Knights

A knight was a professional soldier who rode out to fight in battles. He helped defend castles from enemies.

In order to become a knight, a young man had to go through three stages : When he was 7, he became a page who helped a knight get dressed and put on his armour . He also trained with his master and they played a lot of games. The knight also showed the page how to use a sword . The ladies of a castle taught a page how to sit at the table and table manners .

At the age of 14 the page became a squire - a knight's personal servant . In a battle he would bring the knight his lances and swords if they were broken. Squires also wore heavy armour and they trained for battles. They learned to ride horses and carried shields and swords.

A squire could become a knight when he reached 21. In a ceremony , he put on a white tunic and knelt before his lord. His lord would make him a knight with a slap of his hand or the flat part of his sword. Then the knight got his weapons.


Tournaments

Tournaments started in France in the 11th century. They were usually held to entertain the king , his family and the noblemen. They took place in fields that had walls around them and where many people could watch.

The joust was a typical medieval sport. Two knights on horseback rode towards each other. They wore armour and held a sharp lance . Each knight wanted to knock his enemy off his horse. Very often, knights and spectators were killed when horses went out of control. At times, even both knights were knocked off their horses. Then they continued fighting on the ground. When a knight won, the daughter or wife of the king would throw him a scarf or a glove to show that he was something special and that they liked him.

Tournaments were the highlights of life in a castle. People made wooden stands and sold things. They ended in the 17th century , when guns became popular .

Jousting at a tournament
Image: Toxophilus, CC BY-SA 3.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

Weapons

Many kinds of weapons were used in the Middle Ages. Knights preferred swords, which were sometimes so big that they had to use both their hands. On horses they used long, pointed weapons called lances . Some of them were made of wood and some of metal.

Vikings made their own deadly weapons - like the battle axe , which they used against their enemies. Archers used bows and arrows . Crossbows were introduced in the 11th century. They were made mostly of wood and used to shoot arrows over long distances .

Daggers were among the smallest weapons of the Middle Ages. Knights didn't use them until the 14th century.


Crossbow

Dagger

Battle axe