Knighthood Britain In Britain, what does it take to become knighted? Who are some and why were they knighted? British knighthood today is closely associated with honorable conduct toward one's own country. The tests and qualifications to become a knight have varied immensely throughout history. In the Middle Ages knights were a product of many years of training in the arts of literature, chivalry, strategy, sword fighting, and other aspects of high society (Scher 1). Nearly the only element of knighthood that has stood the test of time is the fact that it is a desired status for many British men. The original coming of knights to Britain was early in the eleventh century. French soldiers came to England fighting off the backs of their horses and were called knights by the English people (Steele 11). This title had nothing to do with social distinction among men; in fact, nearly any man could become a knight if he had a horse and sword. Over time the importance of these mounted men would greatly increase. At the beginning of the feudal system most lords had knights to fight for them in times of war. At first, the lords would supply horses and armor for these men, but as the cost of these goods rose, the knights would simply receive land (Scher 1). This is the circumstance, the need to purchase their own armor, that made more and more knights to come from wealthy, noble backgrounds and ultimately raise them above common people. At the beginning of the age of chivalry, becoming a knight was as simple as owning a horse and armor and pledging allegiance to a lord or king. It didn't take long for the feudal system to make this a task requiring a half a lifetime of dedication and hard work. In no time, aspiring knights were spending their entire childhood studying and training to become valiant horsemen themselves. Just as a modern boy would ride in a toy car, young children would sit upon a wooden horse and ride it around with his stick lance (Steele 12). Kids who aspired to become knights would begin training at an early age, around five or six years old. Before becoming a knight, two ranks must be achieved, taking over ten years. It became a custom that a boy must be a page first, a servant second, and be knighted last.
In the middle ages, knights were viewed as those who would represent the greatest level of chivalry, considering it was part of their code. King Arthur talked to a peasant in the beginning of the film who expressed her said unhappiness about the government and her views did not align with King Arthur so he disapproved. The peasant described medieval Europe as a horrid place to live. There was also a lack of education among the peasants because in the British empire at that time, there were many small kingdoms owned by lords, under one king. All the peasants really knew was their own kingdom and their king, they were not really educated on the number or where other kingdoms were. During this time period, the peasants were viewed as the bottom of the food chain, and in the feudal system they were actually at the bottom. This meant that they had no real say in the government or how it was ruled, so this interaction did not seem accurate for the time period nor did it cause any impact because those who were high in the feudal system liked the strong divide between classes. The way of life during the middle ages was strongly influenced by past traditions and morals that had been passed down from generation to generation. One of these old traditions included
people to base there values and way of life on. During the 1400's knighthood was coming
Life during the Middle Ages was full of social change, division, and classism. This feudal society of Britain was divided into three estates. (social classes) Within the second estate was the the knight who was a soldier for the king who fought in many battles. Even though the knight is expected to have the strength and the skills to fight in battle, all knights during the Medieval period additionally had a chivalrous aspect to them. Chivalry was the honor code of a knight which included bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. Within the stories of the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the code of chivalry was broken by knights which show the corruption of England’s feudal society.
KNIGHT At age seven a son of a noble family was sent to a nobleman or lord, often who was a relative. Here he was a page and taught how to ride a horse, and his manners. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to a knight. As the squire to the knight he would take care of his horse, help him put the knights armor on and keep it clean. In turn he was taught how to use a bow, carve meat, and other knightly skills. The squire would have to go into battle with the knight to help him when he was wounded or unhorsed. If the squire was successful he would be knighted at the age of 21. When there wasn't a war going on knight would have to practice, practice, and practice some more. They would wrestle, fight with blunt swords, do acrobatics, and also do sports like javelin and putting which is throwing a heavy stone as far as you can.
To learn about different aspects of a knight's life, you can click on various parts of the tapestry above.
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
Because the horse was so employed and so popular, they also needed protection to stay alive. Horses wore as much armor as the knights they carried. After the crusades, the popularity of the knights grew. “The Crusades further increased their value for the church and society in general” (infobase). This increase in value caused more people to try and become knights.
