The emblem of the Knights of the Round Table worn round the necks of all the Knights was given to them by King Arthur as part of the ceremony of their being made a knight. The Order's dominant idea was the love of God, men, and noble deeds. The cross in the emblem was to remind them that they were to live pure and stainless lives, to stive after perfection and thus attain the Holy Grail. The Red Dragon of King Arthur represented their allegiance to the King. The Round Table was illustrative of the Eternity of God, the equality, unity, and comradeship of the Order, and singleness of purpose of all the Knights.

Charge Given to the Knights by King Arthur

God make you a good man and fail not of beauty. The Round Table was founded in patience, humility, and meekness.Thou art never to do outrageousity, nor murder, and always to flee treason, by no means to be cruel, and always to do ladies, damosels, and gentle women succour. Also, to take no battles in a wrongful quarrel for no law nor for no world's goods.

Thous shouldst be for all ladies and fight for their quarrels, and ever be courteous and never refuse mercy to him that asketh mercy, for a knight that is courteous and kind and gentle has favor in every place. Thou shouldst never hold a lady or gentle woman against her will.

Thou must keep thy word to all and not be feeble of good believeth and faith. Right must be defended against might and distress must be protected. Thou must know good from evil and the vain glory of the world, because great pride and bobauce maketh great sorrow. Should anyone require ye of any quest so that it is not to thy shame, thou shouldst fulfil the desire.

Ever it is a worshipful knights deed to help another worshipful knight when he seeth him a great danger, for ever a worshipful man should loath to see a worshipful man shamed, for it is only he that is of no worship and who faireth with cowardice that shall never show gentelness or no manner of goodness where he seeth a man in any danger, but always a good man will do another man as he would have done to himself.

It should never be said that a small brother has injured or slain another brother. Thou shouldst not fail in these things: charity, abstinence and truth. No knight shall win worship but if he be of worship himself and of good living and that loveth God and dreadeth God then else he geteth no worship here be ever so hardly.

An envious knight shall never win worship for and envious man wants to win worship he shall be dishonoured twice therefore without any, and for this cause all men of worship hate an envious man and will show him no favour.

Do not, nor slay not, anything that will in any way dishonour the fair name of Christian knighthood for only by stainless and honourable lives and not by prowess and courage shall the final goal be reached. Therefore be a good knight and so I pray to God so ye may be, and if ye be of prowess and of worthiness then ye shall be a Knight of the Table Round

Chivalry

Codes and rules for combat go back thousands of years, but never were they so prominent as during the medieval days when one's reputation was based on performance in battle. Arthurian authors dealt with combat in a wide variety of ways, but most commonly glorified the fight from the perspective of the protagonist. "Invoking God's name, he slew with a single blow every man he struck. Nor did he cease his assault until he killed four hundred and seventy men with only his sword Caliburn." Images of powerful knights striking down an evil and corrupt creature in the name of all things good, are indelibly implanted in our minds. The descriptions of wounds and death usually lack the significant details to provide readers of any concept of real fighting; ho wever, important exceptions such as the Alliterative Morte Arthure, Lancelot of the Cart, and Culhwch and Olwen, do exist. "With clubs of hard steel they hammered in helms, Struck down crests and smashed in skulls… with flitting arrows they fearlessly forced back the foe, with feathers fiercely pierce the fine mail, such fighting is foul that so rends the flesh." Arthurian legend undergoes many trendy shifts in theme and form, but there are basic essentials for chivalrous combat:

Bravery (a cowardly knight's reputation didn't last long).
Strength/Skill (losers were not held in high regard).
Fairness (this didn't always apply, but cheaters rarely won).
Mercy (if asked for, particularly by a lady, mercy should be granted to a foe).
A Quest (usually provided a good reason to kill whatever got in your way, but any evildoer deserves to be slaughtered).

The modernization of weapons provided new problems for the concept of chivalrous fighting. During the 17th century the blunderbuss changed the range at which combatants fought and as guns improved the concept of the duel came about to bring order to lon g range fighting. Perhaps the most impressive change in combat came with the onset of the first world war. Some of the most criticized weapons surfaced during this period and brought about some interesting policies.

Lancelot
The greatest of knights. The purist of hearts. And, ultimately, the downfall of Camelot ... (more)