Medieval Knight Research Paper

The Medieval period was kept under control by the feudal system. Knights were an important part of this system. The term ‘Knight’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘cniht’ which means ‘boy’ or ‘page boy’. In most languages the word for knight derives from their world for horse or to ride. For example knight in French is ‘Chevalier’ and the word for horse is ‘cheval’.

What was a Knight?

The image of a knight changed many times during the middle ages. A typical knight was a man who pleaded to be loyal and to fight for their Lord. In return knights received portions of land, loot from battles and a position at court. Knights were all men for most of the middle ages. In 1358, women gained the ability to join chivalric orders in England, but they

It protected them from the blows of the many types of weapons that could be used by their opponents. In the early Middle Ages knights only wore padded garments and chainmail. Chainmail was a suit that made of hundreds of inter-locked rings that protected against cuts. Chainmail was especially popular with the Normans, and in the famous Battle of Hastings almost all the Norman knights wore chain mail. Later as weapons became more advanced, suits of armour, made of metal, came into use. Suits of Armour were every expensive. They had to be tailor made to fit every different knight, which meant giant amounts of money. Suits of Armour would often cost more than a peasant would earn in there whole lifetime. Helmets were the piece of armour that changed the most during the middle ages. In the 11th and 12th century knights used conical helmets. Conical helmets were a single piece of metal that was formed into a spherical shape to fit on the head. Sometimes there was also a piece of metal at the front to protect the face. As the Medieval Period advanced helmets became more curved, so that in was harder for a weapon to hit in a 90 degree. If a weapon hit at a 90 degree angle with enough power, any armour a knight could wear was completely useless. The Bascinet is a good example of this kind of helmet. The Bascinet has a plate of metal completely covering the face with holes to see and to breathe. The metal plate covering the face was pointed, make the knight look like he had the beak of a