Magnanimity
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Magnanimity (derived from "great-souled") is the virtue of being great of mind and heart. It encompasses, usually, a refusal to be petty, a willingness to face danger, and actions for noble purposes.
In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle considered it the suitable virtue for a great man, arising from his other virtues.
Edmund Spenser, in The Faerie Queen, had each knight allegorically represent a virtue; Prince Arthur represented "magnificience," which is generally taken as a synonym of "magnanimity". The uncompleted work does not include Prince Arthur's book, and the significiance is not clear.
Democritus states that "magnanimity consists in enduring tactlessness with mildness"
One form of magnanimity is the generosity of the victor to the defeated. Magnanimity has been codified between societies by the Geneva Conventions, for example.
Magnanimous relief efforts can serve to offset the collateral damage of war.
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