns how to fight against their evil side of themselves so as to strengthen their inner virtuous aspects to become a Knight of Valor.  The battle starts in the inside before the war on the outside commences.

A Study in True Chivalry

When one studies True Chivalry, one automatically goes to the history books to find out.  While this is fine, yet it is not enough.  One can study it's history, yet it is another thing to study it's application from the historical texts that give their voice to how does one conduct their lives as a Knight.

When one studies HEMA, they study the martial application of True Chivalry.  However, it is not enough.  Martial study and application is incomplete without a study of warrior ethics.

Books such as The Book of the Five Rings, the texts of Sufi Chivalry give defining ethical principles for the Japanese Samurai and the Muslim Saracen, the same can be said for the Medieval Knight.

According to Medieval History, the ideal of Chivalry was discussed and debated over the years.  However, three texts have survived to this day that give their voices to what Chivalry was based on.  The texts are The Book of Chivalry by the monk Ramon Lull, The Book of Chivalry by the famous 14th Century French Knight Sir Geoffri de Charney and The Book of the Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry by the 15th Century Noble Woman and author Christine de Pizan.

These three texts give three differing viewpoints (religious, martial, and a female perspective).  The ideal of True Chivalry is based on these three texts and its application to today's societal and cultural reality.

I am aware that most of you my readers may not have instant access to these texts but I have you covered.  I will be doing a textual study of each of these books and I will provide commentary to each one to help you my readers to understand the principles discussed.

The first book that we will study together is de Charney's book which speaks a lot to practicing the ideal of True Chivalry.

Onward Knights of Courage!

Walking the Path

It is one thing to talk in great length and verbose rhetoric how one should conduct themselves in life, yet it is an arduous challenge to actually live by the advice and follow on what they "preach to the choir."

Walking the path of the Warrior or the Knight is not as easy as people will assume that it is.  I say this not from my opinion, but rather from my life in which I have learned much on how walking the path is not a rosy path but a mountain climb to reach a great height.  Yet one asks the question, "Is it worth it all?  The challenges and the difficulties?"

The answer is yes.

Here is how.

If you recall from my blog post on True Chivalry, I mentioned a daily routine in which I put out an idea of what the modern warrior would practice on a daily basis.  Here I want to take a closer look at that routine, actions reveal the intentions and motivations of the mind. Here is how

When one wakes up from their sleep, the warrior wakes up with alacrity and with a mental renewing from the previous night the commitment to personal excellence.  This ought to be carried out in his daily routine which not only includes a high quality breakfast full of needed nutrition and protein but also in his time of meditation.  Meditation doesn't mean being in a sitting position making a chant or a hum.  Rather meditation can be a moment to remind oneself of their ideals and personal goals the individual wants to achieve.  Prayer, study of religious texts is a part of meditation or even time spent reading a book on ethics.  The time for meditation must be a time for the mind to be sharp and ready for the day ahead.

The typical day of the 9 to 5 work shift or the rush to get errands done in the early morning is the normal everyday challenge, but for the warrior, he or she would be prepared in advance by taking opportunities to take care the essentials of life so that the flow of the day is not interrupted with worry or apathy.  Errands can be taken care of depending on one's schedule, bills, the mortgage or rent,must be planned out so that everything is set in order.  There must not be room for disorder or mental apathy.

After work is done, when one has returned home, the body or mind are besieged with exhaustion.  However it is at this moment when the warrior lifestyle is seen more in action.  When one returns home, one ought to renew the body with a high quality dinner full of protein and nutrients to restore bodily strength.  It is at this time that martial training can be done (it also can be done early in the morning) and meditation following afterwards.  One could almost fall into the trap of amusement through the TV or Netflix, or social media.  However these things are a priority, the main priority is the maintaining of one's mind and its sharpening with wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  Afterwards sleep is the next natural thing to do, rest allow the sharpened body and mind to grow and to be activated upon waking up.

As the saying goes "Feed the body, nourish the mind."  That is what walking the Path of the Warrior is about, feeding the body the means so that when prowess or action is needed, you is ready.  When one nourishes the mind with learning, application and contemplating on the right things to think on, the warrior acts with honor, discernment and integrity.

You alone can start to walk on the path.  Do not be discouraged when you mess up or forget a detail in your daily routines.  That is part of learning the path and growing while you walk on the path.  Remember that you are not alone, and that you have that great potential to rise above the debased nature of today's society into the Knight of heroism that will leave a mark of legacy to your friends, family and everyone else.

Onward Brave Warrior!

The Warrior Path

The Path of the Warrior: a single, lonely path.  One wonders why must one walk on a road filled with danger, loneliness and ridicule from the outside?  The answer is given here.


The Path of the Warrior has been practiced, applied, discussed and elaborated in many writings throughout many cultures in the world.  However, the definition of the Path has varied from the viewpoints of time and warriors that wrote down their wisdom for posterity.  I will not go over every source discussing on the Warrior Path.  I will however define here the Path of the Modern Warrior that is drawn upon the sources of True Chivalry (as mentioned in the last blog post).

