World Book Student

Back

 
Knights and knighthood. The word knight comes from the Old English word cnight, which means a household retainer. English people used the word to describe French mounted soldiers who first came to England after the Norman conquest of 1066. These knights were merely warriors equipped and trained to fight on horseback. Knighthood carried no social distinction, and any man could be a knight. Many lords had knights, who performed household duties in peacetime and fought in time of war. The lord provided armor and horses for his knights.

Between 1100 and 1300, most knights became vassals (servants to lords) and received some land. As the cost of armor and a war horse increased, only wealthy men could equip themselves to fight as knights. Thus the knights became a class divided from the rest of the community. Entry to their ranks became a mark of honor and distinction. Any man could be made a knight, but most new knights had fathers who were knights or who belonged to the nobility. The age of knights and knighthood is often called the age of chivalry. The word chivalry comes from the Old French word chevalerie, meaning horse soldiery. But the term came to mean the code of behavior and ethics that knights were to follow.

Knighthood grew up as part of the feudal system of the Middle Ages. It lasted as long as wars were based on heavy cavalry and combat between individuals. Knights became less important in warfare by the 1400's because of changing military tactics and the introduction of gunpowder. In the United Kingdom, knighthood is now an honor bestowed on individuals by the king or queen in recognition for outstanding merit or service. It no longer has any military meaning.

In the Middle Ages, a young boy in training to be a knight spent the first years of his life chiefly in the care of the women of his family. During this time, he learned to ride a pony and care for horses.

The page. When a boy reached the age of about 7, he left home to begin training for knighthood. As a page, he joined the household of another knight or a nobleman. There he learned to handle small weapons. He also learned the code of courtesy and behavior expected of a knight.

The squire. A boy began his training as a squire at 15 or 16. He acted as a valet, or personal servant, to the knight who was his master. He set the table and served meals. The squire received serious training as a mounted soldier. He rode with his master into battle and took part in the fight. In battle, the squire wore silvered spurs to distinguish him from a knight, whose spurs were gilt. The period of service usually lasted about five years. Then the squire was eligible for knighthood.

Picture

Training for knighthood: dubbing a knight

Knighting. Any knight could bestow knighthood on another. Sometimes men were knighted on the field of battle, but the ceremony usually took place during times of peace. The earliest knighting ceremonies were simple. A knight buckled on the armor of the squire and proclaimed him a knight. Later ceremonies became more complicated. One man buckled on the sword, and another fastened the spurs. The squire knelt before the parrain, or the man who was knighting him. The parrain struck the squire on the back of the neck with the palm of his hand. Later a tap with a sword replaced the blow with the hand. This tap was called the accolade, from the French word col, meaning neck. The tap was followed by the words, "I dub you knight."

Religious ceremonies became part of the knighting ceremony when the ideals of Christianity became more closely linked with knighthood. Before a squire was knighted, he kept vigil in church. He confessed, fasted, prayed, and pledged to use his weapons for sacred causes and ideals. Before the ceremony, he bathed and put on special clothing. The pageantry made the ceremonies expensive. Feudal custom allowed an overlord to levy money from his vassals when his eldest son was knighted.

Chivalry was the knight's code of behavior. The code of chivalry grew with the songs of the minstrels in the 1000's and 1100's. Their poems show that a true knight had faith and a deep love of the Christian religion. He defended the church and was ready to die for it. He loved the land of his birth, and gave generously to all. His strength served to protect women and the feeble. A knight championed right against injustice and evil, and never surrendered or flinched in the face of the enemy.

In real life, a knight did not always resemble the ideal knight of the minstrels. His code of honor and loyalty was sometimes applied only to members of his own class, and he often acted brutally toward people of low birth. The violent life of the Middle Ages made it difficult to prevent violations of the code. Even dedicated knights were also soldiers interested in conquest and plunder. A knight who was proved guilty of cowardice or other serious misconduct was disgraced by having his sword and his spurs broken. However, "serious misconduct" usually meant violations against other knights and their families.

Clothing. In the 1100's, a knight wore a sleeved undertunic of linen or wool, reaching below the knees. Over this was a sleeveless tunic, open at the sides and fastened with a belt. He had a cloak fastened at the shoulders, and wore long stockings and leather shoes. In the 1200's, the undertunic reached to the ankles, and the knight also wore a fur-lined surcoat, which had long sleeves and a hood that covered his head.

Clothes in the 1300's became more colorful and elaborate. The undertunic covered only the torso and buttoned down the front. The sleeves buttoned tightly from wrist to elbow. The trousers also fit tightly. Jeweled felt hats and decorated capes became popular.

