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The KnightBy Oliver Viera, Section 5 |
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&nb= sp; The Canterbury Tales’ Knight |
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Ye Olde Knight |
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Don Quijote de la Mancha is a famous story based of knights and t= heir duties. |
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A Knight= ’s Tale was a blockbuster hit incorporating Chaucer’s Knight in= the Canterbury Tales, as well as fundamental aspects of knights. |
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A pictur= e depicting one of the Knights Templar, a famous band of knights that fough= t during the Crusades. |
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Referenc= es: Castle L= earning Center: Medieval Knights, 1997 http://w= ww.castles-of-britain.com/castle35.htm
Knight-m= edieval.com, 1999 http://w= ww.knight-medieval.com/
Knightsa= ndarmor.com, 2001 http://w= ww.knightsandarmor.com/
The Midd= le Ages.net 1998 http://w= ww.themiddleages.net/life/knights.html
The Medi= eval Knight, Think Quest, 1995 http://l= ibrary.thinkquest.org/10949/fief/medknight.html
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A knight’s main weapon, the sword, usually containe= d the family crest on the hilt of the sword. Before one became a knight the= ir sword was specially made for the knight and was blessed by the Catholic = Church. |
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Like any= family of noble background, every knight showed off their coat of arms, or= family crest. This not only helped identify the soldier behind the armor, = but gave a brief insight into the knight’s family history and reputat= ion. |
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A knight= ’s horse is what made the knight so powerful on the battlefield. A kn= ight would train for countless hours riding on his horse and fighting atop = it. Each noble steed was armored in a style similar to their master, creati= ng a lethal team which often stuck fear into warriors opposing them.= |
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= ; When = a boy was eight years old, he was sent to the neighboring castle where he w= as trained as a page. The boy was usually the son of a knight or a member o= f high wealth. To become a knight was a high honor, that only most sons of = nobles could accomplish, mainly due to social status reasons. It was nearly= impossible for a commoner to become a knight. He sp= ent most of his time strengthening his body, wrestling and riding horses. T= he page was also taught by a school master, as a future knight, he is expec= ted to not only be an excellent fighter, but an educated member of society = as well. Once = the page became about fifteen, he took on the role of , or personal servant to the knight. His job was to clean the knigh= t’s armor, his horse, and the knight’s weapons as well as serve= the knight’s every meal. The squire prepared for knighthood. He acti= vely continued to train his body for the grueling future occupation as soli= der to his king. At th= e age of twenty, the squire could now become a knight. Only through proving= himself worthy of knighthood by his lord could the ceremonies begin. = The night before the actual ceremony, the squire would dress in a white tu= nic, bathe, and fast, all to demonstrate that he is pure. The morning after= , breakfast was held for the squire with his lord, nobles, friends and fami= ly before the ceremonies began. Once finished, the squire would kneel befor= e his lord, who tapped his shoulders with his sword, which was blessed by t= he Catholic Church. The squire would then = rise as a knighted man. The k= night followed a strict code, known as the code of chivalry. This code was and is essential to the knight as an elite warrior sw= orn to uphold the values of faith, loyalty, courage, and honor. Knights wer= e expected to be perfect gentlemen. They were to do nothing to displease th= eir woman, and they were expected to fulfill all their lords duties, and st= ay faithful to God. Knights of the medieval era were asked to "Protect t= he weak, defenseless, helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all.&q= uot; These few guidelines were the main duties of a medieval knight, but th= ey were very hard to accomplish fully. With the few rules came many expecta= tions that went along with each. Knights then, were expected to be perfect = gentlemen, perfect killers, and servants to their lord.
Frequently, the power of a knight was used by the church to combat =
the Islamic Arabs of the eastern world. The Church offered many incen=
tives to encourage men to take the Cross and conquer the Muslims, the most =
popular was the pardoning of past sins in tern for military service against=
Islam. The expansion of Islam and the Arab empire through the Turks in the=
11th century caused a note of distress to the clergy of Christianity. The =
conquest of areas in the Christian Byzantium empire helped to spur anger an=
d resentment against Muslims. The Crusades The First Crusade began 1096. This was the only crusade t= hat the westerners successfully won. Over a period of 200 years, knights fo= ught for their God and for their pope.
But knights were becoming a dying breed of soldier toward= s the end of the Crusades, and eventually, the knight became nothing more t= han an ancient soldier with the coming of new military technologies, which = put the sword, shield and armor of a knight to shame.
Although the knight lost practicality in warfare, they ha= ve never lost their prestige. Knights during medieval times were respected,= as they were nobles of sorts, born from aristocratic families. Their honor= s gained in battle also brought about unprecedented reputations that all re= spected.
Many countries to this day honor special individuals with= knighthood, allowing them to carry “Sir” in their name. Knight= s that once roamed the countryside, instilling fear, respect, and justice h= ave become symbols of modern day culture; making their way into movies like= A Knight’s Tale, King Arthur, and Excalibur. Even before the big screen, K= nights were the subjects of numerous books: The Sword in the Stone, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Cou= rt, The Once and Future King, Don Quijote de la Mancha and many more. |
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