Oldest known sculptures of the Nine Worthies at the old city hall in Cologne, Germany.

The Nine Worthies (les neuf preux) were nine historical, scriptural, mythological or semi-legendary figures who, in the Middle Ages, were believed to personify the ideals of chivalry. Chivalric order Chivalry is a term related to the Medieval institution of Knighthood. They were first described in the early fourteenth century, by Jacques de Longuyon in his Voeux du Paon (1312). Jacques de Longuyon of Lorraine is the author of a Chanson de geste, Les Voeux du paon (The Vows of the Peacock written for Thibaut Neatly divided into triads, these men were considered to be paragons of chivalry within their particular tradition: be it either Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth De Longuyon's choices soon became a common theme in the literature and art of the Middle Ages and earned a permanent place in the popular consciousness.

The Worthies were:

• Pagan:
  • Hector
  • Alexander the Great
  • Julius Caesar

• Jewish:
  • Joshua
  • David
  • Judas Maccabeus

• Christian:
  • King Arthur
  • Charlemagne
  • Godfrey of Bouillon

Eustache Deschamps to the neuf preux adds neuf preuses (women), including Penthesilea, Tomyris and Semiramis. In Greek mythology, Hectōr ( "holding fast" or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and one of the greatest fighters in the Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Joshua, Jehoshuah, or Yehoshua ( 'יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: jə David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Judas Maccabeus (or Judah Maccabee, also spelled Machabeus or Maccabaeus Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, Yehudah HaMakabi, Judah the Hammer King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Godfrey of Bouillon (c 1060 Boulogne-sur-Mer &ndash 18 July 1100, Jerusalem) was a medieval knight who was a leader of the First Eustache Deschamps (1346&ndash1406 was a medieval French poet In Greek mythology, Penthesilea (Greek Πενθεσίλεια or Penthesileia was an Amazonian queen daughter of Ares and Otrera Tomyris (Hellenic form from the original Iranian name Tahm-Rayiš ( Persian: تهم‌رییش (reigned c Semiramis was a legendary Assyrian queen also known as Semiramide, Semiramida, or Shamiram in Aramaic Together with their male counterparts, they precede Henry VI as he enters Paris in 1431, and figure in Le Jouvencel (1466). Henry VI (6 December 1421 &ndash 21 May 1471 was King of England 1422–1461 (though with a Regent until 1437 and then 1470–1471 and a claimant to the kingdom Jean V de Bueil (1406 &ndash 1477 called le Fléau des Anglais "plague of the English" count of Sancerre, vicount of Carentan, lord of The list of preuses was however less fixed, and not always structured in pagan, Jewish and Christian triads. Thomas III of Saluzzo^[1] has: Deiphille, Iynoppe, Hippolyte, Menalyppe, Semiramis, Lampetho, Thamarys, Theuca, Penthésilée. Thomas III of Saluzzo (Tommaso III di Saluzzo 1356 - 1416 was Margrave of Saluzzo from 1396 until his death In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical Girdle she was given by her father As depicted in a woodcut series by Hans Burgkmair, the preuses are: Lucretia, Veturia, Verginia, Esther, Judith, Jael, St Helena, St Brigita of Sweden and St Elisabeth of Hungary. Hans Burgkmair the elder (1473 - 1531 was a German painter and Printmaker in Woodcut. Lucretia is a legendary figure in the history of the Roman Republic. Veturia was a Roman matron the mother of the possibly legendary Roman general Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Verginia was the subject of an almost certainly apocryphal story of Ancient Rome, related in Livy 's Ab Urbe Condita, designed to show the evil Esther ( born Hadassah, is a queen of Persian Empire in the Hebrew Bible, the queen of Ahasuerus (traditionally identified with Artaxerxes Yael (or alternately Jael) ( Hebrew Ya'el, יעל the Hebrew name of the Nubian Ibex) is a character mentioned in the Book of Judges Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (c Saint Birgitta, also known as Santa Brigida or St Bridgid of Sweden and Birgitta of Vadstena, born Birgitta Birgersdottir ( 1303 St Elisabeth of Hungary (St Elisabeth von Thüringen Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet 7 July, 1207 &ndash 17 November, 1231) spent most of

As a group, the nine worthies represent all facets of the perfect warrior. All, with the exception of Hector and arguably Arthur, are conquering heroes. Most came from royal families. All brought glory and honor to their nations and were noted for their personal prowess in arms. As individuals, each displayed some outstanding quality of chivalry, which, in combination with their historical context, made them exemplars of knighthood.

The Cloisters has the remaining portions of an early 15th century tapestry series illustrating the Nine Worthies. The Cloisters is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of the European Middle Ages. ^[2] The Nine Worthies were also a popular subject for masques in Renaissance Europe. The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in sixteenth and early seventeenth century Europe though it was developed earlier in Italy The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere In William Shakespeare's play Love's Labour's Lost the comic characters attempt to stage such a masque, but it descends into chaos. William Shakespeare ( baptised Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare 's early comedies believed to have been written in the mid-1590s and first published in 1598 (The three Worthies actually named in the play include two not on the original list, Hercules and Pompey the Great, as well as Alexander. Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation ) The Nine Worthies had not devolved to folk culture even in the seventeenth century, for a frieze of the Nine Worthies, contemporary with Shakespeare's comedy, was painted at the outset of the seventeenth century at North Mymms Place, Hertfordshire, an up-to-date house built by the Coningsby family, 1599. North Mymms is a Civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. ^[3]

Don Quixote evokes the Nine Worthies in Volume I, Chapter 5, telling a peasant (who is trying to get him to admit who he is) ". es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don . . I know that I may be not only those [legendary people] I have named, but all the Twelve Peers of France and even all the Nine Worthies, since my achievements surpass all that they have done all together and each of them on his own account. A paladin (from Latin palatinus, plural palatini; cf derivative spellings below was a high-level official in numerous countries of medieval "

See also

• Nine Worthies of London

References