My Life as a Knight
In the Middle ages or what was usually called the Dark ages in 1227 is the year
that I became a knight I live in Feudal Europe with two kids a female and a male named
Arianna and Miguel Most importantly my husband Leonardo who supports me and helps
me a lot. To become a knight I had to train for hard, long hours to practice/learn how to
use a sword and ride a horse. I also had to battle against the Glory Kingdom I defeated
them with the weapons I used, once I won that battle I felt prepared and confidence in
myself about become a knight. To become a knight I learned to follow the code of
conduct that required knights to show loyalty to the nobles they served and to protect the
weaker members of society. Now there I was sitting in the chapel in the special ceremony
just for me because after that ceremony where all my family and friends went to I was
becoming a knight. As I sat I was trembling I felt my legs so wobbly that I thought they
were going to fall. I was so excited and nervous I couldn't stop smiling from the
excitement neither could I stop sweating because I was nervous. I was so glad every thing
I worked hard to do and learn paid off with this special ceremony. I just thought about all
the hugs I was going to receive after the ceremony from the people who attended this
important moment of my life.
The best part was I received a gift from my lord; the gift was my manor, which is
where I live. Lords would give pieces of their lands or fiefs to knights as gifts so knights
protect them, but knights had to fight for this gift. To get this fief I had to over come
many things like I had to work hard for my lord I owed the lord service in his court and
army. Another thing I had to do in return for the land was pay taxes to my lord. I owned a
couple of serfs which was helpful because that way they helped me they had to work on
the land of my lord to conquer the fief I wanted. I had to be wide eyed open to make sure
my serfs worked to make sure they were working, I would over see them on my horse.
Lords, Knights, and serfs are related because knights worked and protected the lord so the
lord could give them fief. To get their piece of land or fief knights used serfs to help
them, but they had to make sure serfs did their job.
Like I said in the previous paragraph I lived in a manor, which I owned all to keep
my manor running, I had somewhat jobs to do. Some jobs I had help form my serfs or
peasants. I lived in a castle named after me where I had a great view of my road that run
from east to west and north to south, which weren’t really straight. Of course I had a
mansion for my lord to stay in for when he decides to come and visit me. My manor
included a forest called “Blue Forest” where there was mostly trees there was also, two
pastures where different type of animals were put in. One was a pig pasture and the other
was a cattle and sheep pasture they were kept separately. My manor even had a hotel
called “The Dark Dungeon” people usually lived there and my favorite was the “Wonder
Village” where small and big houses were constructed for homes. Luckily my two fields
was where my peasants helped in working one was a cabbage field the other was a bean
field. This is where my peasants had to work and I had to watch them on my mighty
horse. The bakery, church, and cemetery were near the village so people could have
every thing they needed near. I liked to supply what my people needed near them. I
especially have a windmill that was use to grind grain. I never forgot about my best
friends I had a river called “Alejandra and Leslie River” and gorgeous lake which I
named “De Fonte lake”. A thing that I figured I had to have in my manor was a barn. The
greatest thing I had in my manor was my jousting stadium used for sword fighting
tournaments. This is where I would go and practice my skills of fighting this helps me
improve for battles or protect the lord and myself from bandits.
As a knight I do have the privilege to take a trip with my husband if I ever take a
trip we usually go to the town. The town in my opinion and my husband’s point of view
we don’t think its nice place to live in we both think it’s the opposite. When we usually
go we don’t go for long and neither we go very often. The town is crowded, filthy, and a
very busy place. The streets were narrow and not clean they were disgusting. Not only
was the ton very dirty, but also houses were extremely dangerous because they were built
of wood, which was a material that could easily be caught on fire. Many fires would
occur in the town because of the houses being made of wood. If my husband and me were
planning to take a trip to the town we made sure it wasn’t on a rainy day. The reason for
that was because the streets from the town we usually not paved. So when streets aren't
paved and it rains the streets become mud that was often knee-deep after rain, this makes
the streets even filthier. The town was so different form my manor because of all the
reasons listed. Manors like mine were farmed by peasants, which form economic bias of
a manor system. Few people ever left the property. They became worlds unto themselves.
