This is the story of soldiers who fought on horseback from around AD1000 to about 1600-dangerous men,
dark knights. Men who said they'd be true to their leader (some hope), polite to everyone (fat chance) and
defend the weak (you must be joking).
After about 1600 knights were any men or women the monarch chose to honour. They didn't have to
serve the monarch with sword and a horse- in fact a lot of them couldn't sit on a horse without falling off
or hold a sword without dropping it on someone's foot. So after 1600 knights get about as exciting as two
snakes having a boxing match.
This is also the story of the homes they lived in, fought in and fought to get in their castles. A bungalow at
Brighton wasn't good enough for a knight, oh no. He had to build a posh stone pile with creepy corridors,
twisting turrets, bleak building from their bloodstained battlements, to their dismal dank and dingy
dungeons. Why didn't they settle for a house in the country? Because they thought a castle was safe!
But were there ways of cracking open a castle and deading desperate defenders? Read on and find out
dark knights. Men who said they'd be true to their leader (some hope), polite to everyone (fat chance) and
defend the weak (you must be joking).
After about 1600 knights were any men or women the monarch chose to honour. They didn't have to
serve the monarch with sword and a horse- in fact a lot of them couldn't sit on a horse without falling off
or hold a sword without dropping it on someone's foot. So after 1600 knights get about as exciting as two
snakes having a boxing match.
This is also the story of the homes they lived in, fought in and fought to get in their castles. A bungalow at
Brighton wasn't good enough for a knight, oh no. He had to build a posh stone pile with creepy corridors,
twisting turrets, bleak building from their bloodstained battlements, to their dismal dank and dingy
dungeons. Why didn't they settle for a house in the country? Because they thought a castle was safe!
But were there ways of cracking open a castle and deading desperate defenders? Read on and find out
Timeline.
About AD500, China
The stirrup was invented. Now warriors can fight on horseback, without falling off.
About AD1000, France
Norman horsemen stop throwing spears and start using them underarm to stab. The lance is born. The
clever Normans invent chain mail at around the same time.
1041, Winchester.
First mention of jousting in England,-knights charging at one another with lances for sport.
1050,s Europe
Soldiers begin to swear not to hurt women, children or priests and not to fight on holy days or between
Thursday and Sunday. (That left 80 days a year) The idea of knighthood starts to grow.
1066, William the Conqueror invades England and his Norman conquerors start building castles with
square wooden walls and towers to defend themselves
1086, England
The Doomsday book describes all the lands and lords in England. But no knights are mentioned. But the
king "dubbed" his son this year-he touched his shoulders with a sword and the boy became a knight.
1095, Pope Urban II asks for knights to defend the Christian church in Jerusalem and throw out the
Turkish rulers. It's the start of the first Crusade.
1096 The Peasants Crusade.
Led by Peter the Hermit sets off for Jerusalem before! The knights and most are massacred.
Early 1100s
Castles are being made from stone now. Tournaments turn war into sport.
1120.
The Knights Templar is formed-fighting monks who protect the pilgrims in Jerusalem.
1130
Pope Innocent II bans tournaments because he thinks the knights shouldn't die fighting, unless it's on the
battlefield.
1135
Civil war in England, Every powerful man builds a castle and King Stephen is powerless to stop them.
1145
A second Crusade is organised and fails miserably. God was supposed to protect crusaders, so he gets the
blame.
1186, Germany.
A new law says only the sons of knights can become knights, Peasants stay peasants. But brave English
peasants can be knighted by the king.
1187, A third crusade has lots of great kings(like Richard the Lionheart) but does little better than the
second one.
Late 1100s, Poems about knights become popular in France. Tournaments become respectable.
Early 1200s. Knights start fighting in amour plates. Before they used chain mail. The longbow is invented
in Wales; one arrow can go through a knight and his horse!
1261, The Christians lose Jerusalem, so the crusades were pointless.
1267, In England Edward I passes laws to control tournaments, because the events always cause riots.
1280s, Edward I starts building concentric castles in England and Wales-castles with walls around them.
1300s, Rules for tournaments, like no hitting below the belt. Also a scoring system to decide the winner in
a friendly competition.
1315, Switzerland. Swiss foot soldiers use long handled hooked knives called Halberds to pull down and
butcher charging knights on horses.
1320s, Cannon first used in battle, feeble things, so no one worries too much about them, yet!
1331, Switzerland. A tournament injures many ladies when a stand collapses; Worse, when they try to free
themselves peasants pinch their jewels.
