Essay about Knights and Thier Role In Medieval Society

By the time of the Crusades in Medieval Europe, Knights were nothing out of the ordinary. A knight's training began at around four or five. It involved them learning how to ride a pony. Around the age of eight, the young trainee would be sent to be a page for a lord or a relative with influence. At this point, they would refine their swordsmanship, improve their horse skills, and would be taught more about their religion. At the age of 14, pages were eligible to become a squire, where they continued their sword fighting skills. They would accompany a knight into a battle, care for him, care for his horses, and would simply hope to be chosen to

All knights were protected by full body armor and a shield and sword. Because of their armour it was easy to identify certain knights from certain places. All knight used many strong large weapons and they also used a shield to guard themselves from other nights trying to hit them. Both of these things were made from steel. One of their biggest advantages were that they rode on horseback.because

To be a knight, his fitness level had to be exceptional enough to last through a long, intense battle. Knights had to face a variety of challenges and were expected to handle them as any knight would. For example, some battles would last long periods of times, so these knights were expected to handle different weather changes, tiredness, and hungriness. The most important qualification that a knight had to have was modeling bravery due to the extreme battles that would be fought. Through these long battles, knights had to stay positive and not give up for what they are fighting for.

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.

At first knights and soldiers in the armies were of little social status. “Many knights in fact possessed little more than peasants” (Spielvogel 244). War was looked as kind of a barbaric act in the beginning and many knights could be found fighting each other. While some of this was tolerated, as they were seen as “defenders of society”, the Catholic Church decided that there should be some ground rules. At the start of the eleventh century, the church urged knights to take an oath to protect churches, and to not harm noncombatants. These rules allowed for battles to follow a civil path and to be carried out in a noble way.

In ancient times there was a hierarchy and as a knight, everything was done to serve the lord of the realm. To be a knight is to have honor and uphold oneself in a manner that's respectable. A knight is a representative of his kingdom and his lord, and he must conduct himself in a manner that is pleasing to his king. A knight must also seek out glory for his kingdom. So to obtain riches, land, or conquer

In??Sir Gawain and The Green Knight?,?the author portrays the nature and code of chivalry as well as the humanistic features of the knights. Knights were but an extension of the king. They were not allowed to do inappropriate things as they were considered the representatives of Arthur. They were meant to treat women appropriately. Chivalry was their main feature.

In warfare today weapons have improved in accuracy and ease of use. With the simple pull of a trigger a soldier can take down his/her intended target. Rather than knights trying disarm their objective with a sword. With the ability to shoot long range it removes the necessity to ride horses, while in battle, to move quicker and more efficiently. However, the way one trains to defend for the common good is similar. Comparatively both knights and soldiers have to go through some degree of training to reach their rank. Although, to be a knight the men must have been born into nobility and women could not fight. While anyone over the age 18 can fight in current day. However, to be knight a young boy would start learning at the age of seven and would continue learning up to the age of 21. Where a soldier today will start training and only train for a couple months to possibly a year.

Knights were usually vassals who decided to fight for higher lords in exchange for protection. They were considered to be in the nobility class. They were usually just military officers. Knights were noblemen who rode on horseback and they followed the strict military code of chivalry, the code demanded that a knight was to obey his lord, to help people, be brave, show respect to women, and honor the church. Many of the good manners today come from the code of Chivalry.

In medieval Europe it was a dangerous and fearless time, as being a knight you weren’t the most outstanding class in the feudal system but you got well looked after.

In the past years, the job of a medieval knight was to fight battles for his lord. They used weapons like daggers, or longswords, and many more. Knights were also referred to as warriors and they are commonly expected to guard a castle. There are a couple of jobs from America today that best relates to the job of a medieval knight. For example, one job that best relates to a medieval knight is a soldier working in the military.

Meaning that this is essentially the ‘laws of being a knight’. By breaking the laws of being a knight you hold be dishonored by the Church, the King, and the people. Furthermore you could lose your armor, However, this was only for knights who dishonored the chivalry to the point where the King has to take action. The King is the only one who can order people to steal their armor.

It was not easy to become a knight. They started off by becoming a page. A noble's son could start training to be a knight when he was seven years old. Nobles' sons had to train with weapons of course, but they also had to learn how to ride a horse, how to behave towards their liege lords and ladies, and even about music and the other arts. It was just like going to school, only their teachers were the squires. Once they reached a certain point in their training, they would be appointed as a squire. A squire, who was generally a teenager, had a different set of duties. They had to teach the pages of course, but they also had to wait on the knights. They continued their training in battle, but also were assigned to a specific knight who completed their training. As a squire you went into battle with the knight and fought at his side. This

The knights were the warriors of the time period in between the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance, also known as the Middle Ages. Knights had to undergo years of training starting as a young boy. Though they were well trained, knights still needed protection. To protect themselves, knights would wear complex armor that usually took over an hour to put on, and often needed the help of his squire. In order to fight well, weapons were essential. A knight’s weapons were sharp and durable. Horses were also crucial to the survival of a knight. France, England, and Germany yielded many famous knights throughout history.

At this point in history the men who fought the wars were lead by their leaders with a code of chivalry. Chivalry can be explained as “the Anglo-Saxon code on steroids.” (McGee) Which is, explained further, a moral system for a good way to conduct fighting. The knights in Arthurian time went even further with that code to say that it was a way to conduct oneself not only in battle, but at all times. Knights, by being chivalrous, were kind to all people, fought well and true, kept faith and believed in the Christian God, and fought for their kings. Chivalry can be found across the Arthurian texts, The Song of Roland is one of the texts that has multiple examples of chivalry.