The nobility, though a small fraction of the total population, influenced all aspects of medieval culture. Despite political, scientific, and industrial revolutions, nobles continued to hold real political and social power in Europe into the nineteenth century.

In the early Middle Ages noble status was limited to a very few families, but in the eleventh century knights in service to kings began to claim such status because it gave them special legal privileges. Nobles generally paid few taxes, and they had power over the people living on their lands. They maintained order, resolved disputes, and protected their dependents from attacks. They appointed officials who oversaw agricultural production. The liberty and privileges of the noble were inheritable, perpetuated by blood and not by wealth alone.

The nobles’ primary obligation was warfare, just as it was for nobles among the Mexica (see “The Mexica: From Vassals to Masters” in Chapter 11) and the samurai in Japan (see “The Samurai and the Kamakura Shogunate, 1185–1333” in Chapter 13). Nobles were also obliged to attend the lord’s court on important occasions when the lord wanted to put on great displays, such as on religious holidays or the wedding of a son or daughter.

Originally, most knights focused solely on military skills, but around 1200 a different ideal of knighthood emerged, usually termed chivalry. Chivalry was a code of conduct in which fighting to defend the Christian faith and protecting one’s countrymen was declared to have a sacred purpose. Other qualities gradually became part of chivalry: bravery, generosity, honor, graciousness, mercy, and eventually gallantry toward women, which came to be called “courtly love.” (See “Listening to the Past: Courtly Love Poetry.”) The chivalric ideal — and it was an ideal, not a standard pattern of behavior — created a new standard of masculinity for nobles, in which loyalty and honor remained the most important qualities, but graceful dancing and intelligent conversation were not considered unmanly.

Noblewomen played a large and important role in the functioning of the estate. They were responsible for managing the household’s “inner economy” — cooking, brewing, spinning, weaving, and caring for yard animals. When the lord was away for long periods, his wife became the sole manager of the family properties. Often the responsibilities of the estate fell permanently to her if she became a widow.