The Arming of a Knight

What is a knight- what are his duties and obligations?

A knight is many things, not just a warrior- a knight is a foremost landowner and manages an estate. He makes his money through agriculture, rent from tenants and farmers. However, managing the local area can also make him an important figure in local government. He can be responsible justice, as a local magistrate and justice of the peace. He can be a tax collector. He could also get further responsibilities as sitting on juries of higher courts. He may even become a member of parliament.
What are a knight's military duties?

At times of war he will be responsible for collecting tenants for soldiers and for fighting himself at their head- usually for his lord. For not all war is decreed by the king. A knight signs a document called an indenture- so called because it is perforated and torn in half- each keeps a portion of the contract should there be any dispute. This contract states that a knight must "take his masters part, and ride and go- in peace and war".
How is a knight trained?

A boy, born to a noble family would be sent- at the age of around seven- to the household of a neighbor. Here he was to learn many things that make him important and above the common people. He would have to learn to dress a knight- for the wealthy never dress themselves. He would have to learn to serve at table (medieval table etiquette is not a matter of throwing bones over the shoulder and hounds running around for scraps- it was as complex as a Japanese tea ceremony). He would have to learn to read and write- to even understand poetry and law. He would need maths to manage his accounts. He would learn how to handle birds of prey and ride.

At the age of about twelve he would have begun his military training. The hunt would have taught him military tactics- how best to command men and to corner an enemy and how to use terrain to his best advantage. He would have learnt how to use the sword, delivering cuts to a wooden post called a pell. He would have ridden at the quintain- a device with a shield on one side and a weighted bag at the other, such that he must hit it with the lance squarely and at speed so as to avoid the swinging weight. Then he would have been given these exercises in pieces of armour, to begin to learn how to manage the movement and weight difference.

It was written, by one Roger of Hoven, in the twelfth century- "No athlete can fight tenaciously who has never received any blows. He must see his blood flow and hear his teeth crack under the fist of his adversary. And when he is thrown to the ground he must fight on with all his might and not loose courage"
How is a knight made?

At the age of sixteen to nineteen the young squire could be knighted. This was an expensive ceremony. The day before the squire had his hair and beard trimmed. He bathed- thus he would rise clean and ready- a reflection on baptism. That night he would not sleep in a bed, but would be expected to stand in vigil in a church, in prayer and meditation in front of the Alter all night.

On the morning of the ceremony his clothes for the ritual would be brought to him. These are very symbolic- the details are from a French poem of 1220s: -

A white tunic to symbolize piety

A scarlet cloak, to symbolize the blood he would be prepared to spill in defense of the church.

Hose of brown cloth, for the earth that he has come from, and to which he will return in time- a death he must always be prepared for.
An undyed belt of pure white buff leather to symbolize his purity.

In the ceremony he would receive the real symbols of his knighthood. A pair of gilded spurs symbolized his sufferance in God's service. He would receive his sword-, which was always straight, and two edged- one edge for justice and loyalty, the other for defending the weak. There would be the dubbing- he would kneel and receive a tap on each shoulder with a sword. Sometimes the tap could be a strong buffet with the flat of the sword. This had a special purpose: -

It may have been the last he was expected to receive without retaliation.

It might have been to awaken him from evil dreams and henceforth keep God's faith.

It may have been to remind him of the person who gave him the blows- usually his Lord. (We know that witnesses to contracts might have their ears boxed to ensure they remembered the event)

There would be words of encouragement, oaths of loyalty- promises to defend the church, the poor, women and the weak, to refrain from treason or all unjust acts.

(due to technical difficulties with wrap around text, this is all I could post and be able to read it. This is the web site. Enjoy. )

http://destrier.org.uk/