1327, Edward II comes to the English throne. Tournaments become more colourful, with bright costumes
and great parades. By now knights are wearing complete suits of armour plate instead of chain mail.
1337, Start of the Hundred years War between England and France. A chance for knights to have some
real battles.
1346, France, At the Battle of Crecy English archers stuff French knights. The power of the knight in
battle is disappearing.
1347, Edward II of England holds a tournament at Windsor and gets the idea for a new group of knights;
Knights of the Order of the Garter.
1358, Torchlit jousting in Bristol, 600 years before the first floodlit football match! And some castles in
Britain and Holland are being built of brick !
1415, The Battle of Agincourt. English archers and horse soldiers defeat heavily armoured French. The
power of the knight is weakened again.
1429, France has its own Order of the Knights now; The Order of the Golden fleece.
1464, Mighty Bamburgh castle on the Scottish border is captured using just two cannon. The power of the
castle is disappearing.
1515, The Field of the Cloth of Gold tournament held in France. Henry VIII is the star, even though rain
stops play most days.
Late 1500s, Knights with lances no longer so important in battles. Tournaments are fading in popularity.
The great days of the knight are over.
1621, Last of the old tournaments held in England.
About AD500, China
The stirrup was invented. Now warriors can fight on horseback, without falling off.
About AD1000, France
Norman horsemen stop throwing spears and start using them underarm to stab. The lance is born. The
clever Normans invent chain mail at around the same time.
1041, Winchester.
First mention of jousting in England,-knights charging at one another with lances for sport.
1050,s Europe
Soldiers begin to swear not to hurt women, children or priests and not to fight on holy days or between
Thursday and Sunday. (That left 80 days a year) The idea of knighthood starts to grow.
1066, William the Conqueror invades England and his Norman conquerors start building castles with
square wooden walls and towers to defend themselves
1086, England
The Doomsday book describes all the lands and lords in England. But no knights are mentioned. But the
king "dubbed" his son this year-he touched his shoulders with a sword and the boy became a knight.
1095, Pope Urban II asks for knights to defend the Christian church in Jerusalem and throw out the
Turkish rulers. It's the start of the first Crusade.
1096 The Peasants Crusade.
Led by Peter the Hermit sets off for Jerusalem before! The knights and most are massacred.
Early 1100s
Castles are being made from stone now. Tournaments turn war into sport.
1120.
The Knights Templar is formed-fighting monks who protect the pilgrims in Jerusalem.
1130
Pope Innocent II bans tournaments because he thinks the knights shouldn't die fighting, unless it's on the
battlefield.
1135
Civil war in England, Every powerful man builds a castle and King Stephen is powerless to stop them.
1145
A second Crusade is organised and fails miserably. God was supposed to protect crusaders, so he gets the
blame.
1186, Germany.
A new law says only the sons of knights can become knights, Peasants stay peasants. But brave English
peasants can be knighted by the king.
1187, A third crusade has lots of great kings(like Richard the Lionheart) but does little better than the
second one.
Late 1100s, Poems about knights become popular in France. Tournaments become respectable.
Early 1200s. Knights start fighting in amour plates. Before they used chain mail. The longbow is invented
in Wales; one arrow can go through a knight and his horse!
1261, The Christians lose Jerusalem, so the crusades were pointless.
1267, In England Edward I passes laws to control tournaments, because the events always cause riots.
1280s, Edward I starts building concentric castles in England and Wales-castles with walls around them.
1300s, Rules for tournaments, like no hitting below the belt. Also a scoring system to decide the winner in
a friendly competition.
1315, Switzerland. Swiss foot soldiers use long handled hooked knives called Halberds to pull down and
butcher charging knights on horses.
1320s, Cannon first used in battle, feeble things, so no one worries too much about them, yet!
1331, Switzerland. A tournament injures many ladies when a stand collapses; Worse, when they try to free
themselves peasants pinch their jewels.
1327, Edward II comes to the English throne. Tournaments become more colourful, with bright costumes
and great parades. By now knights are wearing complete suits of armour plate instead of chain mail.
1337, Start of the Hundred years War between England and France. A chance for knights to have some
real battles.
1346, France, At the Battle of Crecy English archers stuff French knights. The power of the knight in
battle is disappearing.
1347, Edward II of England holds a tournament at Windsor and gets the idea for a new group of knights;
Knights of the Order of the Garter.
1358, Torchlit jousting in Bristol, 600 years before the first floodlit football match! And some castles in
Britain and Holland are being built of brick !
1415, The Battle of Agincourt. English archers and horse soldiers defeat heavily armoured French. The
power of the knight is weakened again.
