I am first and foremost a creator. Stories pop to life in my head, and then I look for a time and place to put them. For Chivalrous, I knew my time, since it was a spin-off of Dauntless. So I created a fictional dukedom where my idea of a new Camelot might make sense.
Although North Britannia is my own creation, the Norman rulers of England did hold several dukedoms—also known as duchies—around this time, mostly on the continent in the area that is now France. I placed my dukedom generally in the northern, mountainous area of England, close to the Scottish border.
King Arthur was a legendary figure who supposedly ruled somewhere in Britain during the fifth or sixth century. Scholars still debate whether or not this king and these stories were based on a real person, but if Arthur did live, his kingdom stood out during that dark time as a shining light. Similarly, I wanted my North Britannia to stand out during a time of corruption in both the nation and the church.
There was not a single “code of chivalry” during the Middle Ages, but rather these codes varied by time and place. I created my own code for North Britannia, drawing from other codes the standards that I felt best fit the character of this region. Likewise, I developed my own tournament rules based on the character of the dukedom.
The Christian principles in this story might appear at first glance to have more in common with modern-day Christianity than typical Christianity in my chosen time of 1217, but I did try to contrast the beliefs of the North Britannians with the more typical beliefs surrounding them.
In addition, Christianity at that time had many schools of thought, just as it does today. Despite the corruption in the church as a political entity, there were many devout believers who did their best to understand Scripture and live godly lives. For example, the well-respected historical church figure St. Francis of Assisi was alive during this time in Italy, and the book that Gwendolyn read in many ways reflects his teachings.
The language system of this time is complicated, involving the use of French, Latin, and Middle English. Although I explain that the characters would have read the Scriptures in Latin, the verses I use are from the King James Version, since it is the oldest settled translation we have access to today. The language I employ for the book as a whole is a slightly archaic, slightly British version of English for ease of reading.
Sadly, I believe that the marriage between Gwendolyn’s parents was far more typical of that time period than many of the other relationships depicted in the book, particularly for nobles. Peasants had much more freedom in choosing mates, since power and money did not come into play, although they faced many other hardships in life.
On the other hand, women of the 1200s were a feisty lot. Some held land and titles in their own rights, and many defended and ran their holdings while their husbands were off to war. I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into their world, and enjoyed imagining what it might have been like for a lady who would rather have been a knight.