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1. Who was eligible to become a knight?
For most of the Middle Ages, a man must have been born the son of a knight to become a knight. Knighthood was conferred only on members of the nobility. However, as the costs of knighthood increased (a knight had to provide for his own arms, armor, horses and retainers) and money-based economies became more common, rich peasants and merchants began angling for the title of knight as well. In 13th century England, if a man was free and could take up arms and pay the so-called "knight's fee," he was eligible to become a knight. While nobles questioned the honor of these new knights, some monarchs, eager for warriors as the Crusades and other wars dragged on, welcomed their inclusion.
At the same time, many men eligible by birth to become a knight were opting instead to serve as a squire, a knight's man-at-arms, or dropped their claim to knighthood altogether. In the 12th century, England's Henry II imposed a "scutage" fee (based on the Latin for shield, "scutum") that required those knights opting out of military service to pay a tax, which was in turn used to hire mercenaries for the monarch's military needs - a practice that laid the groundwork for a professional army.
2. What training was required to become a knight?
At the age of four or five, a prospective knight's training would begin with learning to ride a pony. By the age of seven or eight, he would be sent to serve as a page to his father's overlord or to a powerful relative. There, he would spend part of his time as a glorified errand boy, and the rest training with blunted or wooden swords, learning to hunt with a spear and bow, refining his equestrian skills and receiving some religious instruction. Tough discipline was meted out to pages and by the age of 14 or so, they were eligible for the next step: becoming a squire. Squires continued with weapons training and tilted frequently at quintains to hone their jousting skills, but were already considered to be fighting men. Squires would accompany their master knight into battle, dress him, feed him, see to his armor and arms, care for his horses and hope that one day they would be deemed worthy to be dubbed a knight . If a squire passed muster with an examining knight, he would usually be dubbed a knight at around the age of 21.
3. What was the knight's role in medieval society?
Up until the 11th century, European knights largely acted as warriors on the loose. After the introduction of the Church's Peace of God and Truce of God campaigns in the late 11th century to crack down on the violence running rampant throughout western Euorpe (see the TIME CAPSULE), the knight's identity as a warrior adopted a distinctly religious imprimatur - no matter what his actions in the field. His primary tasks - in theory, at least - were defense of the Church and the poor.
The knight's course was set in his knight's dubbing ceremony. This initiation ritual would usually coincide with a significant Church holy day such as Easter or Pentecost. Apprentice knights would first confess their sins to a priest, have their hair cut short (as a sign of humility), then take a bath and be clothed in black hose (symbolizing the knight's earthly roots), white underclothes and a belt (symbolizing purity) covered by a red tunic (symbolizing his willingness to shed blood to defend the Church). The prospective knights would then spend the night at prayer in a chapel, with their arms on the altar, a move designed to indicate that his weapons were for God's service. The knight's double-edged sword represented truth and loyalty, his shield defense of the Church. In the morning, after a church service, the knights would have their swords and golden spurs buckled onto them by other knights. An older knight would then tap a prospective knight on the face with his fist or on the shoulder with his sword to designate that the squire had now been dubbed a knight by God.
4. Could women become knights?
Women could become honorary members of knights' orders, but this did not mean that they were actually knighted or regularly fighting in the field as knights. However, this did not stop some medieval women from taking up arms. The most noted example is Joan of Arc in her struggle against the English in 15th century France. In 1149, women from the Spanish town of Tortosa fought to repel a Moorish attack and were made members of the Orden de la Hacha, exempted from taxes and given precedence over men in public gatherings. In England, up until the late 1400s medieval noblewomen and the consorts of kings were regularly appointed to the Order of the Garter.
5. How did a knight earn his living?
In theory, a fief - the land a knight held in return for military services to an overlord - was considered compensation for a knight's services in the field. Increasingly, though, as the Middle Ages progressed, monarchs resorted to paying knights for their services. William the Conqueror's son, William Rufus, was described as a "wonderful . . . paymaster of knights" who "energetically" ran through the royal treasury paying Norman knights to fight in his wars in England and France. Younger sons who had been dubbed knights, but didn't have the lands to support their activities often hired themselves out as mercenaries, also.
Once in the field, though, there were several money-making options for a knight. The first was simple war booty. Notions of chivalry aside, the plunder of medieval wars could range from the gold and silver of rich monasteries and castles to horses, cattle and more. Many knights headed off to the Crusades with the idea that they could return land-rich. Another frequent source of income was ransom for prisoners. A noble or even royal prisoner could command a high ransom that could keep the lucky knight in comfort for months or even years. Any baggage, arms, armor or horses with the prisoner became the property of his captor.
