Medieval Castle Tournaments

Tournaments during the medieval ages are not just to show look stunning but, to show how powerful from that particular castle. It also is used for entertaining other kingdoms with jousting. Tournaments can also be used to sharpen one’s skill set. Tournaments can help a knight in battle with the skills he learned from the tournaments.

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.

One of the largest changes from the medieval times was the reason for jousting. At one time knights used jousting, sword fighting and other weapon use to protect the church, but it also became a part of a judicial tool. Jousting was used in judicial Duel and trial by combat. In the Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournament Glossary of Terms website they explained,"Judicial Duel was generally fought between combatants of knightly rank between the appellant and the defendant. A charge of dishonorable conduct underlies the combat, fought to the death before judges. Not a tournament, it is a form of trial by combat. Many of the surviving fechtbuchs (rules of sword fighting) seem to describe techniques used in the judicial duel that would have been forbidden in the tournament, such as piercing an opponent's foot with the butt-spike of a poleaxe" (Knighthood).

A Knight’s Tale Essay People use the phrase “Middle Ages” to describe Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century. A Knight’s Tale is a movie that takes place in the Middle Ages and held many jousting competitions. It is very evident throughout the movie that social status is very important in this society. They use the jousting to better their social statuses throughout the movie.

Jousts were designed to make a knight's more effective at fighting on horseback with the lance, a 16 foot long metal tipped spear. When knights jousted they would try and knock eachother off of their horses with dull lances. Originally knights jousted with sharp lances, but this resulted in a huge number of knights maimed or dead. The casualties from the joust were so many, the church banned the use of sharp lances. A stage would be set up with seats to either sides, the seats with the best view would be reserved for the lord who hosted the joust.

Two knights charged and tried to knock their opponent off their horse. The winners were declared heroes and earn prize money. Jousting was not an actual fight like the battlefield, instead, it was a friendly fight, like boxing or wrestling. King Henry VIII was a jouster, that nearly made him died twice. Jousting can be deadly because their only thing that keeps them safe is the armour and the shield, provided by their squires. Henry’s friend, Charles Brandon was jousting and Brandon’s lance landed close to Henry’s head, that would have killed him. The second is when he was middle-aged. His horse trampled over him, causing Henry to be injured. It was thought that it may have damaged his health and made him grumpy. Even when lances were used in a friendly combat they are dangerous, because they are really sharp, which could cause severe injuries, or even death. Jousting may be fun but it is better to be safe than

By the 15th century, Knights were protecting themselves with full suits of plate armor. This armor was very deflecting which reduced the impact on blows with a weapon. Unfortunately, this was very big and heavy and sometimes the Knights had to trudge around all the way to battle and they got a heat stroke before they even go to the battle. Armor was made to imitate civilian fashion so the armor always had carved patterns in every area on the plate. Armor wasn't the only thing that Knights brought to battle, the sword was the most valuable weapon to a knight which is a symbols to knighthood itself. Before the 14th century the double edged longsword was used for battle. As plate armor became commonly used, Knights then preferred more pointed swords so they could jab through the armor. Another weapon of choice is a mace which is like a big mallet and can concuss the opponent. These wars were clearly devastating, gruesome and bloody and even today these weapons are still very

A knight’s role and the impact heavy cavalry had on warfare have greatly varied throughout the period of the Middle Ages. Although knight’s dominated the battlefield and had a huge cultural value in society you cannot ignore the impact that technology has had on their role. These technological advances such as the longbow, the introduction of light cavalry and developments such as gunpowder and artillery, the tactical developments such as sieges and the general organisation surrounding warfare resulted in knights declining in social value, status and affectability as well as a more dramatic yet gradual metamorphosis into the heavily armoured tank divisions in today’s modern armies. It has always been a greatly contested debate as to when the Middle

