Warriors and Arms
In peacetime a castle was guarded by just a small
garrison of men. A typical garrison had about 12
soldiers armed with longbows and crossbows.
Sometimes, local men who owed their lord military
service would also be put on guard duty. They were
usually poorly equipped so the castle armourer had
to make sure that there was always a supply of
arms. Ordinary soldiers would fight on foot, they
were protected by a simple padded tunic or by bits
of armour they had found on the battlefield. Most
fought with a knife, a halberd (a blade fixed to a
long pole) or maybe a sword. The knights could
afford better, a knights sword, horse and armour
could cost as much as a peasants lifetime wages.In
battle a knight used his lance to knock his enemies
off their horses. But his most treasured possession
was his sword.
In times of war, a king would call on his lords and their knights to fight. Each knight had to
provide his own armour and warhorse. Kings often hired mercenaries-professional soldiers who
did not owe loyalty to a particular lord-to make up a stronger fighting force.
Deadly weapons
The most frightening sound in battle was the hissing flight of steel tipped arrows. A skilled
bowman could hit a target 90 metres away and fire up to 12 arrows a minute. Crossbows were
even more accurate, but slower to load.
Weapons used by both
attackers and
defenders. Some were
made for the knight,
others belonging to the
peasantry were usually
found on the battlefield,
in who,s interest it was
to upgrade their
weapons at every
opportunity
After breakfast the ceremony called dubbing would begin. The lord tapped the man on the neck with a sword,
followed by a sharp blow with the hand. He was then presented with his own sword, usually a gift from his father
or the lord himself. Finally the newly made knight returned to the chapel for a blessing from the priest.
The knight's vigil
The evening before becoming a knight, a
young man was bathed and shaved.
Esquires dressed him in simple robes and he
was led to a chapel where he spent the
knight in prayer. His night-time vigil over,
the young man was dressed in the finest
clothes and sent to the great hall, where his
family and friends would be waiting to greet
him.
Becoming a knight
Knights were the most important fighting men in the middle ages.
The first knights appeared in the 1700s after a new invention
arrived in Europe from Asia. This was the stirrup-a footrest which
helped soldiers fight in the saddle and charge the enemy.Soon,
cavalry became the most important part of the army, and knights
became more and more powerful.
The page served in the great hall, so that he learned
good manners. He spent long hours practicing his
swordplay, using a wooden sword. An esquire helped
his knight prepare for battle. If an esquire had been
especially brave in battle, he was knighted on the
battlefield.
The page
At the age of seven a boy who was going to be a knight went to live with a noble
family as their page. He served at meals, helped the lord dress in the mornings and
learned how to ride and fight.
At the age of 14 the page became a knight's esquire. He was expected to follow his
master into battle, and look after his horses and armour. Most esquires had
become knights by the time they were 21 years old.
There was more to
knighthood than fighting,
there was also chivalry.
At first this word meant
horsemanship, but by the
1100s it came to mean a
whole way of life. Knights
were expected to be
brave and honourable, to
protect the weak, and to
respect women. Tales on
ancient chivalry became
very popular in the
Middle Ages, but even
so, many knights failed to
live up to these high
standards
Armour
The first knights were protected by
a Hauberk. Over the top, they wore
a surcoat which stopped them
getting too hot in the sun. The
Hauberk was made of chain
mail-small metal rings which were
linked together. In the 1300s, mail
coats became shorter and metal
plates of armour were added to
protect the chest, knees, thighs and
arms. By the 1400s, the whole body
was covered by a suit of plate
armour.A suit of armour weighed
about 20 to 25 kilograms. Even
though it looked difficult to move
around in, it was quite flexible and a
knight could easily manoeuvre in
battle. Plate armour offered much
more protection than chain mail
against the cuts and blows of a
sword or mace. But it was still no
defence against the lethal power of a
steel tipped crossbow bolt or a well
aimed longbow shaft.
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CASTLE
WARRIORS