During the Medieval Times, knights hold high status and are seen as sovereign, yet their actions are contradicting. Knights stand for loyalty, justice, and chivalry; however, most are liars, cheaters, and foolish. Throughout medieval literature, authors create characters that contain both attributes and utilize literary elements to highlight this medieval crisis. Many Knights maintain a loyal and noble character because chivalry outlasts hypocrisy.
A knight would pray before going to sleep and in the morning. Knights would eat breakfast then would train with swords, maces,and greatswords. And they would do this at the quintain and the pell. Then he would learn more about seiges and weapons with discussions of warfare.
As time progressed the feudal system was created. It was designed to divide the lands and protect from attack. The king first gave a fief or a piece of land to a royal vassal. As proof for this exchange in land a vassal would swear to the lord to be his man all the days of his life and protect him against "all men who may live or die." Next came investiture. Investiture was a symbolic gesture when a King or a lord presented a royal vassal or a vassal a stick, a small rod, or a clod of earth to show that he has given him a fief. Now this royal vassal was in charge of a huge piece of land. In order to defend it he would then divide his land into smaller pieces. He would take these smaller pieces and give them to warriors or who agreed to be his own vassals. Thus, the royal vassal became a lord to other vassals. The vassals now under this lord would now divide their lands and grant fiefs to warriors of their own. Last in the dividing of land was the knight whose parcel of land was too small to be divided.
My parents decided that I was to become a knight and at the age of 7, I was sent to live with a veteran knight, Sir Darreth Kelley as a page. At that stage, I was like a servant to my master, doing tasks like serving meals and cleaning clothes. I also learned to behave appropriately and to have good manners. I was introduced to fighting and practiced with other pages. We trained using a wooden shield and sword, started learning to ride a horse with no hands, and learned to carry a lance. At the age of 15, I became a squire. My jobs were to take care or Sir Darreth’s horses, clean his armor and various weapons, and to follow him into battle when necessary. I trained with real weapons and was taught fighting styles. I also continued to practice
Knights were a type of soldier established in the middle ages, sworn to protect the nobility. They followed the rules of chivalry, rode the best horses, bared the finest arms and weaponry, and were highly respected. A strong need for protection of the nobility brought knighthood to be and chivalry to order. True knights are far and few now, by the end of the 16th century knighthood was over. Real knights fought hand-to-hand, before guns and gun-powder, heavily armored and ready for battle. Finding a true knight might seem hard now, but true knights exist, they just don’t look the same.
“He was a knight indeed, a worthy man, who from the very moment he first began to ride, searching adventure, held chivalry in his heart, and honor and truth, and courtesy and grace”. This excerpt from The Canterbury Tales perfectly exemplifies what are the makings of a knight. A knight is a man who is chivalrous, honorable, and trustworthy. A knight is always guided by God and has a keen sense of justice.
Knights in the middle ages endured a lot of training not only in adulthood but in their early stages of knighthood. They began training at a young age and as they matured they moved up in the hierarchy. From around age 8 to 14 when they become a squire and work for their lord at the castle.(the late middle ages) Often times knights in Hollywood films are depicted as these luxurious prince charming characters. When in reality they were pretty gruesome fighters who were far from living a luxurious lifestyle due to the fact they were fighting or protecting their lord most of the time. Some were born into knighthood and some had to earn their way into it which was much harder. The children surprising to me started at a really young age and endure train for most of their childhood.
Let me tell you a tale of a noble knight named Sir Robin. The story begins long ago in medieval times, around the year 1300 AD in the quaint village of York, England. Our tale is centered around one noble boy, the young Robin son of the Lord and Lady of York. Ever since Robin was a lad, he was fascinated by the noble knights in his village. He had always dreamed of becoming just like them, and with approval from his parents, Robin was allowed to shadow the knights. At age 16, Robin would go out on patrol with the knights every morning and would not return until dusk. Robin’s hard work and dedication payed off when he was finally knighted at age 18, the youngest ever in York. His whole family was so proud, even his two younger sisters, Eleanor