Some weapons and techniques were considered dishonorable such as the dagger and the arbalest. A knight would not use these weapons because they were not knightly. A dagger was a weapon of a sneaky assassin and an arbalest was a brutal weapon of the untrained. A knight’s code of chivalry demanded that he face his enemy openly and honestly – it was a “let the best man win” situation. The dagger was a surprise attack and the arbalest was fired from a distance.

Chivalric Virtues Define THE MARSCHER LORDS:Brotherhood or Death…

Picking up on the meme of the last post, Chivalry is a strong component in THE MARSCHER LORDS:Brotherhood or Death. It should be noted that chivalry – in the heat of battle – can be a very tough code to abide by. Whether in the age of the sword or in modern times, when the stuff starts flying & the adrenaline starts pumping, the animalistic traits that lie within the human character can be very hard – nigh impossible – to restrain. Witness My Lai, the Malmedy Massacre, the Waxhaw Massacre, Fort Pillow, Chenogne Massacre, Rape of Nanking, Bataan Death March (though these latter two could be argued to be pre-meditated). These are incidents that would indeed seem to prove Darwin was correct in his thesis that man evolved from the ape. However brutal the human being has continuously proven himself over time,  he is also able of showing an incredible measure of mercy & restraint.  It is this restraint that – in previous times – was the hallmark of chivalry, “Doing Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.” Two men would meet on the field, do battle and if one was not killed but sufficiently wounded often the victor would sheath his sword. Not out of pity but out of honour, as there was nothing considered honourable about killing a defenceless  individual. On the contrary, it was considered the mark of the coward. And to be considered a coward in these times was tantamount to a Scarlet Letter. Even certain weapons were deemed “dishonourable“.

And truly one of the great hallmarks of chivalry is how it deemed you treat others. One of the most recognizable vestiges of the Chivalric Code of Honour is/has been/will remain in the military’ forevermore; the practice of the salute: “is derived from the chivalric action of tipping open the helmet guard. Chivalric code bound knights to respect each other and to show this respect when they met they would raise their right hand and lift their visors so they could see each others face and show that combat was not their intention. As armor faded from popular use the salute took the place of the visor tipping.”

And, no “fist-bumping” here: “The handshake is also commonly believed to be derived from the chivalric display of extending the empty right hand thus showing the other knight that you are not wielding your weapon.”

Chivalric Virtues Define THE MARSCHER LORDS:Brotherhood or Death…

At the base of all these gentlemanly virtues was a strong belief in God and charity towards all. What become known as Charlemagne’s Code of Chivalry was composed between 1098-1100 AD:

The Knights Code of Chivalry

As described in the Song of Roland, the Principles by which a Knight lived in The Knights Code of Chivalry is excellently represented as follows:

• To fear God and maintain His Church
• To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
• To protect the weak and defenceless
• To give succour to widows and orphans
• To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
• To live by honour and for glory
• To despise pecuniary reward
• To fight for the welfare of all
• To obey those placed in authority
• To guard the honour of fellow knights
• To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
• To keep faith
• At all times to speak the truth
• To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
• To respect the honour of women
• Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
• Never to turn the back upon a foe

Not bad principles to live by, considering the low & very base standards of today, n’est pas?  That we strive for and always will. While the short film of THE MARSCHER LORDS:Brotherhood or Death will illustrate the standards above, in the full-length feature film we will have much more time to expound on these virtues. Not to be preachy, mind you (nothing could be further from our intent) just illustrate a set of values, manners, & etiquette that can help each & every one of us become just a little better. Since all of us are not here all that long, shouldn’t we make the best use of our time here?

Chivalric Virtues Define THE MARSCHER LORDS:Brotherhood or Death…

With our team: the venerable Sir Brick Price, the quite excellent Lenser John Lynch, Production Sound wunderkind Dean Andre, Storyboard Artiste Extraordinaire Jane Brewster, vetted Producer Stephen Rollins, & veteran actors Edwin H Bravo & Robert E Wilhelm, and with our Ambassadors of Goodwill by Special Arrangement Paul Stephen Spratt of the United Kingdom,  Herb Sasser of Mississippi, and Adam Bednar of Chicago all backed up by our terrific CFO Ruby Emerald Diamond, we have the talent to produce a product of quite an exceptional, uplifting – & lasting – quality.

Stay tuned. Lots more to come.

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