The Path of the Modern Knight is a hard, arduous, demanding and difficult path.  What makes that so is that by living by the ideal of True Chivalry, one will expect themselves to face these things when walking in the path: ridicule, mockery, public or private rejection, depression caused by negativity and loneliness.  Yet one will ask, what are the benefits of walking the Path?  What do I get out of it?  The answer is this: a physically strong body and mind, purpose for one's daily activities and goals, vision for one's life, the ability to protect those one loves and cherishes in a cold and unforgiving world, and wisdom that benefits the individual with discernment, understanding, knowledge of self, courage, honor, integrity, faith to vision and purpose, generosity, gentleness, mastery of self and mind.

One may ask, "How does one get all this?"  The answer: not overnight, but through a journey called life.

Walking this path by itself is contradictory to what today's society and culture accept as normal, allow me to elaborate.  Society today deems it acceptable to pursue your carnal pleasures at the expense of of a dollar or website or a walk to the local club with no regard to the opinion of others.  The Modern Knight however does the exact opposite, he does not pursue his carnality rather he pursues perfection of self and excellence in his conduct towards his wife, his family, friends, conduct at the job or in private.  The Modern Knight will forego his flesh bound desires, seeking to maintain pure faithfulness and loyalty to his wife, family or ideals.  Society today believes that as long as you have wealth, fame, success and the right connections, you are free to do what you feel like doing even if another person doesn't like it.  The Modern Knight keeps in perspective that he as a single individual does not have the liberty to do what he feels like doing, he knows in his heart that what he does must be for the benefit of those he cares for and he knows that pleasure is a fleeting sensation on a physical basis, the Modern Knight derives pleasure from being the helping hand for those who cannot help themselves whether physical or mental, and by giving selfless love to the woman who holds his heart.

Yet one will ask, "How does one go about walking the Path of the Modern Knight?"  Here is the answer.

Walking the Path starts with small actions that lead to life changing choices.  An example of a daily mental routine for the Modern Knight will look like this:  5AM Wake up to work out, 6AM Meditation, Breakfast and Shower, 7AM Review calendar, House cleaning, 8PM leave for 9:30 shift.  After work: 7PM Dinner, 8PM Meditation, 9PM Martial Arts training, 10PM Book Reading, Bed.

This may look small, if not somewhat demanding in today's hustle and fast paced world, however when seen via action, the changes as portrayed by the actions speak the difference for itself.  The practice of book reading, meditation, martial arts training, working out is what is emphasized rather than the popular activities of the TV, Netflix, video games, Internet cruising etc.  The motivation behind the popular activities is comfort, ease, desire of personal time to rest, and pleasure.  The motivation of the Warrior Path is betterment of self, increase of academic and practical knowledge, refinement of martial prowess, sharpening of sense of morality.

Yes this all sound daunting, it was for me when I made my failed attempts, but from each failure, I learned and improved to where I am now.  It is good to make yourself a better man, a better warrior because by walking the path, you show to people the best aspects in you.

By practicing life living like a Warrior, one makes themselves an improved man and a force to be reckoned with.  The question that is laid out for you is this: are you willing to take the first step on this path?  For the sake of comfort, I am here to help you walk that path, you are not alone.

Onward Knight of Valor!   

The True Ideal of Chivalry

Chivalry: a single word that is the source of discussion, debate and controversy in today's time.  Yet when seen from the eyes of history, Chivalry was something completely different.

Historians and Scholars have agreed almost in one voice that Chivalry as known from the idea taught by Leon Gautier, Victorian Era literature, Hollywood and popular opinion does not exist within the realm of historical fact.

I would like to raise these questions, first:  Are we looking at a misguided or false version of Chivalry?  Second:  What was Chivalry as history shows it?  Third:  What does this mean to us who claim to be chivalrous?

The answer is not easy or simple, but worth the challenge of understanding it so that by knowing it, one will apply it with wisdom and discernment.

Chivalry, according to History (in specific: according to the works of Ramon Lull, Sir Geoffri de Charney and Christine de Pizan) was a warrior ideal that was formed, developed and debated during the entire Middle Ages.  What History tells us is that Chivalry was an ideal and model of ethics that pertained to knights and their relationships between their Lords and other knights. What we see is the absence of romantic gestures towards a woman and the notion of fair play. In reality, history has many records of knights participating in the sacking and slaughter of many famous cities and towns.  Yet, is this a contradiction?

No.  Here is why?

Chivalry was an ideal and ethic model that pertained to warriors and their conduct in warfare, tournaments and deeds of arms (which the history of the Middle Ages is fruitful in records and accounts) in which respect and courtesy between two knights was established and praised.  The ideal was recognized and praised in its every aspects that a medieval history book was dedicated to the preservation of Chivalry practiced in action (The Chronicles of Jean Froissart).  In the 8th episode of the Chivalry Today Podcast, the interview with Professor Steven Muhlberger gives a detailed discussion of my points which I have established here.  You can access the Podcast here:  http://chivalrytoday.com/episode-8/

One question that is brought up is: where did the notion of respectful gestures towards women come from?