Residents were supplied with most of the things they needed by land on manors. Unlike
towns the market center and the cathedral were in the center, which is, were the supplies
people needed which isn’t near.
As a knight one of my duties is to go off to battle for my lord. I have to protect
my lord because its what I give my lord in return for the fief he gave me. Protecting my
lord is considered battling. A weapon I use to protect my self is my coat of arms, which is
something meaningful and special to me. Everything the shield includes on it means
something. My back round called bend, which means a representative of a knights scarf signifies defense. The colors I choose for the back round were black and it means
constancy and grief. The other color is blue means strength and loyalty. The symbol of
my families crest represents the colors black, yellow, and blue. Generosity represents
yellow. Black represents constancy and grief. Finally blue means strength and loyalty.
Another thing it had was my initials printed in old English letters. My coat of arms also
had a Latin motto which was “scientia, amicitia et gaudium” it means knowledge,
friendship, and joy in Latin. When we battle in Feudal Europe we battled against Glory
Kingdom and we usually used two different types of weapons. One was huge mobile
wooden towers that attacked a closer shot to the castle were we were battling it also
stopped troops to jump over the castle wall. The other weapon we use was a trebuchet
that slung heavy rocks to our enemies the Glory Kingdom. Our enemies repelled us by
shooting arrows and dumping boiling hot water and oil on us if we got to close. While the
enemies were in the castle shooting and aiming flaming arrows toward us we were on the
ground. We would try as hard as possible to protect our self from the arrows by staying
behind the huge mobile wooden towers. We tried climbing the ladders to get to our
enemies and fight, but they were smart they would throw hot boiling water while we
climbed up the castle. Then we loaded the weapons they throw arrows one slung right by
my ear I felt the flaming arrow against me, but nothing happened to me except the great
fright I felt inside of me when it occurred. Our weapons worked fantastically especially
because we have a great aim the rocks slung straight to their head and they fell and
sometimes even died. Now there was more of us and less of them I left every one else to
use those weapons and went to fight with the ones on top. I was so easy to beat them I
slung the sword like a mighty warrior and I was very good. I was good because I practice
in my jousting stadium so I was experience very well. All our enemies were nearly dead
there were only two left, which we killed with our trebuchet.
After we won this battle all of us were so happy that we threw our helmets to the
ground and screamed our guts out. We all headed to my manor where we expected a
great feast for our honor of courage and strength. Even though the battle was stressful and
very tiring I was proud of my self I was a great responsible knight. I love being a knight
good thing I left my past of being a squire. Best of all I knew my kids and husband were
proud of me as well. One day I knew my kids will follow the same footsteps as me their
mother. I was ready to see my Arianna, Miguel, and Leonardo my family and hug them
till they break. We all went back my manor while we were on our way there were signs
on the roads that said in big letters “CONGRADULATIONS!” I knew that a big party
was awaiting back at my manor I was ready to stuff my self with the delicious food. The
first thing I did when I arrived was go to my family and hug them. After that we all sat
and ate tasty worthy food. The feast was huge every one was there my family, friends,
my lord, and much more! There was many fancy pretty looking decorations and all type
of foods meat, bread, corn, and so much more. During the feast I realized every thing I
had done to become and be a better knight. All the obstacles I over came and most of all
how much I had improved in such short time. My lord was proud of me he thanked me
and smiled which made me feel great.
Life as a Vassal
Hello my name …………. I live in the Medieval Ages. The time I was
around was during the 1480-1500’s A.D. My mom had a family of a total of 11
kids. My mom hardly ever talked about my dad. She was sad all the time while raising
us. My mom had left us on the battleground before she had died. She died because of a
disease that was spread during that time. Luckily, a vassal and/or knight saved us the day
that my mom had left us. I am married to Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. I have
three kids and their names are Elena, Nina and Bonnie. I have two pet horses named
Tyler and Matt. I also have a cat named Caroline and a pet dog called Jeremy. I became
a vassal because my family was found by knight and was trained to be a vassal and serve
my lord. I am a vassal and I live on manor with my family. Being a vassal changes who
I used to be before to what I am now. I owned peasants, which are serfs. We have lords
who owned land and serfs who live and work for nobles and knights.
