5 - Emulating Edward? Redefining chivalry and character

Summary

From 1750 to 1914 the promoters of Edward's image argued that his identity as a hero rested on his chivalric character, his embodiment of particular qualities that made him an exemplar of virtue and a model for contemporary Englishmen. Yet his construction as a chivalric hero had its roots much earlier in the fourteenth century. The medieval tales from the Chronicles of Froissart and the epic poetry of the Chandos Herald were instrumental in shaping later views of Edward's character. Edward's association with the ethos of chivalry and his status as one of chivalry's greatest heroes made him a popular figure for late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century historians and writers who saw the chivalric prince as a perfect role model for men. By the late nineteenth century, however, Edward's brand of medieval chivalry was losing its appeal, reflecting both the increasingly contested nature of Victorian models of masculinity and a growing ambivalence towards the Middle Ages and its heroes as usable icons for modern times.

This chapter examines how Edward's image shaped changing ideas about character and masculinity. Chivalry was central both to eighteenth-century ideas about gentlemanliness, and, later, to new Victorian ideas about robust manly character. The first part explores the period 1750 to 1830 when interest in Edward as a model of behaviour chimed with emerging ideas about character, masculinity and nationalism. His image was deployed in the eighteenth century in art, literature and histories in order to instruct the aristocracy on proper behaviour; however, by the end of the century, it was also being adopted to educate the emerging middle classes who were keen to use the past to represent themselves as civilised characters. Here, the Black Prince, as the epitome of chivalry, proved an attractive role model. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the gentlemanly image of Edward was promoted in new media as the market for medieval events, games and exhibitions expanded.

The second part of the chapter explores how images of a polite and gentlemanly prince in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were challenged in the period 1830 to 1860. While educational works continued to stress Edward's inner virtues, new works increasingly focused on his health and body. Chivalry was central to this new construction due to its association with fitness and athleticism and, later, muscular and hardy characters.