Knights of
the King
Knights |
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There were four
types of fighting men during the medieval period. These
were knights, foot soldiers, archers and yeoman.
The knights are the best-known type of soldier from the
Middle Ages. Many stories have been written about them
and they are probably what you think of first when
someone mentions medieval warfare. |
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Knights were usually
the sons of noblemen. When they were around 8 years old, their
parents would send them to a nearby castle to train as a page.
There, they would be taught to fight, read, and write. The Lady
of the house might also have taught them Latin and French.
The boy would then become a squire. As a squire, he would serve
a knight and assist him with daily tasks such as looking after
his horse and his armour. Usually at around 20 years of age, he
would become a knight. There would be a special ceremony in his
honour with celebrations (including a feast and dancing)
afterwards.
Knights often took part in jousting tournaments for recreation
and these were good battle practice for them. An umpire judged
the tournament and the knights taking part had to follow certain
rules.
When jousting, two mounted knights would gallop across a field
towards each other. They would be holding lances and would try
to knock the other person off his horse. Although they used
blunt lances and shields, jousting was dangerous and people were
often hurt.
 Armour
was very important to knights as it provided them with a
protective shield. It was very expensive to be a knight and
these men were usually upper class and wealthy. They had to buy
their horses, armour, shields and weapons. In return for
military service, the King or noble would give them a fiefdom (a
piece of land or property that would earn them money).
A knight had lots of armour and weapons and required a squire to
help him keep it all maintained.
Earlier in the medieval period, knights would have worn
chainmail. This was very heavy and difficult to move in. Later,
the chainmail was replaced by plates of armour. However, these
were also uncomfortable as knights would get very hot wearing
them.
As well as armour, knights also had shields with their family
emblem on the front. These would be made from either wood or
metal.
The knight's main weapon was a sword. He would always wear this
on his left side, fastened around his waist, with a knife on his
right side. Other weapons used by knights included the axe and
the mace (a wooden stick with metal spikes at one end). When
jousting they would use lances (very long wooden poles).
 Knights
believed in and were supposed to obey a code of chivalry.
This code contained rules including loyalty to their King, being
courteous to women, defending the weak and obeying God. However,
the code of chivalry did not extend to peasants. Knights often
gained a lot of wealth by plundering villages and cities they
captured. |
Other great pages to visit in "Life
in a castle" are:
Doctor, Soldiers,
Cooks, Barrel makers, Armourers, Jester,
Jailer, Blacksmiths, Carpenter,
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