One of the essentials of a knight, rated higher than prowess, it being a moral quality and thus superior to the merely physical. Raymon Lull (d. c.1315) said of courage that 'no man may more honour and love "chivalry . . . than that dieth for love and for to honour the order of chivalry'. It required no skill to die. As originally used, courage indicated more disposition and purpose than the bravery we associate almost exclusively with the word. [< Lat. cor = heart, mind, spirit + -age associating a quality] -
Cf. Prowess
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.