Biography of medieval knights

They lived, as it was started, how their fathers and great -grandfathers and great -great -great -grandfathers lived. The exception was, perhaps, knights, in whose lifestyle, certain changes took place. At first, it was just to be a knight to be a warrior, to carry a vassal, as a rule, equestrian military service to his lord. However, in endless medieval external and internal wars, a new ideology and psychology of chivalry was gradually formed; A fair share of aristocracy and nobility, even some courtesy in the best sense of the word, was added to the image of an illiterate military man.

The knight became not just a warrior, but the standard of noble aspirations and feelings, the concept of chivalry became a synonym for fidelity, which in a medieval society was considered almost impermissible luxury. Even the king could not always boast of the fidelity of his own subjects, but what can we say about ordinary mortals? The knights have formed their own concepts of honor and nobility.

First of all, the knight had to be a kind Christian and obliged everywhere and everywhere to fight for the Christian faith and protect it. He had to protect the weak, always keep this word. The knight had to be faithful to his lord and had to be able to stand up for his life and dignity. And also, the skills of knights were completely unnecessary to play musical instruments, to compose poems and poems dedicated to the beautiful lady who was simply obliged to have every self -respecting knight.

At the same time, it should be noted that the beautiful lady was supposed to remain for the knight an unattainable value. In her honor, he could compose poems and songs, he could fight for her favorable look at the tournaments and do more, God knows how many military exploits on the battlefield, but the knight, as a rule, could not possess the lady of his heart.

So, often beautiful ladies, the knights elected ladies of married and, according to all the medieval rules of etiquette, praised their beauty and virtue, and sighed exclusively Platonically about them. Even the queen could well become a beautiful lady of some glorious knight, because, as you know, even a cat is allowed to look at the king. Of course, all the boys of the medieval pore dreamed of becoming a knight.

But for this I had to work hard. Fifteen years old is the most suitable age for a squire. It was at this age that the boys entered the service of the knight, everywhere, like a shadow, following his master. Glass-frozen parties held the shield, served a spare weapon during the battle, looked after horses.

For several years of service, the boy was a man and he could already claim to be dedicated to knights. On the night before the dedication, the future knight had to pray all night on his knees, asking the Lord’s strength and courage, and the nobility of thoughts, and stamina, so that in the future he had enough courage not to shame the honorary title of a knight. In the morning, he confessed, performed a ritual ablution, put on the snow -white clothing of Neophytus and, laying his hands on the holy gospel, solemnly swore to observe all the written and unwritten laws of knights.

After that, one of the knights or father of the young man took out a sword from the scabbard and touched Neophyte’s shoulders three times. Then the young man was awarded his own sword, with whom he henceforth did not part anymore. Anyone who dedicated the boy to knights three times beat him on his cheeks, saying: “Be brave! Even the king, passing the obligatory dedication to the knights, did not have the right to resist these ritual slags.

During the war, however, the ritual of initiation into the knights passed a little more modest. The knight spent almost all his free time either on the hunt or in war. War is a nurse not only of knights, but also of any other warriors. Marauding in the captured territories, people made themselves if not a state, then at least somehow compensated for many years of military deprivation.

Another way to earn a living for a knight was knightly tournaments. This semi -native is half -sports fun, on which the knights fought with each other, trying to knock the opponent out of the saddle with a blunt end of the spear. A knight defeated to the ground was supposed to give his horse and his armor to the winner, but since it was considered a shame to be left without a horse and armor for a knight, the winner immediately returned his winning to the knightly armor to the knightly armor cost about the same as a little cows, heads, edcs, so that some knights earned their lives.

Traveling from city to city and taking part in knightly tournaments, in parallel in all cities glorifying the name of her beautiful lady.