A lord was a powerful noble who owned fief or lands. Fiefs were plots of land and are
the same thing as lands. Lords gave pieces of their land to lesser nobles called vassals.
The vassal owed his lord service in his court and army. Many vassals were warriors
known as knights. Other vassals hired knights to defend the lord and his
property. Vassals also had to pay taxes to their lord in return for their fief or the land
they owned. Mostly all peasants were serfs, which work for the lords and vassals. Serfs
were people who lived and worked on the land belonging to a lord or vassal. In return,
the nobles granted them shelter and protection. Serfs were said to be "bound to the
soil.” If the lord/noble sold the land, the serf would have to be sold with the land or go
with it.
My life as a vassal living on a manor. On the manor, we have serfs working on the
fields and next to the fields is a windmill for grinding the grain. The lord/king lives on a
manor or mansion. The manor has a beautiful lake and inside it lives little fishes. On the
north, are where the castle’s at and where the vassal or knight lives? Near the castle is a
long, shiny, fast river that runs behind the castle. There is also a lake surrounding the
castle and there is bridge that allows you to cross toward the castle’s main entrance. Near
the river is and the castle is a spooky, creepy, looking scary forest named the Black
Forest. The serfs lived on the manor and the vassals provided them with shelter for them
to live in. You would see vassals guarding the nobles house so if invaders came and tried
to attack; the vassal/knight would be there when they arrive. Near where the lord and the
vassal lived (manor) was a village. In the village there is a tournament, a cathedral, a
cemetery, pastures, and a bakery. You could smell the bread recently coming out of the
oven and could see the smoke coming out the chimney. Near the bakery were a hotel and
a small village with homes made out of wood. There is a pig pasture and a sheep pasture
on the other side of the street from the small village. The cemetery is a spooky, creepy
place to be at that when you pass you get the chills and the goose bumps.
The differences between manor life and town life are these. Living on a manor sort of
means like living in the rich society. The serfs formed the land, which formed the
economic basis of the manor system. The land on a manor supplied residents with most
of the things they needed. Manors became worlds unto themselves, and few people ever
left the property. The houses were the opposite from living in the town. They didn’t
catch on fire like houses that were made from wood. On the other hand, most medieval
towns were dirty, cramped, and busy places. The streets are narrow, filthy, and usually
not paved. In the center of town were the market squares and cathedral. After a rain,
streets turned to mud that were often knee-deep. Most of the houses were made out of
wood and easily caught on fire. As a result, entire towns often burned down.
Today is the day I finally get to go onto battle. My family has already said good-bye
and wished me good luck out there. I’m afraid that I might never see them ever
again. But I have to do this; it is my duty to fight against any enemy that we are told to
fight. I was born to be a vassal. My name represents two baskets. They both represent
constancy, wisdom, verity probity and equity. The colors red and yellow represent
warrior, martyr, and military strength, and generosity. We are getting the trebuchets
ready for battle. We are going over of what were supposed to do. The time has arrived
and the vassals get into their positions. Next thing we know there is big rock coming
towards us and lands on the outside of the castle. The war has begun and knights are
already lying dead on the battlefield. Some have arrows in the of their foreheads and
others in their eyeballs. There was a lot of blood on the ground and a little bit of warriors
left. I was about to sing victory and yell out that we had won this battle until I felt pain in
my lower arm and saw a bow with blood on it. I was about to say cool, I see blood but at
that instant I just fainted and laid on the ground as if I were dead, but then I woke up and
was surrounded by vassals. I noticed the expression on their faces that looked as if peace
had arrived. We had won the battle.