Fashions in the 1400's went to extremes of decoration and display. The surcoat was pleated, edged with fur, and fastened at the waist with a belt. Shoulder padding and stiffening over the chest created an exaggerated waistline. The sleeves were long, full, and stiff. Shoes became so pointed that the front was often curled up and fastened to the knee with a small chain. From the 1200's to the 1400's, knights dressed colorfully and carefully followed changes in fashion.

Armor. The early knight wore a conical helmet with a projection to cover his nose. He also wore a long garment of padded fabric or leather covered with interlaced metal rings, called mail. In the 1300's, a stronger helmet covering the entire head of the wearer replaced the conical helmet. Patches of plate armor were added to protect places the mail did not adequately defend. Strips of plate were designed to protect the elbow, the arm, the knee, and the part of the leg between the knee and the ankle. Plates of metal, called pauldrons, covered the opening in the armor at the junction between the arm and the body. The shield became much smaller and could be shifted to protect the face and head. The lance was the knight's principal weapon, but he also used a sword, mace, and battle-ax. His sword hung on his left side, and a dagger on his right.

In the 1400's, plate armor covered the knight's body completely. A mail collar covered the gap between the helmet and the top of the body armor. A visor, fitted to the helmet, protected the face. The knight wore metal gloves, called gauntlets, as well as iron shoes. Strips of mail covered the arms and legs. Swords became lighter and less cumbersome.

Gunpowder appeared on the battlefield in the early 1300's. Plate armor was designed to protect against gunfire. However, plate armor was heavy and could be tiring to wear for long periods.

The coat of arms provided the only recognizable feature of a knight when his face was covered. It was painted on his shield and on the surcoat that he wore over his armor. Horses often wore cloth trappings with the coat of arms. Every knight's coat of arms was different, and knights became very good at identifying each other at a glance.

Picture

Knights in a tournament

Tournaments developed in the 1100's, probably in northern France. Large numbers of knights gathered and split into two sides to fight each other. These fights were much like real battles, and they provided valuable military training. The defeated knights often had to pay ransoms to the winners to recover their freedom and possessions. A tournament could last for several days and range over the countryside.

Kings opposed tournaments because such large gatherings of armed men could lead to rebellion, and because they were bloody and wasteful. As a result, they could be held only with royal permission. Those who broke this rule suffered imprisonment and loss of property. The church supported the ban on tournaments. It refused Christian burial to anyone who died in a tournament.

In the 1200's, warlike tournaments gave way to jousting, which was combat between two men. Jousting took place with blunt weapons and was confined to an enclosed field. The joust often became a social gathering attended by ladies and common people. Tilting also became popular. In tilting, two knights on horseback charged at each other in the lists, or narrow lanes, separated by rails to keep the horses apart. The purpose of the tilt was to unseat the opponent with a blunt lance or pointless sword and win the honor of the day.

Knighthood and chivalry were favorite themes in medieval literature. Poets and minstrels of Western Europe created stories of kings, heroes, and their ladies. The stories centered on life in the castle, chivalry, and tournaments and jousts. In the 1100's, French poet-musicians called troubadours began composing songs known as chansons de geste. These songs idealized love and described the knights' heroic adventures. Some troubadours were knights and wrote exaggerated accounts of their own adventures. Bertrand de Born was an outstanding knightly troubadour. Many European kings, such as Richard the Lion-Hearted of England and Alfonso X of Castile and Leon, also composed chansons.

One group of stories made up the Arthurian legend. Arthur was a shadowy historical figure who probably lived about 500. The real King Arthur had little to do with the legends. He supposedly dined with his men at a round table. His knights, including Lancelot and Galahad, were Christian warriors who faced perils and searched for the Holy Grail (see Holy Grail). They protected the weak and were guided by the love of a lady.

Sound

Idylls of the King by Lord Tennyson

The earliest detailed account of the legend of King Arthur appeared about 1136 in the work of a Welsh chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth. The Norman poet Wace used this legend in his work Le Roman de Brut. This work was the inspiration of Chretien de Troyes, who wrote verse romances between 1165 and 1181. Chretien was the first to mention the Holy Grail. The Arthurian themes inspired Marie de France, author of the lay Lanval, written about 1189. Sir Thomas Malory published his version of the Arthurian legends, Le Morte Darthur, in 1485. Other accounts include Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, William Morris's The Defence of Guenevere, Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, and T. H. White's Once and Future King.

Charlemagne, the king of the Franks from 768 to 814, rivaled Arthur as the center of legend. He was the model leader of Christendom against the Muslims and appears in such works as The Song of Roland (see Roland).