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Geoffroi De Charny

December 22, 2011 by · Comments Off on Geoffroi De Charny 

Geoffroi De CharnyGeoffroi De Charny, Geoffroi de Charny (c. 1300? – d. 19 September 1356) was a French knight and author of at least three works on chivalry.

Geoffroi was a knight in the service of King John II of France and a founding member of the Order of the Star, an order of chivalry founded on 6 November 1351 by John II of France in imitation of the Order of the Garter (1347) by Edward III of England.

He was also the carrier of the Oriflamme, the standard of the crown of France, an immensely privileged, not to mention dangerous, honour, as it made the holder a key target of enemy forces on the battlefield. Geoffroi de Charny was perhaps Europe’s premiere knight during his lifetime, with a reputation for not only skill at arms but also piety and honour.

In the atmosphere of the Hundred Years’ War he can be seen as part of a dying breed in a period where the aristocratic baggage of armoured knights was being replaced by the harsh practicalities of soldiering. It was said that in his time he was known as a “true and perfect Knight”.

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