1429, France has its own Order of the Knights now; The Order of the Golden fleece.
1464, Mighty Bamburgh castle on the Scottish border is captured using just two cannon. The power of the
castle is disappearing.
1515, The Field of the Cloth of Gold tournament held in France. Henry VIII is the star, even though rain
stops play most days.
Late 1500s, Knights with lances no longer so important in battles. Tournaments are fading in popularity.
The great days of the knight are over.
1621, Last of the old tournaments held in England.
Super Chivalry
Chivalry meant a set of rules that knights tried to stick to. They didn't
have to, but they believed they were better knights if they did.
For example you might be winning a fight against another knight when
he lowers his sword and says "I surrender". A good knight would say
"That was a jolly good fight old chap. Come back to my place and for
a bite to eat and we'll chat about your ransom" A bad knight would
say "Your dog meat- in a tin" then poke his enemy in the eye with his
sword.Some rules of chivalry are still used today in battle-enemies
usually allow stretcher bearers with red cross arm bands onto a
battlefield to pick up the wounded. These rules didn't just come from
the battlefield; a lot of the rules came from stories about
knightsNowadays most sports have some chivalry in them-if an
opponent is injured in soccer you might kick the ball off the field to
stop the game so he/she can get medical treatment. There is nothing in
the rules that say you have to. You do it to be chivalrous and most
people call it "sporting".
These knights were fighting for their lives yet they had rules of chivalry
as if it was a boxing match; "I'll do my best to punch you senseless-but
if you fall down I wont kick your head in to finish you off…and I
expect the same from you".
Chivalry meant a set of rules that knights tried to stick to. They didn't
have to, but they believed they were better knights if they did.
For example you might be winning a fight against another knight when
he lowers his sword and says "I surrender". A good knight would say
"That was a jolly good fight old chap. Come back to my place and for
a bite to eat and we'll chat about your ransom" A bad knight would
say "Your dog meat- in a tin" then poke his enemy in the eye with his
sword.Some rules of chivalry are still used today in battle-enemies
usually allow stretcher bearers with red cross arm bands onto a
battlefield to pick up the wounded. These rules didn't just come from
the battlefield; a lot of the rules came from stories about
knightsNowadays most sports have some chivalry in them-if an
opponent is injured in soccer you might kick the ball off the field to
stop the game so he/she can get medical treatment. There is nothing in
the rules that say you have to. You do it to be chivalrous and most
people call it "sporting".
These knights were fighting for their lives yet they had rules of chivalry
as if it was a boxing match; "I'll do my best to punch you senseless-but
if you fall down I wont kick your head in to finish you off…and I
expect the same from you".
Knights had more rules than you have at work. Some of which you could still follow today!
There are some rules that knights believed in that we still have today, We have sayings like "Never kick a
man when he's down" How ridiculous! Who says you shouldn't kick a man when he's down? What better
time is there to kick a man? If you kick him when he's standing he's just liable to thump you.
But, above all, a knight should be a lover.
A knight without a woman was like a bun without a burger, he was empty. A woman friend was someone
who gave his life a purpose. He could..
There are some rules that knights believed in that we still have today, We have sayings like "Never kick a
man when he's down" How ridiculous! Who says you shouldn't kick a man when he's down? What better
time is there to kick a man? If you kick him when he's standing he's just liable to thump you.
But, above all, a knight should be a lover.
A knight without a woman was like a bun without a burger, he was empty. A woman friend was someone
who gave his life a purpose. He could..
Fight for her...
| Write beautiful poetry for her |
Do brave deeds for her
Die for her
| As the German book of the 11th century said.......A young knight should woo a noble woman. He should knock at her door until it opens. He talks with her by her fireside for she will want to talk away the sorrows of her heart. |
Please note 1; Cuddling is allowed but must be kept secret, Public cuddling is not on. I f the woman is
unmarried then her dad will get upset with you, if she is married, her husband will get upset with you.
2; A married woman is best. She probably only married some lord as part of a deal for land. She will be
bored and lonely.
3; Noble women only. A knight who falls in love with a peasants-even a high class peasant who washes her
feet-is a disgrace. It is best if the woman is even nobler than the knight. Loving a Queen is probably best
of all, unless you get caught, of course.
The perfect lover;
Jaufre Rudel was often seen as the perfect example of a knightly lover. And he only got to see his love
once!
