Spiritual significance of Chivalry

Chivalry is the exaggerated consideration & respect shown by a man towards a woman. If one considers deeply the meaning of this, it is Providence's way of making the man pay homage to the woman for shouldering the onerous responsibility for propagating the species.

In the case of the Madonna, it is the respect paid her for bringing the Saviour of the Christians into the world. In the middle ages, the knights were engaged in crusades & other wars. In their absence, the Lady of the House held the fort as it were, keeping the domestic machine running. This also reinforced her Madonna-like status among the domestics.

This gradually transformed itself into "courtly love" where valiant deeds performed by the knights were dedicated to the lady of their choice, the most well-known being Don Quixote dedicating his deeds to Dulcinea del Toboso. Of course, there were exceptions like the Knight Templar Bois de Gilbert in Ivanhoe casting covetous eyes on the fair Jewess, Rebecca.