To celebrate our victory, my family and I threw a little celebration. The next day we
made a little memorial funeral for those who died on that battleground. My lord was very
proud of me for saving the castle and not letting the invaders invade the town and
manor. The words he said were, “Since the day we had raised your family, I always
knew that you would be the one that would make me happy and others happy.” I thought
that I wasn't a brave vassal that I was not useful at nothing. I thought that I was going to
be just an ordinary person living in a town instead of living on a manor, but I was
wrong. Being I I’ve noticed that I am useful at something and that I am not a pathetic
loser. I have won a battle by just having a little faith in me and putting hope into my
life. I am a vassal brave and noble. I have in the Crusades and I am happy of being what
I am, A VASSAL.
Life As A Vassal
Medieval Europe. Nice place to live with your family. That’s where I live with
my husband Logan and three kids, Xavier, Katelyn, and Logan Jr. I lived during the
middle ages. I am a Vassal or a knight you may know me as. My name is Raquel Aguirre.
How did I become a knight you may ask? I became a vassal when I riding my horse
around what is now my manor. As soon as I saw two robbers robbing the Ye’Old
Jewelers I tackled them down with my horse, my loyal companion. People from all over
the road came to the rescue to help me sustain the suspects. The king herd of what was
happening. He then called me to praise and give me a job for a home. He gave me 25
acres of my own to keep if I served him in battle.
My life as a vassal isn’t so boring its actually exciting and risk taking like me. I
work with other vassals to defend the lord, I’m the only girl in the group but the guys
don’t give me a hard time sometimes I like to prove them wrong of what I can do. The
lord is a powerful noble to whom I work for. The Lords give each lesser noble who is I
and the other vassals a piece of land, which belongs to the lords. Of course in return you
now normally pay rent but in the middle ages you serve the lord in his court and army.
The serfs were a lower class than the vassals. They were people who lived and worked on
the land belonging to the lord or me, a vassal. In return the lords granted them shelter and
protection.
You might think that I don’t spend much time on the manor but I do the lord
doesn’t need me much so I spend my time with my handsome husband and my beautiful
children. In the morning (the days I don’t train) I head to the bakery with my husband to
the bakery. We eat and then head to the jousting stadium of course we take the children.
Later we take the children to the lake and start doing the laundry. Sometimes I take them
to the field where the peasants work and the barn. If one of my fellow knights were to die
I would take my family and head to the church and stay for the burial. On days that don’t
rain we go horseback riding. At night we get ready for bed and falls asleep in our castle,
the children have their own room; they can do any activity as long as they still get some
sleep.
Living on the manor is a little different than living in town. The manor is much
cleaner than the town. Most towns were cramped, dirty, and filthy. On the other hand the
manor was clean, the roads were crooked but the towns weren’t. When it would rain the
streets would be turned into a knee-deep river of mud. Most houses were made of wood
or straw. They could easily catch on fire. Manor houses could not they were made of
cement/bricks and sometimes wood or straw. People who lived on the manor would grow
their own food, but in towns people would most likely buy their food from merchants. In
fact more people lived on the manor because most peasants would work for vassals and
lords.
Being a vassal is a tough job, when the lord calls you to go into battle you must be
ready will all sorts of weapons. To conquer a castle we used battering rams and catapults.
These are long ranged weapons. There were many swords of course like the Medieval
Sword, the Broad Sword, the Falchion, Great, and Long Sword. They were all used for
different purposes. There was also a maces, which was a steel ball with spikes and a
wooden handle. A lance was a spear like weapon used for jousting and war battles. A flail
was a jointed weapon consisting of a spiked steel head joined by a chain to a short
wooden handle and a dagger was a sharp pointed knife. All of theses are close ranged
weapons. On our shields we would wear a coat of arms, which symbolized my family by
my last name. My shield coat of arms symbolized many things. The embattled line
signified fire and the town wall. The bend was a representative of a knight’s scarf, which
signifies defense. The colors of it are Vert (Green), Azure (Blue), and Or (Gold/Yellow).