6. What part did a knight play in medieval military strategy?
Medieval military strategy was largely based on attack, rather than defense. Part of the advantage the Normans had in invading England in 1066 was that they included mounted, javelin-throwing knights who could charge King Harold's Anglo-Saxon foot soldiers. When, in the 1100s, knights started couching their lances (holding them under their arm so that they were pinned against their bodies), the knight and the horse acted as a sort of medieval missile. A group of charging knights could, therefore, easily overpower a larger group of foot soldiers. After this initial onslaught - which usually broke many lances - the knights would draw their swords, maces or axes and fight on, sometimes still on the horse, sometimes -- if the horse was downed or the ground was uneven -- on foot. This meant, however, that two opposing forces would always attack at the same time - there was not much in the way of defensive strategy in medieval warfare other than retreating to a castle.
As weapons evolved, though, the knight's military role became less crucial. Longbows shot by archers struck the first blow - their steel-tipped arrows could travel about a quarter of a mile and penetrate a knight's mail effortlessly. Knights responded with suits of plate armor (called "harnesses"), but more challenges were yet to come. In the 14th century, foot soldiers started carrying pike-axes and halberds, gigantic axes with curved spikes on 8 ft. long staffs that let a foot soldier catch a knight and split his skull. As these changes - combined with the introduction of artillery - took pace, the number of knights in the field steadily decreased.
7. How did chivalry come to be associated with knights?
"Knights must have two hearts, one as hard as a diamond, the other as soft and pliant as warm wax," the Lady of the Lake told the knight Lancelot in 12th century troubador Chretien de Troyes's "Perceval." Though the code of chivalry was certainly not universally upheld, it affected the way knights perceived themselves and their role in society. Chivalry is thought to trace its roots to southern France, where the court of Provence was renowned for its troubadors, men who traveled the region telling tales of knightly exploits through songs or poetry. Influenced by such works as de Troyes's tale, a chivalrous knight was expected to achieve individual glory in war (the need for recognition fueled the creation of such knightly orders as England's Order of the Garter), as well as uphold virtues ranging from loyalty and humility to self-sacrifice and faith in Christian beliefs. He was expected to be courteous - not to serfs and peasants, but certainly to members of his own class or those above him - loyal to his lady love, gifted in the arts of dance, conversation, music and able to play a good game of chess.
Though it's unlikely that any knight met Lancelot's romantic ideal, there were many real-life hero knights whose feats were no less celebrated. One of the best-known was the 12th century English knight William Marshal, who served as a close advisor to King Henry II and King John. Most of his action was off the battlefield - in tournaments, raids or sieges - but by the time of Marshal's death in 1219 he reportedly had taken more than 500 knights prisoners; prisoners whose ransoms and equipment brought great wealth to this son of a smalltime landholder. Another storied knight was the 14th century Breton Bertrand du Guesclin, a Breton of gentry stock, who rose to hold France's highest military position - constable of France - through his campaigns during the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
8. What did knights do when there were no wars on?
To keep their hand in during times of peace, knights would take part in tournaments, huge battles that would be staged outside a castle or town that would include the same weapons used in warfare. Tournaments could be held to celebrate a coronation, a nobleman's wedding or to mark a knighting ceremony or diplomatic summit. Though these events were seen as entertainment for spectators, participating knights could be killed or held as prisoners for ransom.
A joust would follow the main free-for-all, known as a melée. Jousts could be done "à outrance" (for war) or "à plaisance" (for pleasure). Lances with coronels and sharpened swords were used for war jousts; blunted lances and swords for peaceful jousts. Beginning in about the late 13th century, specialized armor was used for both tournaments and jousts.
Alarmed at the number of deaths in tournaments, the Church banned the competitions in the 12th century, threatened excommunication for participants and refused to bury those killed in tournaments. But the contests continued. England's King Richard I, an eager tourneyer, responded with a licensing system for tournaments that would allow them to be legally held at five sites in England, all areas controlled by his supporters. Other knights would travel throughout Europe in search of private tournaments where they could "increase [their] fame," as one 13th century invitation reads.
By the 16th century, however, the tournament had become a theatrical event whose pageantry far outweighed any military purpose. As pikes, heavy swords and artillery gained ground on Europe's battlefields, the jousting knight slowly disappeared into the realm of story books.
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Falcons like this one often accompanied a knight into battle.
A knight's real challenge -- keeping his visor up
How to tell two knights apart? By their coat of arms
Medieval knights often wore up to 55 lbs. of armor.
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