History's Warriors: The Similarities And Differences

The Similarities and DIfferences Between History’s Notable Warriors The medieval ages seem to have a romantic allure of gallant knights, cunning samurais, lords and ladies, and daring wars. Looking closer, the medieval ages were weaved with fear, fragile obligations, and complex morals. Both Europe and Japan went through a dark age of war and violence after times of great prosperity. In Europe, one of the most well known figures at the time frame were the knights. As for Japan, the samurai and their skill are one of the most notable parts within the Japanese middle ages. Both kinds warriors lived by certain ideas that influenced all their actions and decisions. For Japan, the samurai followed a code known as Bushido. The knights of Europe

at the end of the Genpei war. The Genpei war was between the Taira (or Heike) Clan and the Minamoto Clan (also known as Genji) (Segal). Both clans were fighting against each other to take hold of power in Japan. Before this war occurred, Japan was in a state of infighting between different provinces (Colcutt). This war, which lasted about five years, ended with the Minamoto Clan as the victor. With this clan now in power, Minamoto Yoritomo was appointed as the first shogun on August 21, 1192, as part of the Kamakura shogunate (“First Shogunate of Japan”). A shogunate is a “system of government led by shoguns, or Japanese military leaders” (“First Shogunate of Japan”). Under a shogunate, the shogun was known as “Supreme general of emperor’s army.” Things such as government officials, judges, taxes, armies, and roads were all under his authority and shogun power was passed down by family (Beck 307). The first shogunate, known as the Kamakura Shogunate, lasted from 1185-1333 A.D. (Segal). This shogunate started the growth of samurais which are warriors defined as “one who serves.” Samurais were hired by lords (known as daimyo) as bodyguards for protection from other lords (Beck 307). Due to all the violence going on, lords were often at war with one another, so they were always in possible danger. As well, the samurai was known to fight in wars between enemy provinces and attacks from the Mongols.

Both warriors fight for pay from those of higher status. As well, both kinds of warriors fought under roughly the same principals: honoring their god/gods, having courage, being loyal, and being generous to those lower than himself. But, looking closer, the Bushido code has a greater intensity than that of the code of Chivalry. This can be seen when studying the way unworthy or failed warriors are punished. For knights under the code of Chivalry, those who have failed to live up to the code were punished by having their sword and armor destroyed then afterwards being dragged to church in a coffin for a mock funeral to be performed on him. As for the samurais, failure to follow the code resulted in the samurai willingly killing himself for his failure in shame. The samurai’s way of punishment shows more devotion to their code and to who they serve, unlike the punishment for the knights which seems very joking and crude. Another way the Bushido code is superior to the Chivalry code is it reaches more people within the society and it has a more modernized set of morals compared to Europe. On the whole, Japanese society during medieval times was very honor based due to their set of beliefs. This being so, not only the samurai were meant to live up to this code of honor; all people within society were expected to live with this standard in their life. Specifically, women were meant to live by the same expectations as