Vert signifies hope and loyalty in love. Azure signifies strength and loyalty. Or signifies
generosity. My charge was an Escallop Shell; it means successful commander and
represents one who has made long journeys. The motto was in Latin,”Fide in Deus”, and
meaning Faith in God. We lived by the chivalry, a code of honor in which vassals lived
by. We had to show a strong religious faith and willingness to protect the Catholic
Church and we were expected to protect the women, children, and the poor. Knights were
sent into battle to fight against injustice and show courage. The battles were very
dangerous. Many were scarred.
After all being a knight is risk taking but I choose to be one. Fighting and
protecting my people is what I love to do even if it means going overboard like getting
scarred for life. I still get to spend time with my husband and children having fun each
day, but I have to be careful in battle because I have a family to take care of. So far
nothing has happened to me like getting scarred, my shield protects me from any danger
and so does the Latin motto. Being a knight is like living a normal life with a risky job,
but it’s a lot of fun. You just have to know what you’re doing and you’ll be okay in
battle.
Life as a Vassal
My name is …….. and I am a knight (vassal). I am a girl and I own my own manor
with my husband Logan and son Danny. I also have many pets that include two pet
horses, three pigs, a cow, a chicken, and my loyal companion Scruffy who is a dog. I
currently live in Medieval Europe. You may ask why would a girl want to be a knight but
I chose to because I wanted to be involved in something I can be proud of. When I went
to train to be a knight all the boys who were training were insulting me. I paid no
attention to them what so ever and I completed my training before all the boys because I
was more mature then all of them. Then the news got around and everyone was insulting
me and talking about me. Then eventually they started respecting me. Then I arranged a
trade with a lord. I told him if I give you service will you give me two acres of land. At
first he didn’t trust me but then with a little convincing he finally gave in and agreed to
give me land.
Being a vassal can be pretty cool and risk taking. I work with other vassals to
defend my lord. Even though I’m the only girl in the group they don’t say anything like
the other immature guys. The lord is powerful and he owns lots of land including the one
I live on. Lords give land to smaller nobles pretty much like me. The lands are called
fiefs just in case you wanted to know. But there’s a catch, in return from the lords giving
you land you have to defend the lord and his property. We vassals fight on behalf of the
lord. Other vassals hire knights because they didn’t want to do the work but that’s okay
with the lord as long as the work gets done. We vassals and lords own our own serfs.
Serfs are people who live and work on the land belonging to either a lord or a vassal.
Serfs are at the bottom of society. In return for their work nobles provide them with
shelter and protection.
Life on the manor is really cool and peaceful. I feel like a queen because it’s like your
own personal kingdom. You have your castle, your lord’s house, your own lake, forest,
and river. I also have a motel, barn, jousting arena, church, farm, windmill, cemetery,
village, and bakery. Its very nice and it’s even better with my beautiful son Danny and
very handsome husband Logan. Also my serfs farm my land, which forms economic
basics for the manor system. Manor life has a big impact on Medieval European
economy. It’s so cool to live on a manor especially if you have entertainment. That
reminds me of something I did last weekend. I was watching a jousting match I
experienced something horrifying, it was a person that got his head decapitated. I’m used
to seeing deaths in jousting matches but not this gruesome. So immediately the stadium
workers brought him to the church and we had a funeral for him. Then we buried him.
Living on a manor is also very convenient because farming supplies me and my family
with most of the things we need.
Enough with manor live let me tell you what a trip into town would be like. You are
probably expecting a nice little town with bakeries and little shops but in reality towns
are dirty, cramped, and very busy. All the streets are narrow, filthy, and are not paved.
And when it rains the streets have mud that is knee deep. Living conditions are not
luxurious at all compared to manor life. Instead of building houses out of stone like my
manor they build their houses out of wood. Their houses can easily catch fire unlike
mine. Most people living in the town live in poverty, which is sad, but you can’t really do
anything about it. I don’t have to worry about going into town because all the things I
need is on my manor. I even have a wine brewery at my manor.
