title of thesis or dissertation, worded exactly as it appears on your abstract

197 Pages·2017·1.06 MB·English

MAKING KNIGHTHOOD: THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITY IN THE
ORDENE DE CHEVALERIE, THE LIVRE DE CHEVALERIE DE GEOFFROI
DE CHARNY AND THE ESPEJO DE VERDADERA NOBLEZA

by

ANTHONY PATRICK TRIBIT

A DISSERTATION

Presented to the Department of Romance Languages
and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

September 2017
DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE

Student: Anthony Patrick Tribit

Title: Making Knighthood: The Construction of Masculinity in the Ordene de
chevalerie, the Livre de chevalerie de Geoffroi de Charny and the Espejo de
verdadera nobleza.

This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Romance
Languages by:

David A. Wacks Chairperson
Barbara K. Altmann Core Member
F. Regina Psaki Core Member
Stephanie Clark Institutional Representative

and

Sara D. Hodges Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School.

Degree awarded September 2017
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© 2017Anthony Patrick Tribit

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DISSERTATION ABSTRACT

Anthony Patrick Tribit

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Romance Languages

September 2017

Title: Making Knighthood: The Construction of Masculinity in the Ordene de chevalerie,
the Livre de chevalerie de Geoffroi de Charny and the Espejo de verdadera
nobleza

This dissertation applies the concept of hegemonic masculinity.proposed by R.W
Connell in her book Masculinities, to three works of medieval chivalric conduct
literature. This dissertation asserts that the authors of the Ordene de chevalerie, the Livre
de chevalerie of Geoffroi de Charny and the Espejo de verdadera nobleza create an
image of knightly masculinity that demonstrates its superiority over other forms of
medieval masculinity. At the same time, each text serves a secondary purpose;
elucidating the values and political aims of its author. The Ordene de chevalerie
demonstrates the hegemonic nature of knighthood by means of its frame story while at
the same time trying to show how the knighthood is intimately linked to Christian faith
by means of the ritual of initiation into the knighthood. The Livre de chevalerie provides
guidance on how to obtain honor and prowess, while at the same showing how the
knighthood is superior to the clerical class, another powerful mode of medieval
masculinity. The Espejo de verdadera nobleza demonstrates that the hegemonic form of
masculinity embodied in the knighthood was open to those who showed the necessary
characteristics and won the approval of the sovereign. The Espejo acts as means of
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institutionalizing the knighthood and shows the first imaginings of how the knighthood
would change with the advent of the Renaissance.
By using a theoretical framework more common to the fields of sociology and
management studies to explore these texts, this dissertation demonstrates how theories
that are accepted in these fields may be applied to literary and medieval studies. This
dissertation also seeks to bring greater attention to the genre of chivalric conduct
literature, a genre that does not receive as much attention from scholars as other medieval
genres such as epic and romance. This dissertation seeks to show that chivalric conduct
literature is a fruitful field of study and that these three lesser known works in this genre
provide valuable medieval perspectives on the concepts of knightly masculinity.
Although these authors define knighthood differently, they all agree that knighthood
plays a defining role in constructing and modeling a superior form of masculinity.

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CURRICULUM VITAE

NAME OF AUTHOR: Anthony Patrick Tribit

GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED:

University of Oregon, Eugene
Gettysburg College, Gettysburg

DEGREES AWARDED:

Doctor of Philosophy, Romance Languages, 2017, University of Oregon
Master of Arts, Romance Languages, 2010, University of Oregon
Bachelor of Arts, French and Spanish, 2005, Gettysburg College

AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST:

Men’s Studies
Chivalry and Knighthood
Organizational Studies
Discourse Theory

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Graduate Employee, University of Oregon, 2008-2017

Assistant, Special Collections, Gettysburg College, 2007

Assistant Language Teacher, Nagasaki Board of Education, 2005-2007

GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS:

Beall Scholarship, University of Oregon, 2013

Gettysburg College Senior Scholarship, Gettysburg College, 2005

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Prof. David A. Wacks
and Prof. Barbara K. Altmann, for their guidance and encouragement in the preparation
of this manuscript.
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For my family, in gratitude and love.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page

I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1

II. THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MASCULINE IDEAL ......................................... 8

III. THE ORDENE DE CHEVALERIE: CHRISTIANITY AND THE INITIATION
INTO THE KNIGHTHOOD IN THIRTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE ............. 42

IV. LE LIVRE DE CHEVALERIE DE GEOFFROI DE CHARNY: PROWESS AS
HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY IN FOURTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE….. 81

V. THE ESPEJO DE VERDADERA NOBLEZA: CHIVALRY AS AN
INSTITUTION IN FIFTEENTH-CENTURY SPAIN ........................................... 126

VI. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 164

REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................ 169

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
If a modern man wishes to better enact the construction of masculinity that he is
going to personify, he need only to go to the local bookstore and there he will find an
array of titles that cover the different types of roles he may play in his family and society.
He will find books on topics such as being a better husband and father or a better
employee. Although a man may be born with the male gender, he must learn to embody
manhood as he believes it should be performed. This knowledge may come from
following the examples of other men, such as his father or fictional characters. He may
also turn to books that describe an ideal of manliness and how to obtain it. In this way, he
is able to create, or “make” an identity such as that of father, leader, or even knight.
The modern self-help books mentioned above are only the latest iteration of a
genre of literature that existed even in the Middle Ages. Medieval manuals that sought to
teach the reader how to better fulfill their duty exist in various types from Mirrors for
Princes such as John of Salisbury’s Policratus, which teaches about political matters, to
manuals which covered more mundane aspects of daily life such as the Ménagier de
Paris, which instructs a medieval urban lady on how to best fulfill her household duties.
There were also manuals written for and about the knighthood. This dissertation explores
three manuals of chivalric conduct in particular, the Ordene de chevalerie (circa 1220),
the Livre de chevalerie de Geoffroi de Charny (circa 1350), and the Espejo de verdadera
nobleza (circa 1441). I propose that the authors of these three manuals create a specific
vision of knightly masculinity that aligns with their specific visions of the role that
knights should play in society. In these texts, the authors also demonstrate to the reader
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