In fact, many modern assumptions about how knights fought probably don"t hold up. One is the elegance of sword fights, which were nothing like the depictions on television or even in medieval literature. In theory, knights were bound by the code of chivalry – a set of standards for how to behave fairly on the battlefield. And yet, according to Grant, these lofty ideals often weren"t even honoured even in theory, let alone in practise.