The most dangerous part of being a vassal is when you have to go into war for your
lord. It’s also hard because you can get killed and since I have a family I HAVE to
survive to FEED them FOOD and Care for them. In war we use many different weapons
for close range and long-range distances. To conquer a castle we use battering rams and
catapults. Battering rams aren’t really rams they are big rectangular wood or steel things
with handles and men grab it and ram it into the castle door to break it open. That is close
range but catapults are long-range weapons. We also use swords but there are different
swords like the Medieval Sword, Broad Sword, Falchion, Great, and long sword. They
are all close range weapons but all used for different purposes. We also use maces, which
are a steel spiked ball on a wooden handle. We also use lances, which are also used in
jousting, and it is a spear like weapon. Another weapon we use is a flail which is a jointed
weapon consisting of a spiked steel head joined by a chain to a short wooden handle.
Another one is a dagger, which is a sharp pointed knife. These are all close ranged
weapons. Every vassal carries a shield with his or her coat of arms on there. My coat of
arms is blue and green with a tower as a symbol. Blue stands for strength and loyalty and
green stands for hope and loyalty in love. The tower symbol represents grandeur, society,
and wealth. My back round design is Saltire which is and x and it stands for resolution or
resolve. Everybody’s coat of arms is different because it is based on your last name.
So after all living as a vassal can have disadvantages and advantages. You get a
fancy manor and a huge area of land. But also you have to go to war to defend your lord.
It’s risky because you can get killed if you make the wrong move and you can get
wounds that leave nasty scars. So far I haven’t got killed or hit with anything I only kill
other people. My family is doing great and I pray that nothing will happen for as long as I
live.
Life as a Vassal
Once a upon a time a long, long time ago, there was a brave knight named Isabel.
That was me I lived in the time of the Middle Ages in Europe 520 AD. During my years
as a squire I trained long and hard to use a sword and ride a horse. I fought hard to
control the animal. I fell off many times, but even though I thought I couldn't do it any
more, I got back up and kept on trying. My trainer saw the courage in me, and after 5
years of training I became a knight. But still even though I have become a knight my life
wasn't fully complete before I meet my husband. His name is Daniel, he is also a knight.
One year later after we got married we had children. Two girls, Grace and Aubrey. We
lived in cottage big enough for my family; we had a field in the back. We grew flowers
on one half and corn on the other. The girls loved animals. We had two dogs. Other than
having a family I also had a manor and different people who worked on it. Like serfs
were most of the people on my manor they worked on the different fields, in the bakery's,
fed the animals like the pigs and sheep's etc. All that kind of stuff. How did I get this
piece of land you may ask? That's when the Lord came in. He would give me the land in
return for my protection.
As I mentioned earlier a lord is a powerful noble who owned land. For example
the lord gave pieces of his land to me. I was known as a vassal, which was a noble. In
return for the land I would protect the lord and his property. Vassals like me owned plots
of land called fiefs. So I fought for the land and employed people called serfs to work on
the manor for me. Serfs were people who lived and worked on the land belonging to me.
I granted the serfs shelter and protection. Most of the peasants were serfs. It was like we
had our own connection because each one of us did something for the other person in
return for something.
To keep things running smoothly on my manor there are different jobs that need
to be done. Such as working in the fields, feeding animals, cleaning houses, chopping
trees in the forest for fire etc. I often ride on my horse and oversee the serfs working on
all these different things. The serfs enjoy going to church and jousting tournaments. I go
to the lake and fish on my boat. Every Sunday I go to the church with the serfs. I also go
to the cemetery every now and then to plant flowers on the graves. The serfs and me also
run an Inn called the “Sleeping Knight” for the people who happen to pass threw my
manor. But even though I am pretty busy on my manor, I still have to go every now and
then to the town.
“Hello Isabel, what brings you back in town?” asked a passing by peasant.
“Nothing much just coming over to buy some bread”, I said back to him.
“Well I will see you later then”, the man said to me as he walked away. Every time I
came to town people would always say hello, they were so kind. I always noticed the
streets over here narrow, filthy, and not paved. It just rained a couple days ago so the
streets were covered in mood that was knee deep. This town is always dirty, cramped,
and busy most of the time. In the center of the town was the market square and cathedral
was I was going to.
