The Basic Elements and Characteristics of English Chivalric Romances

Chivalric romance is a type of prose or verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They typically describe the adventures of quest-seeking, legendary knights who are portrayed as having heroic qualities. Chivalric romances celebrate an idealized code of civilized behavior that combines loyalty, honor, and courtly love. Chivalric romance is an important genre of literature because of the depth of storytelling it contains, the genre changes it represents, and how it reflects the contemporary culture it was written in.