order of the Star, but the most famous order was The Golden Fleece. These rules formalized the etiquette of chivalry, even as it was becoming outdated. Luxury of dress, heraldry and tournaments were designed to keep chivalry from fading into the background. Tournaments soon became harmless acts of showmanship, with padded armor, blunted lances, and dull edge swords. The legacy of medieval chivalry was very significant, for the knight was the ancestor of the modern gentlemen. Thanks to chivalrys courtly, military, and religious ethic, we derived our concept of the absolute gentlemen. The Arthurian Romances are a group of tales that developed during the Middle Ages. Their main focus was on Arthur, King of the Britons and his knights. The legend is a combination of ancient Celtic mythology and possible historical truth.The earliest references to Arthur can be found in Welsh sources such as the poem, Y Gododdin (circa 600), the Welsh story collection, The Mabinogion (circa 1100) and various Latin histories written in the ninth and tenth centuries. In one of these tales Guinevere, Arthur's wife, and his knights Kay, Bedivere, and Gawain make their first known appearance. Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1139) by the English writer, Geoffrey of Monmouth is the earliest known Latin, Arthurian narrative. Here, Arthur is identified as the son of the British king Uther Pendragon and Merlin his counselor is introduced. Geoffrey's Historia describes the isle of Avalon, where Arthur went to recover from the injuries he suffered in his last battle. This story also tells of Guinevere's unfaithfulness and the revolt started by Arthur's nephew Modred.Later developments of the Arthurian Legends are based on Geoffrey of Monmouth's work. The Brut (1205), which is based on Geoffreys Historia is the first English Arthurian story written by poet Layamon. In this tale, Arthur is portrayed as an epic warrior. It is also the first known account of the magic sw...