“Here you are three loafs of bread”, said the merchant.
“Thank-you how much is it going to be?” I asked her.
“One gold coin”, she answered back to me.
“Here you go and have a very nice day”, I told her as I gave her the gold coin.
My lord just informed me that I need to be sent off to war in two days. Of course I am
ready but I am going to miss my husband and kids. I hope I return back safe. “GO, GO,
GO!!!” That is the signal to start attacking. We have some large mobile wooden towers
that give attacking forces a closer shot at the enemy and enables troops to jump over the
castle walls. Other attackers and me use weapons such as a trebuchet, which slung heavy
rocks at the enemy. Most of the enemies that are on top of the castle shooting arrows and
dumping boiling water and those who are getting to close. I’m not too close to the castle
but I’m fighting, throwing arrows, using the trebuchet. I’m hot and tired but I’m not
going to stop fighting.
To protect myself, in my left hand I have my coat of arms. The design and what’s
on it means something. The colors on it are green and blue. Green meaning hope, loyalty
and love. Blue strength and loyalty. My family crest has a tree and a wolf. Wolf
representing perseverance in siege or effort. Tree means an object or veneration. Last
thing is my Latin motto. It’s amicita, amor, et familia. Meaning friendship, love, and
family. Suddenly I felt something go threw my left shoulder, my coat of arms flew out of
my hand. As I fell to the ground I remember hearing another knight saying to me stay
awake, look into my eyes. I saw blood all over me and on the grass. The last thing that
went threw my mind before everything went black was my family.
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my smallest daughter Grace,
sitting next to me petting one of our dogs named Chum-Chum. I was lying in my bed,
with a big white cloth wrapped around by left shoulder. When Grace saw that my eyes
were open she yelled, “Mommy I thought you were dead!!” I hugged her and said,
“Mommy is here. Don’t worry”. Then my other daughter Aubrey came in with my
husband Daniel. They also hugged me and said I would be OK. So it all turned out being
a happy ending. I have my own manor were serfs work and live, I fight as a proud knight,
and have an amazing family that loves me as much as I love them. What else can I want?
This is my Life as a Vassal!
Life as a Vassal
Once upon a time long, long ago there was a brave knight named “James The
Great.” I had to disguise myself as a man in order to be knight. That person was I, I lived
in the time of the Middle Ages in Medieval Europe 520 AD. I wish I could use my real
name,…………... As you have heard we knights are skilled warriors who fought for and
protect the powerful landowners.
I began training in my early life. During in my mid-teens, I served as squires.
Squires acted as aides to knights. I learned how to use many different weapons and how
to handle a horse during combat. I also learned to follow a code of conduct that requires
knights to show loyalty to the nobles they served and to protect the weaker members of
society. During my years as a squire I also trained long and hard to use a sword. There
were many times that I would fail my goal, but though I thought I couldn't do it anymore,
I felt inside of me I knew that I had the courage to try again and again. My trainer also
could see that I had courage through my eyes and had faith in me. After training so hard,
about five years of service I became a knight. I was really proud of myself because I had
been waiting for this day.
The day that I became a knight was the day that my life changed because I met
this knight named “Knight Kevin.” Then later Knight Kevin and I married and had 3
kids. Our first child was a female named “Gwen”, our second child was a male named
“Jason”, and our last child was a female named “Gracie.” My family lived in a cottage
that was big enough for the whole family. Our family had 2 fields in the back of our
cottage. One field was full of cabbages and the other field was full of wheat. We also had
animals such as 2 dogs, 12 chickens, 7 pigs, 6 sheep, 5 cows, 4 bunnies, 2 goats, and 9
horses. Other than having a beautiful family I also had a manor that many different
people have to work on it. Serfs are most of the people who work on my manor; they
have to feed my animals and work on my cabbage field and my wheat field. How did I
get a piece of land you may ask? The lord would give me land in return for my
protection.
As you have heard a lord is a powerful noble who owned land. Lords gave pieces
of their land to lesser nobles called vassals. I was known as a vassal meaning a noble. In
return for the land, I owed my lord service in his court and army. Other vassals hired
knights to defend the lord and his property. Vassals like me own plots of land called fiefs.
