Knights
From Medieval Wiki
By Joe Weinberg And Sophie McMahon
Contents |
The Steps of Becoming a Knight
Step One: Page
At the young ages of 8-10, boys rich boys (Usually from families of previous Knights or sons of Aristocrats) would start their training at the nearby castle. Before becoming a Knight it was mandatory to be a page, so before their Knight training they learned to be a page. Once in training they would work a lot on their bodies, and muscle. They would also work on horseback, wrestling, reading, writing, different languages, and the proper behavior in the kings court. They started young because the younger you start, the more time you will have to grow.
Step Two: Squire
At the ages of 15 or 16 a young man would become a squire, someone who serves a knight. Being a squire the young man would care for the knight, his horse, and his equipment. He would get the knight dressed in the morning, clean his equipment, and care for the horse. He would also learn how to handle a sword and wear heavy armor on horseback.
Step Three: Knight!
After years of work being a page and a squire, a man could become a knight at the age of 20. But it wasn't that easy, the man would have to prove himself worthy. Fighting in combat was one way to prove himself worthy. Once he was deemed worthy, the squire would have a very ceremonial ceremony to accept him into Knight hood.
Once You Have Become a Knight
At the age of 20, the Squire would become a knight, after proving himself to the lord that he was worthy. He was then dubbed at an official ceremony. There are 3 main kinds of fighters on the field; there were the archers, the foot soldiers, and the knights. The knights were by far the most powerful. They were the most honorable and also the most revered. They could "plow" through a foot soldier like an elephant over a watermelon. "Be as a tower firmly set; Shakes not its top for any blast that blows." -Dante Alighieri. The Knights were usually very wealthy, the equipment they needed cost far more than any foot soldier could afford. Their horse cost about as much as a small airplane would now. In return for their service, a knight was given a fief, which was a large unit of land, almost the size of a village. It was a great honor to receive one. The knight would also have special privileges in the king's court. He would dine with the king, be included in their deliberations, and were otherwise respected in such ways.
All of the knights (and even his horse) were completely covered with armor. His first layer was a linen shirt and a pair of pants. Over that was a series of woolen pads. Over the pads were the tunics of chain-mail. Chain mail is a long series of links that are welded together to form a type of flexible armor (they could contain up to 200,000 links in one tunic). Over the chain-mail was the series of gleaming plates of silvery armor. They covered everything from chest to back, arms to legs, from his armored boots to the "bucket-like" helmet on his head. These pieces of armor were why the nights of old were called the knights in shining armor. The early knights' armor was made of iron, but later the would be made of steel, sometimes with gold plating. A knight's armor could weigh from 40 to 60 pounds. The armor was so hot and uncomfortable, the knight's squire had to clean it regularly. When serving in the military, the knight would use a plain sword, they also might have had small daggers to assist them. The knight might also carry a medieval mace (basically a long blunt stick with barbs or spikes at the end), or sometimes, the knight would use lances when jousting.
Most of the knights were Christians, and as a knight, a man would have to go by a chivalry, that is, a "knight's code." The code stated that they would "defend the weak, be courteous to all women, be loyal to their king, and serve God at all times." In addition, they were told not to boast to others about their position. Although the knights said that they believed in this code, they constantly abused their power. They would Pillage towns and be hostile towards the simple-folk. They were disrespectful, brutal, and arrogant. They were even known to rape the townswomen and they were never punished in any way. They still maintained the right to be as ruthless as they wished. In modern times, These things would get someone locked in jail. Ambrosius Macrobius said: "Good laws have their origins in bad morals." meaning that we make laws based on injustices such as these.
Ten Fun Facts About Being A Knight!
1) Being a knight meant you have special privileges in the kings court.
2) You would get a feif.
3) You were often aloud to dine in feasts with the king.
4) Others respected and obeyed you.
5) Knights would get the best horses...really expensive ones. Some of the horses even cost as much as a small plane would today!
6) When your a knight your equipment was your best friend.
7) Knights went by their Chivary, or "knight's code"
8) Knight were completely covered in armor
9) Their armor could weigh from 40 to 60 pounds
10) Knight wore chain mail, a long series of metal links welded together to form a flexible armor. One tunic can contain up to 200,000 links!
More Information
[1] Learn more about knights and look at the names of some of the knights in olden times.
[2] Look at the what the life of a knight is like.
[3] Look at images that give information about armor, weapons, and more!
Bibliography & Games
Bibliography
http://library.thinkquest.org/10949/fief/medknight.html
Gravett, Christopher. Eyewitness Knight. New York: DK Publishing Inc., 1993.
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle35.htm
Hull, Marvin. Castles of Britain.com. 1997-2008.
http://www.knightsandarmor.com/
Knights and Armor. 07 November 2008
http://www.knight-medieval.com/
Knight Medieval.com. Kalif Publishing. 2007-2008
"Knights and the Traditions of Chivalry." The Crusades Reference Library. Ed. Neil Schlager, Ralph Zerbonia, J. Sydney Jones, Michael J. O'Neal, and Marcia Merryman Means. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2005. 134-156. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY. 9 Dec. 2008
Games
http://www.goriya.com/flash/black_knight.shtml
