The code of chivalry was intended to prevent lawlessness on the part of knights by appealing to their sense of honor. Unfortunately, it was more often observed in the breach rather than the actual practice.
7. In the early Middle Ages, Europe was largely rural. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, there were relatively few cities as we have use of the term nowadays. This led to the rise of the manorial system and serfdom, and towns didn't begin to grow for a couple of hundred years or so, and at this time a number of serfs (who were not slaves to be bought or sold, but were tied to the land--if you sold your manor or lost it somehow, the serfs went with it) saw this as a golden opportunity to improve their lives. If a serf managed to get to a town and live there for a year and a day without being recaptured, he was recognized as a citizen of that town and enjoyed the rights and privileges that went with it--probably the most highly prized advantage, to the serf, was freedom. Source(s):
