Western Europa

p Georges Duby recounts in his book William Marshal-The Flower of Chivalry , the main facts and events in the life of the Middle Ages knight William Marshal , an important historical figure , who later became the Earl of Pembroke . Beyond the historical facts , Duby draws a comprehensive picture of the Middle Ages and of the most important practice of those times-that of chivalry or knighthood

The book reverses the of the historical events , as it begins with the account of the knight 's death , followed by different episodes of his life which also

defy the chronological . The author lies special emphasis on a few themes related to the Medieval life : the stress is evidently , on the characteristics of chivalry and on its social consequences : the entire period of the Middle Ages seems to be a male-centered , virile world , in which women were unimportant , in spite of the fact that the same age is known for its troubadours and for its art of courtly love . Thus , as Duby observes , during the Middle Ages the only love that was actually acknowledged as such was that between men an men , rather than that between men and women

A men 's affair , of shame and honor , of love- should I say only friendship ? Virile . I repeat : only men are said to love one another in a text from which the women are almost or entirely absent (Duby , 65

Indeed , as Duby remarks , the Middle Ages were a masculine epoch altogether : I speak of men . This world is masculine (Duby , 47 ) This was due especially to the ideals of power , physical strength and honor all of which were related to chivalry . Love was present only among men in the form of comradeship or as the devotion of the knight to his lord Women are never active participants in the life of the Middle Ages , and the love between men and women was more of a game that hid the other type of relationship , that between men and men , which was in fact the essential one

The relationships between men and men and those between women and men are well illustrated in the episode which recounts the supposed love affair that took place between Marshall and Margaret , the wife of king Henry the Young . At this time , William Marshal is at the court of Henry the Young , and as Duby observes , he is greatly loved by the latter , who holds him among his favorite courtiers . The rest of the story is a little unclear , as Marshal 's supposed affair with the queen is not confirmed as true : it may have been just a rumor begun by the knight 's enemies , who were extremely jealous of his relationship with Henry the Young

Whether the betrayal was true or false is less important : the fact is that the story proves once again that women were treated only as objects in such affairs , and that the true jealousy seemed to be that between men . As Duby notes , the queen...