What exactly was this code that the noble class followed? Chivalry is from the French word, cheval, which means, "horse rider." Here is a list of the virtues a knight and the upper class were supposed to follow:

Tournaments were enjoyed by nobles and common people, but only nobles were permitted to compete. The first tournaments were free-for-alls. Battle skills needed to stay sharp in times of peace. These early rules cost the army many valuable knights.

Kings feared rebellion with so many skilled warriors in one place. Knights could gain fame through these tournaments and they didn't really want to lose the chance to compete. It took the church to step in to stop these tournaments. The church stated anyone participating in an illegal tournament and dying would not receive a Christian burial. This meant they could not go to heaven.

Kings eventually realized that these tournaments were good for all parties involved, so they revised the rules. Swords had corks placed on them, losers did not have to die, but pay the winner a ransom for their belongings. Most tournaments would last several days and consisted with these activities:

• Jousts: Two knights would race at each other and try to knock each other off of the horse

  Archery: Targets at distances

• Drinking and dancing: No formal prizes were given
• Tilting: Knights would ride at targets to show accuracy on horses and various weapons
• Hawking: Ladies would have pet hawks and people would place bets on which hawk would kill the birds in the air.