Medieval Knights
The knight was one of three types of fighting men
during the middle ages: Knights, Foot Soldiers, and
Archers. The medieval knight was the equivalent of
the modern tank. He was covered in multiple layers
of armor, and could plow through foot soldiers
standing in his way. No single foot soldier or archer
could stand up to any one knight. Knights were also
generally the wealthiest of the three types of
soldiers. This was for a good reason. It was terribly
expensive to be a knight. The war horse alone could
cost the equivalent of a small airplane. Armor,
shields, and weapons were also very expensive.
Becoming a knight was part of the feudal agreement.
In return for military service, the knight received a
fief. In the late middle ages, many prospective
knights began to pay "shield money" to their lord so
that they wouldn't have to serve in the king's army.
The money was then used to create a professional
army that was paid and supported by the king. These
knights often fought more for pillaging than for
army wages. When they captured a city, they were
allowed to ransack it, stealing goods and valuables.
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Becoming a Knight:
There were only a few ways in which a person
could become a knight. The first way was the
normal course of action for the son of a noble:
When a boy was eight years old, he was sent to the
neighboring castle where he was trained as a page.
The boy was usually the son of a knight or of a
member of the aristocracy. He spent most of his time
strengthening his body, wrestling and riding horses.
He also learned how to fight with a spear and a
sword. He practiced against a wooden dummie
called a quintain. It was essentially a heavy sack or
dummie in the form of a human. It was hung on a
wooden pole along with a shield. The young page
had to hit the shield in its center. When hit, the
whole structure would spin around and around. The
page had to maneuver away quickly without getting
Pads worn under the armor to help ease
the weight. They were called
gambesons.
.
hit. The young man was also taught more civilized
A helmet of the type worn by knights
topics. He would be taught to read and write by a
during the crusades. One can see the
schoolmaster. He could also be taught some Latin
holes cut in the front. This made it easier
and French. The lady of the castle taught the page to
for the knight to breathe.
sing and dance and how to behave in the king’s
court.
At the age of fifteen or sixteen, a boy became a
squire in service to a knight. His duties included
dressing the knight in the morning, serving all of the
knight’s meals, caring for the knight’s horse, and
cleaning the knight’s armor and weapons. He
followed the knight to tournaments and assisted his
lord on the battlefield. A squire also prepared
himself by learning how to handle a sword and lance
while wearing forty pounds of armor and riding a
horse. When he was about twenty, a squire could
become a knight after proving himself worthy. A
lord would agree to knight him in a dubbing
ceremony. The night before the ceremony, the squire
would dress in a white tunic and red robes. He
would then fast and pray all night for the
purification of his soul. The chaplain would bless
the future knight's sword and then lay it on the
chapel or church's altar. Before dawn, he took a bath
to show that he was pure, and he dressed in his best
clothes. When dawn came, the priest would hear the
young man's confession, a Catholic contrition rite.
The squire would then eat breakfast. Soon the
dubbing ceremony began. The outdoor ceremony
took place in front of family, friends, and nobility.
The squire knelt in front of the lord, who tapped the
squire lightly on each shoulder with his sword and
proclaimed him a knight. This was symbolic of what
occurred in earlier times. In the earlier middle ages,
the person doing the dubbing would actually hit the
squire forcefully, knocking him over. After the
dubbing, a great feast followed with music and
dancing.
A young man could also become a knight for valor
in combat after a battle or sometimes before a battle
to help him gain courage.
Chivalry:
Knights believed in the code of chivalry. They
promised to defend the weak, be courteous to all
women, be loyal to their king, and serve God at all
times. Knights were expected to be humble before
others, especially their superiors. They were also
expected to not "talk too much". In other words,
they shouldn't boast. The code of chivalry demanded
that a knight give mercy to a vanquished enemy.
However, the very fact that knights were trained as
men of war belied this code. Even though they came
from rich families, many knights were not their
These are two examples of medieval
families' firstborn. They did not receive an
shields made of either wood or metal.
inheritance. Thus they were little more than
Normally these would have the knight's
mercenaries. They plundered villages or cities that
emblem or family seal on them.
they captured, often defiling and destroying
churches and other property. Also the code of
chivalry did not extend to the peasants. The "weak"
was widely interpreted as "noble women and
children". They were often brutal to common folk.
They could sometimes even rape young peasant
women without fear of reprisal, all because they
were part of the upper class.
Armor and Weapons
A knight was armed and armored to the teeth. He had so much
armor and weapons that he depended on his squire to keep his
armor and weapons clean and in good working condition. At
first the armor was made of small metal rings called chain mail.
A knight wore a linen shirt and a pair of pants as well as heavy
woolen pads underneath the metal-ringed tunic. A suit of chain
mail could have more than 200,000 rings. However, chain mail
was heavy, uncomfortable, and difficult to move in. As time
passed, knights covered their bodies with plates of metal. Plates
covered their chests, back, arms, and legs. A bucket like helmet
An
protected the knight’s head and had a hinged metal visor to
example of a more ornate
cover his face. Suits of armor were hot, uncomfortable, and
piece of armor, used more for
heavy to wear. A suit of armor weighed between forty and sixty show.
pounds. Some knights even protected their horses in armor.
A knight also needed a shield to hold in front of himself during
battle. Shields were made of either wood or metal. Knights
decorated their shields with their family emblem or crest and
the family motto.
A knight'’s weapon was his sword, which was about thirty-two
pounds. It was worn on his left side in a case fastened around
his waist. A knife was worn on the knight’s right side. Knights
used other weapons in combat as well. A lance was a long spear
used in jousts. Metal axes, battle hammers, and maces were also
used to defeat the enemy.
Medieval Weaponry
A rather plain medieval sword.
An example of a dagger that could
have been used.
A mace used during the middle ages.
Tournaments:
Tournaments provided a means for knights to practice warfare and build their strength in
times of peace. Tournaments were essentially mock battles with audiences. The audience was
usually made up of "fair damsels". This was another way in which a knight was expected to
act chivalrous. The tournaments had different rules that had to be followed. They were judged
by umpires that watched for dishonest play. Tournaments were usually fought between either
two people or two teams. If two people fought a tournament, it was usually by jousting. The
two knights would gallop across the playing field at each other. They carried long, blunt poles
and shields. The objective was to knock the other person out of his saddle. Team play was
conducted with fierce mock combat between two bands of fighters. They fought with wooden
or blunted weapons so as to reduce the risk of getting hurt. However, this was often not the
case. Many people did get hurt or die by accident.