I fought for the land and employed people called serfs to work on my manor. Serfs were
people who lived and worked on the land belonging to me. In return for the work from
my serfs, I granted them shelter and protection. Most peasants were serfs. We all had our
own connection because each one of us would do something for the other person in return
for something.
On my manor there are a lot of different jobs that have to be done. Such as feeding
the animals, working in the fields, chopping trees in the forest and use it to make fire,
baking in the bakery, and more. I like riding my horse, “Peaceful One” because I like
seeing my serfs working on their jobs. Every Sunday I go to church with my family and
serfs. After going to church I like stopping by the cemetery and leave flowers in every
grave. I also like going fishing with my family in a boat at the lake. Sometimes my
family, serfs, and I like going to the Jousting Matches and Sword Fights Tournament.
Then in the end of the day my family and I like going over to the river. My serfs and I
also run an inn called,” The Silver Dragon”. When I am pretty busy on my manor, I still
have to go to town once in a while.
“Hello Jennifer, what brings you to the bakery?” asked the baker.
“Just picking some bread and a cake for my daughter’s birthday”, I replied him back.
“Here you are four loafs of bread and a cake for your daughter”, said the baker.
“How much will it be?” I asked the baker.
“Three gold coins”, he answered back to me.
“Thank you!” I said to him back.
“Come back soon!” said the baker. Everyone in town would always say hello and would
always be nice to me. I would always notice that the streets were narrow, filthy, and
usually not paved. After a rain, streets turned to mud that were often knee-deep. This
town was dirty, cramped, and a busy place. Many houses were made out of wood and
easily caught on fire.
My lord has reported that we are going to war in one day. It was sad to say good-bye
to my family because I didn’t know if I going to survive the war or if I was going to die.
Today is the day of the war. I was ready to go to war but I was nervous because I knew I
would miss my husband and my children. I was ready to hear the signal, but it was hard
to hear because there were 100,000,000 of knights talking to each other and telling each
other how they are going to kill the enemy. The lord yelled the signal saying,
‘ATTACK!!!!!!” We had large mobile wooden towers that gave attacking forces a closer
shot at the enemy and enabled troops to jump over the castle wall. We knights attacked
using weapons as a trebuchet, which slung heavy rocks at the enemy. The enemies
repelled us by shooting arrows and dumping boiling water and oil on those who got too
close. I was fighting, throwing arrows, and using the trebuchet. I was so tired of throwing
arrows, but I knew I couldn't stop fighting.
The enemies were attacking me so to protect myself; in my right hand I had my coats
of arm shield. In my shield there are designs and colors that mean something. The color
in my coats of arm is red and white. Red means that I'm a warrior, martyr, and military
strength. White means that I’m sincerity and peace. The design that my coats of arm have
is a yellow lion, a red hunting horn, and a trunk of a tree. The yellow lion means fierce
courage. In Ireland the lion represents the lion season, prior to the full arrival of summer.
The symbol can also represent a great warrior, or Chief. The red hunting horn means a
person of higher noble pursuits. The trunk of a tree means an object of veneration. My
Latin motto is Familia, Fides et Amor, meaning family, faith, and love. Suddenly I saw
an arrow that pass through my right arm. I remember that my coats of arm flew away
from my hand when I was falling to the ground. When I fell to the ground the only thing
that I heard was another knight telling me, “Stay awake soldier” and then I saw my hands
and grass filled with blood. The only thing that I thought about was my family.
When I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was my baby son Jason sitting next to
me saying, “Mommy Mommy.” I hugged him so hard and told him, “Mommy is here my
little angel.” Then after I saw my husband Kevin comes in with my two girls, Gwen and
Gracie. I hugged them so tight and hard because I wanted to show all my love to them.
My husband Kevin told me that I was going to be all right. I couldn't ask for a better
family because I have a perfect family. I have my own manor with serfs working and
living on it. I fight as a proud knight and I’m really happy with my life.