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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.
Pads worn under the armor to help ease the weight. They were called gambesons.
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: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 hit. The young man was also taught more civilized topics. He would be taught to read and write by a schoolmaster. He could also be taught some Latin and French. The lady of the castle taught the page to sing and dance and how to behave in the kings 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 knights meals, caring for the knights horse, and cleaning the knights 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 families' firstborn. They did not receive an inheritance. Thus they were little more than mercenaries. They plundered villages or cities that 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.
These are two examples of medieval shields made of either wood or metal. Normally these would have the knight's emblem or family seal on them. A helmet of the type worn by knights during the crusades. One can see the holes cut in the front. This made it easier for the knight to breathe. Medieval Weaponry A rather plain medieval sword.
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 thirtytwo pounds. It was worn on his left side in a case fastened around his waist. A knife was worn on the knights 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.
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.
Tournaments:
Medieval Peasant
The Medieval peasant together with freeman and villeins, lived on a manor in a village. Most of the peasants were Medieval Serfs or Medieval Villeins. The small, thatch-roofed, and oneroomed houses of the Medieval Peasant would be grouped about an open space (the "green"), or on both sides of a single, narrow street. The population of one of these villages often did not often exceed one hundred people. The Medieval Peasant shared a common life in the work of the fields, in the sports of the village green, and in the services of the parish church. But there was time for rest and entertainment in the life of a Medieval Peasant.
Medieval Peasant - Food The life of a Medieval peasant changed with the seasons. Small animals required slaughtering during the autumn as it was not economic or practical to feed animals during the winter. The meat was then preserved in salt. Bread was a mainstay of the Medieval Peasant. Corn, grain, cabbage, ale or cider was obtained from the local area. Daily Life of a Medieval Peasant on the Farms The Daily Life of a Medieval Peasant who worked on the land was often hard. A Medieval peasant had to labor on the lord's land for two or three days each week, and at specially busy seasons, such as ploughing and harvesting. The daily life of a Medieval peasant can be described as follows:
The daily life of a Medieval peasant started at started in the summer as early as 3am A Medieval peasant would start with breakfast, usually of pottage Work in the fields or on the land started by dawn and the daily life of a Medieval peasant included the following common tasks: Reaping - To cut crops for harvest with a scythe, sickle, or reaper. Sowing - the process of planting seeds Ploughing - To break and turn over earth with a plough to form a furrow Binding and Thatching
Haymaking - cutting grass and curing it for hay. Threshing - To beat the stems and husks of plants to separate the grains or seeds from the straw. Hedging - creating boundaries Outside work finished at dusk, working hours for Medieval Peasants were therefore longer during the summer months Peasants made some of their own tools and utensils using wood, leather and the horns from cattle Women generally ate when her husband and children had finished and had little leisure time