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268 General History of Europe 440. Ideals of Knighthood. The knight was a Christian sol- dier, and he and his fellows were supposed to form, in a way, a separate order, with high ideals of the conduct befitting their class. Knighthood was not, however, membership in an associa- tion with officers and a definite constitution. It was an ideal, half-imaginary society a society to which even those who en- joyed the title of king or duke were proud to belong. One was not born a knight as he might be born a duke or count, and could become one only through the ceremony mentioned above. Al- though most knights belonged to the nobility, one might be a noble and still not belong to the knightly order, and, on the other hand, one who was born of humble parents might be raised to knighthood on account of some valorous deed. The knight must, in the first place, be a Christian and must obey and defend the Church on all occasions. He must respect all forms of weakness and defend the helpless wherever he might find them. He must fight the infidel Mohammedans ceaselessly, pitilessly, and never give way before the enemy. He must be generous and give freely and ungrudgingly to the needy. He must be faithful to his lady and be ready to defend her and her honor at all costs. Everywhere he must be the champion of the right against injustice and oppression. 441. The German Minnesingers. The Germans also made their contribution to the literature of chivalry. The German poets of the thirteenth century are called minnesingers. Like the troubadours, whom they greatly admired, they usually sang of love (German, Minne), hence their name. III. MEDIEVAL LEARNING 442. Medieval Ignorance of History. People unfamiliar with Latin could learn little of the past, for there were no trans- lations of the great books of Greece and Rome of Homer, Plato, Cicero, or Livy. All that they could know of ancient his- tory was derived from the fantastic romances referred to above, which sometimes had for their theme the quite preposterous deeds