The answer: from Courtly Love.

History shows that Courtly Love was developed out of the need to show excellence of courtly mannerisms.  This ideal was the social bridge that filled the gap for the knight to relate to non warriors.  With the ideal of Courtly Love, the knight was able to not only impress a Lady, but also was able to understand the social norms outside the battlefield or tournament field.

For the Knight, he went by the warrior aspect of Chivalry in war, deed of arms and tournament, exercising his prowess and warrior aspects.  And he went by the ideal of Courtly Love, going by the aspect of the gentle man who excelled in non martial activities and in ethical behavior towards women and nobility.


Before you skip, I will give a recap of what was stated.  Historically, Chivalry was a warrior ideal seen more in war than in court.  To make up the difference in social norms, Courtly Love helped the knight with being socially accepted.

With that said, you might be shocked or confused.  I don't blame you, I had the same thing happen to me.  But by learning this it brought me great clarity as to how does one become a better man.

For a modern man to put this into practice, he needs to make a separation between his conduct in his application of his martial abilities and his social abilities.  Meaning that you cannot be gentle in war, or stern in love. Rather one must use discernment to determine the difference between the two.  The way that you conduct yourself in the gym or the martial arts school is not the same as your conduct your girlfriend or wife.  One must keep themselves in check like this, "I will use my fist or weapon to protect myself, but I will never use it against my wife or loved one or for my own agenda."  Sounds easy?  Not so.

A martial artist who uses his prowess for his own agenda is no different than the robber who got away with cash from a bank.  A lover who seeks to further his philandering by means of fighting is  no different than the husband who abuses his wife out of his anger.  In simple words, the ego is what will make the fighter a pleasure boy behind closed doors and the womanizer a murderous fighter in secret.

The ego is what blurs the line between the warrior and the lover by making one loose perspective in the grand picture of things.  When perspective is lost, the next things that go away are vision and purpose.

A man must keep perspective on his warrior and lover aspects and to keep both of them in moral check.  When one does so, they keep their priorities straight and their commitment to their vision and purpose fully in line with pure conviction based on honor and private integrity.

By understanding what True Chivalry is, we not only understand better human nature, we also understand how do we function in life.  A man must always maintain excellence in his martial and social abilities.  Aspiring and practicing this form of self excellence brings many benefits and blessings such as the ability to protect those you love and at the same time, the ability to relate to people who are different from you.

Now that the definition of Chivalry is laid out here, let us continue on the warrior path.

Welcome and Introduction

Greetings and Welcome!

I am Josh the Jersey Knyght who is.......

Well allow me to say this, that before you go off skipping this post, I want to state my purpose and intention of this blog.

The Purpose and Vision of this Blog, along with the Facebook page and upcoming YouTube channel is this: it is to show and put out there the path and manner of how does one become a Knight in the Modern Age.

You might have read that statement more than once thinking "Am I reading this right?"  Yes you did read it right.  I am aware that statement will generate the following questions:

Why would anyone become a Knight?  Hasn't the Dark Ages been long gone?

What does this have to do with me?

How does one become an obsolete warrior in the age of the gun and advanced technology?

The answer is not as simple as one would almost assume.

The underlying reason why anyone would want to become a Knight is because in this day and age, our current culture has failed in giving us any real substance regarding heroism, honor, the ideal of Chivalry and being better men.  How you may ask?  The current culture leaves open gaps and unanswered questions regarding what it means to be a man (this is why the self help business makes plenty of money on books written by doctors, psychologists and therapists on how to feel or act as as man, but contradicting each other), what does it mean to be a warrior and how does one live a life of purpose?

I am not railing or ranting against a culture which has brought us comic book examples of heroes, police men and marines as everyday examples of manhood, rather I am bringing up a concern that while we have many examples to follow, how we go about it and the manner in which we conduct ourselves is left open with many questions but no answers. 

I am here to give you advice, lessons learned and wisdom that I have gained from walking the path of the Modern Knight for six years, while starting with little to no knowledge of warrior wisdom, I have now gained the wisdom and the practical advice that men today do need in their lives. 

I will also post on various topics such as HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), Interracial Relationships, film, book, gear reviews, interviews as well as posts on any event I have attended to show you not just my world but also to show you the advice put into action. 

I know what you might be thinking, "Is this guy some sort of nerd?"  In all truth, no.  Rather I am someone who as gained wisdom from following a lifestyle that while contradictory to the trends of today's social and cultural norms and I have benefited much from practicing it.

I don't want you my audience to be the ones left out of the opportunity to listen to practical wisdom and knowledge, not the high white tower ideals, rather the practical actions you can do now to start your journey to becoming a better person than you are now.

The question I want to ask you is: are you willing to take the step to become a better person?  Are you willing to take the first step to commitment to a llifestyle that will benefit you, your family, your friends and loved ones?

If your answer is yes, come with me and let us walk together on the path of warriors, the journey to Knighthood, a quest with the Jersey Knyght.