Knights

=**Knights in Shining Armor**= Knights started out as boys that were hired by their lord to fight. later on, "grants of land were made so the young soldiers could receive an income from those lands and afford the high cost of outfitting themselves with the accoutrements of war, such as horses, armor, and weapons" (Knights and Armor). Some knights, when they had children would then treat the land as a hereditary right and would give the land to their eldest son when they die.

One thing that defined knights was their armor. Armor in the high middle ages was very expensive because it had to be made by hand, and this took a lot of time, money, and hard work. Chainmail armor was the first type that knights used, it was made of thousands of tiny rings to form a shirt or any kind of piece needed. Knights also used a leather shield with this. Later on, plate armor became available. Plate armor was made of plates of steel and provided much greater protection than the chain mail did.

A knight's standard weapon was a sword made of steel. Just like the sword above a knight's sword had a pummel, a crossguard and it was double sided. "Many surviving examples of medieval swords feature some form of engraving, such as a prayer, or the sword owner's name. How elaborate the sword was decorated depended upon its owner's wealth, with some of the more intricate ones encrusted with jewels and fine engravings" (Knights and Armor).



Knights also used maces, like the one above. They had wooden shafts and an end that had sharp metal spikes. It wasn't the most prominent weapon used by knights but it got the job done. It was used on foot and was effective against armor. (The Medieval Knight). (Medieval and Renaissance Jousts). Another weapon knights used was a lance. A lance was made of wood and was very long but had a metal tip. The lance allowed a knight to attack while still on horseback and gave them yet another advantage in battle.

It was very difficult to become a knight, at the age of eight a boy was sent to a neighboring castle. The boy was usually the son of a knight. The boy trained hard to become strong and to learn how to ride a horse and fight."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 hit" (The Medieval Knight). (Medival Horse and Clothing) The boy was also educated by a schoolmaster in reading, writing, sometimes dancing or latin or french. At fifteen or sixteen the boy would serve as a squire to a knight. As a squire he would have to do almost everything for the knight, this included dressing him, feeding him, caring for his horse, etc. After this the boy had to prove himself worthy in battle or a tournament then was knighted by his lord.

There were three main different types of soldiers. The first of the three were archers, archers were men who were trained and mastered the bow and arrow with great precision. The next are foot soldiers, these men were skilled swordsmen that were experts in close combat. And the last were called knights, these were the most respected, decorated, and skilled of all the soldiers. Knights were most skilled on horseback and were known to be “the equivalent of the modern tank” (The Medieval Knight). Chivalry was the knight’s code of honor and what all knights lived by. It talked about how the knights should act, how they should treat others, and the three people who they were loyal to and fought for. These people were their lord (the owner of the land that they live on and protect), their lady (their lords wife), and there heavenly lord (God). This code did not apply to the lower class citizens of the manor. Knights were cruel and often brutal to peasants, especially the women.

(The Medieval Knight).

Tournaments were first recorded in 1066 CE. These tournaments were for entertaining peasants, combat training for knights, and to “weed out” the weaker and less skilled knights before actual battles. Jousting was the most popular event and the most well known today. This competition consisted of two mounted knights galloping towards each other with long lances, the objective was to knock the other knight off his horse. Other events were one on one battles (mounted and on foot) and larger battles that resembled actual warfare.

(Black Knight Jousting).

Bibliography:

"The History of Knights." //Knights and Armor //. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

"THE MIDDLE AGES: THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHT." //ThinkQuest //. Oracle Foundation. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

"Medieval and Renaissance Jousts." //Weapons Universe //. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

"Black Knight Jousting by ~Hilderic-TheKnight on DeviantART." //Hilderic-TheKnight on DeviantART //. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

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