Jaufre was in love with the great Countess of Tripoli. She was said to be one of the most beautiful women
in the world. Jaufre didn't know how beautiful because had had never seen her, this didn't stop him
sending her endless love poems. At last she invited him to meet her. He walked into her castle, took one
look at her and was overcome. He collapsed into her arms and died on the spot. He was the perfect lover,
The only man to have ever been killed by beauty.
Every knight knew Jaufre`s story and every knight believed that he was that much in love with his lady.
But the sad truth is that Jaufre did NOT die in the arms of his Countess, but lived on until he died of old
age.
unmarried then her dad will get upset with you, if she is married, her husband will get upset with you.
2; A married woman is best. She probably only married some lord as part of a deal for land. She will be
bored and lonely.
3; Noble women only. A knight who falls in love with a peasants-even a high class peasant who washes her
feet-is a disgrace. It is best if the woman is even nobler than the knight. Loving a Queen is probably best
of all, unless you get caught, of course.
The perfect lover;
Jaufre Rudel was often seen as the perfect example of a knightly lover. And he only got to see his love
once!
Jaufre was in love with the great Countess of Tripoli. She was said to be one of the most beautiful women
in the world. Jaufre didn't know how beautiful because had had never seen her, this didn't stop him
sending her endless love poems. At last she invited him to meet her. He walked into her castle, took one
look at her and was overcome. He collapsed into her arms and died on the spot. He was the perfect lover,
The only man to have ever been killed by beauty.
Every knight knew Jaufre`s story and every knight believed that he was that much in love with his lady.
But the sad truth is that Jaufre did NOT die in the arms of his Countess, but lived on until he died of old
age.
Knight school
Why not train your very own knight? After all, you never know when a dragon might land in your back
garden and start eating the lawnmower! What would you do if you never had a knight?
Heres how you can make one. You can always keep him in the cupboard until you need him.
Why not train your very own knight? After all, you never know when a dragon might land in your back
garden and start eating the lawnmower! What would you do if you never had a knight?
Heres how you can make one. You can always keep him in the cupboard until you need him.
1; Take a seven year old boy.
You could use a girl if you
wanted to, but girls tend to be
a bit too intelligent for this
kind of work.
You could use a girl if you
wanted to, but girls tend to be
a bit too intelligent for this
kind of work.
| 2; Send the boy away from his home, to the home of another knight. No, he cant take his mother with him. |
3; Make your boy spend the next five years
running errands, serving at meal times and
doing other jobs in the house. He would be
known as a "page"
running errands, serving at meal times and
doing other jobs in the house. He would be
known as a "page"
| 4; When he reaches about 14 years old he can become a "squire" and act as personal assistant to a knight. At the same time he can learn knightly skills-using and caring for weapons, armour and horses. |
5; When he's an expert fighter aged between
18 and 21 he's probably ready to be knighted.
He has to be "dubbed" a knight. In the early
days this meant being struck on the back of
the neck or shoulder with the flat of a sword.
Only another knight could do this to a squire.
18 and 21 he's probably ready to be knighted.
He has to be "dubbed" a knight. In the early
days this meant being struck on the back of
the neck or shoulder with the flat of a sword.
Only another knight could do this to a squire.
| 6; From the 1100s onwards the squire would have to go through a church ceremony to become a knight. The night before your squire would be stripped by other squires and given a bath. Cold water was good enough, if your night is too wimpy to have a cold bath, sack him and start again. |
7; Dress your squire in a white tunic and
scarlet cloak, with black shoes and socks. A
white belt goes around his waist.
scarlet cloak, with black shoes and socks. A
white belt goes around his waist.
| 8; Your squire goes to the local church, places his weapons on the altar and spends the whole night praying. A squire who can't stay awake a night cant stay awake a knight. Sack him, because you want sleepless knights, don't you? |
9; Next morning, a priest will bless the
sword and give it to the squire. The squire
will then pass the sword to the knight who
is going to dub him. The squire kneels
and the knight will tap the squire on the
shoulder with the sword. He will then give
the sword back to the new knight.
sword and give it to the squire. The squire
will then pass the sword to the knight who
is going to dub him. The squire kneels
and the knight will tap the squire on the
shoulder with the sword. He will then give
the sword back to the new knight.
| 10; You now have a knight. Send him off to kill a dragon or rescue ladies in trouble, while you have a good knight out. |
| Did you know....? Some squires from poor families could not afford to buy their weapons and become knights. They stayed squires all their lives! So the next time the local squire invites you to his garden party, remember, he may be after borrowing enough for a new sword. |
| Please use the back button to return to besieged, or the forward button to move on to Knights 2 |
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