Chivalry and the English Gentleman

This chapter engages with issues relating to the place of chivalry within the new forms of gentility which were emerging in late Tudor and early Stuart England. It traces a process of ‘revichalrization’ back to the 1570s and 1580s, as contemporary commentators sought to reconnect the military profession with the virtues of courage, honesty, and service to one’s country. This found expression in the revival of the tilt and the heavily romanticized approach to battle of soldiers such as Sir Philip Sidney and Lord Herbert of Cherbury. This style of soldiering was largely confined to the upper levels of the gentry and nobility. But the norms and values associated with it exercised a powerful influence on the gentry more widely, encouraging the duelling, equestrianism and martial display, which continued to be feature prominently in the mix of virtues which constituted the ideal gentleman.