Before they could wield swords and fight battles they must start their training early in boyhood. First starting to care for horses and play the harp. Next they became a Paige. They learn archery skills and improve on other skills. Then a Squire who finally practice sword play and improve on horse riding. Last after being dubbed a knight by their king or queen they become a knight. They can now lead armies into battle and joust for the king, queen, lords, ladies, and rich nobles. They had many weapons including a battle ax, a lance, a crossbow, a longbow, a shield a sword and many more interesting weapons. There were also many pieces that made up their armor, but the biggest thing was chain mail. It was a brilliant invention that stopped warriors from getting stabbed but they could still feel the momentum of the blow. A few knights belonged to the king, but mostly the knights and armies belonged to the lords and ladies. Once they find out the king is out numbered by thousands they decide to rebuttal throwing the whole feudal system

The life of a lord and a lady in old times was nowhere comparable to a common marriage in modern days. The lord and the lady would live somewhere to protect them from any surprise attacks, usually being a castle. The castle would be made by stone so it could not be burnt down by enemies. The castle would have bedrooms, a kitchen, an office, and a “party” room among many other essential parts. The castles had many servants that did the work for everybody in the castle such as cooking and cleaning. There were also knights that helped defend everyone in the castle.

With the jousting stick becoming a form of combat, many knights in the Middle Ages met their demise. Throughout the years, many knights had begun to use the jousting stick as their main form of combat. This method of combat, render foot soldiers completely useless, as the knights rode on horses. Soon after, foot soldiers would probably decrease in numbers, while some might decide to become archers, where it is safer. Suggesting that knights would have to fight each other, perhaps decreasing the number of knights

During the Medieval Era, their was not much to do for entertainment besides watch the tournaments that were held all over Western Civilizations. In modern times, many people know what jousting and sword fighting are but not like the way “A Knights Tale” show them. This movie was made in 2001 and was soon a crowd favorite. The modernization of a dark age era gave the audience entertainment through action, love and comedy. The tournaments were very exciting during this era, specifically the 14th century. This movie had many mixed reviews between historians and regular movie goers. There are a lot of great aspects of this movie but also many critiques historically. The movie is a portrayal of the Medieval games which helps a more modern audience

And so, it formed into a specially designed sport during the Late Middle Ages, and stayed popular with the nobility both in England and Germany during the course of the whole of the 16th century. In this early period, a joust was still a "meeting". Combatants would begin riding toward one another with the lance, but might continue with shorter range weapons after the distance was closed or after one or both parties had been unhorsed. Tournaments in the High Medieval period were much rougher and less "gentlemanly" undertaking. The rival parties would fight in groups, with the aim of incapacitating their adversaries for the sake of gaining their horses, arms and ransoms. From the 15th century on, jousting became more of a sport without direct significance to passage of arms.

The medieval castle had many occupations and with many jobs came many people to fill those jobs; they ranged from acrobats to watchmen. Acrobats and Actors were very vital in the medieval era. The travelling circus was originally before the Middle Ages and was amazing sources for entertainment and revenue for towns. As many people did not read and were not fortunate enough for a formal schooling. The actors’ job was very important because they had to show people what had happened in the past. There was not very much training available for an actor, those who had that position were not highly thought of in the people.

Medieval sports of the middle ages were a source of public entertainment designed to increase the overall fitness and military experiences of men and woman. These games, called béhourds, were fought by rival knights and soldiers either on horses or the ground. This was in accordance with the feudal practice that required Lords to bring forth soldiers to protect the king in exchange for ownership of land. Knights that participated in these sports used weapons such as swords, lances, daggers, and battle axes, and thus men were often killed or brutally wounded (“Medieval Sports”). These sporting contests also made it possible for men to move up in the ranks of the Pyramid of Power. Those who performed heroically in battle or were triumphant in competition would become wealthy and considered a part of the nobility, whereas, the peasant class received as little as a purse for their excellence. Similar to the fame experienced by modern-day professional football players, medieval jousters were subject to the same treatment. However, different games were enjoyed by either class of men, therefore stardom was concentrated more toward the nobility. Despite this, many of the sports enjoyed during this time are still around today, some of which have been included in the world famous Olympic Games.