On The Status Of Women In The Knight Concept Changes

Knights are important members of the Western Europe in modieval society, they play important roles in social life, and the noblewomen have the close relationships with them. Knights' concepts are their states of minds and the attitudes and values towards lives. Knights' critical view of women is an important component in Knights' concepts. In Knights' attitudes towards women, the women's status is instable, but changes with different social culture. As Peafowl in her classical work The Second Sex reveals that women arc said to bo inherent, rather than said they aro forming gradually. So there is different social culture, it will shape different female role, the women's states of lives and their status will be different. The changes of women's positions of Western Europe in Middle Ages, especially the changes of noblewomen's, are closely linked with the Knights. In different social conditions, while the Knights' concept will change, their perceptions of women's positions will also change immediately. Knight' love concept, which first appeared from the end of 11 century to the beginning of 12 century in Southern France, is boundary of this kind of varieties. Before Knights' love concept appeared. Knights didn't have their own female perspectives, they treated women brutally and indifferently under the influence of Christianity, even noblewomen in the Knights' concept were also insignificant. The main reason for this situation was that Christianity restricted people's minds, the church's attitudes towards women occupied the dominant position in society. Though the church's attitudes towards women were uniform overall, in the Middle Ages emphasizing asceticism, the church still vigorously preached the evils of women, strongly belittled their status and emphasized the dependence and obedience of women on men. Under the influence of this ideological, people accepted the concept that men were superior to women. However, after Knights' love concept emerged, the women's positionschanged markedly, which is true in concept at least. Knights began to respect and protect women, praising their beauties, extolling their noble status and lofty qualities, persevering with and unswerving in their loyalty to love. Meanwhile, in the course of Knights' pursuit of love, the noblewomen were regarded by Knights as the action guides and the sublimation of character motivation. The changes of the women' s status in Knights' concept are not accidental, which have profound social reasons. The changes of social environments, noblewomen' s own causes, Knights' aspirations of getting higher social positions and so on are important causes. The changes which Knights' attitudes towards women are from indifferent and brutal to respecting and protecting them occur under the influence of Knights' love concept, Knights' worship and pursuit of noblewomen create the first river of custom that people respect women in West.