| Hi, and welcome to Knights 2. Read on to learn more things about knights you never learned in school. |
Not everyone was knighted in a special ceremony. Knights could be created on a battlefield.
Lords would often dub squires just before a battle with the words "Be thou a knight"
In 1388 the English army faced the French army at Vironfosse. Neither side was ready to fight.
Then, at noon, a hare ran across the field in front of the French. French knights began to climb
onto their horses and gather their weapons for a hare hunt. The English thought they were
about to start the attack so the young men were quickly knighted. The Earl of Hainault made
14 new knights in five minutes. But the battle never happened. The 14 knights became known
as the Knights of the Hare.
Did you know?
Normans believed that only a knight could make a knight but Hereward, an English rebel, went
to be dubbed by a priest. He fought so bravely against William the conqueror that he was
forgiven for being a rebel. Other rebels got the chop.
The great garter
These days the monarch of the United Kingdom can make someone a knight in a very special
club- a Knight of the "Order of the Garter". In the middle ages women used ribbons to tie
around their legs to keep their stockings up. King Edward III decided to hold a Round Table
Tournament at Windsor and create an Order of the Round Table. Then something happened to
change his mind.
Lords would often dub squires just before a battle with the words "Be thou a knight"
In 1388 the English army faced the French army at Vironfosse. Neither side was ready to fight.
Then, at noon, a hare ran across the field in front of the French. French knights began to climb
onto their horses and gather their weapons for a hare hunt. The English thought they were
about to start the attack so the young men were quickly knighted. The Earl of Hainault made
14 new knights in five minutes. But the battle never happened. The 14 knights became known
as the Knights of the Hare.
Did you know?
Normans believed that only a knight could make a knight but Hereward, an English rebel, went
to be dubbed by a priest. He fought so bravely against William the conqueror that he was
forgiven for being a rebel. Other rebels got the chop.
The great garter
These days the monarch of the United Kingdom can make someone a knight in a very special
club- a Knight of the "Order of the Garter". In the middle ages women used ribbons to tie
around their legs to keep their stockings up. King Edward III decided to hold a Round Table
Tournament at Windsor and create an Order of the Round Table. Then something happened to
change his mind.
And that's the way it's stayed till this day. Members of the Order of the Garter have the words
"Shame on those who think this is shameful" on their badge-except it's written in Medieval
French; Honi soit qui mal y pense.
But is the story true? Historians used to be very snobbish about the story of the Countess and
the garter. "Nice little story for the kids, but it never really happened" they smirked. Now,
they're not so sure. Some historian's think there's a lot of truth in it.
But, they are not "horrible" historians like me; if they were they wouldn't ask questions like
"Is it true?" They would ask, "What would have happened if it was her knickers that fell to the
floor? Would Ed have picked them up and put them on? And would the House of Lords today
have 25 members of the Order of the Knickers?
Well no, actually, because in the days of Edward III people didn't wear knickers. Just as well
really.
"Shame on those who think this is shameful" on their badge-except it's written in Medieval
French; Honi soit qui mal y pense.
But is the story true? Historians used to be very snobbish about the story of the Countess and
the garter. "Nice little story for the kids, but it never really happened" they smirked. Now,
they're not so sure. Some historian's think there's a lot of truth in it.
But, they are not "horrible" historians like me; if they were they wouldn't ask questions like
"Is it true?" They would ask, "What would have happened if it was her knickers that fell to the
floor? Would Ed have picked them up and put them on? And would the House of Lords today
have 25 members of the Order of the Knickers?
Well no, actually, because in the days of Edward III people didn't wear knickers. Just as well
really.
Did you know...?
By the end of the Middle Ages a full suit of armour could cost up to £50,000 in todays
money. Knights were usually rich lords because only rich lords could afford that sort of cash.
Did you know...?
Tournaments were extremely popular and in 1140 the whole of Lincoln went to see the one
being held there, including the city guards. The Earl of Chester was able to capture the town
using only 3 soldiers!
Did you know...?
A knight could have his assistant, his squire carry fresh weapons to him in the jousting area.
But the squires sometimes got carried away and stared using the weapons on the opposing
squires. A new rule was invented. It said that squires whilst carrying a sword had to carry it by
the point.
Did you know...?
Henry V was a great believer in chivalry. He believed that a knight should not be killed if it
could be helped. And a knight should never be killed by a peasant!
Henry`s favourite groom was a peasant and, in a siege at Montereau, the young groom
accidently killed a knight. Instead of rewarding him for his courage in battle he had him
hanged for killing a man of higher rank!
Did you know...?
A German knight called Max Walther went into a tournament with an unusualy crest on top of
his hemet. It was a spike that held three sausages!
True or false....?
1; When a knight in armour fell off his horse, he couldn't get up and fight again.
2; Stairways in castle towers go up clockwise.
3; Richard the Lionheart had an unbreakable sword.
4; Besieged castles kept in touch with friends by carrier pigeons.
5; Knights didn't always charge on horseback. Sometimes they crept up on enemy tents to
murder them in their sleep.
6; Swords were polished by cloth dipped in vinegar.
7; If a baby was going to grow up to be a knight then his first mouthful of food should be from
a silver spoon.
8; A Crusader would share his tent with his horse.
9; One crusade was led by a duck.
10; Once archers had used up their arrows they had to hide behind the knights.
Answers;
1; False. , Most armour allowed the knight to move easily.
2; True. If someone is chasing you up a castle tower then it's easier for right handed
swordsmen to back up the spiral stairs. A right handed attacker would fight it difficult. But,
some castles like Caerphilly in Wales have a couple of stairways that go anti-clockwise. If you
found you were fighting to get into your own tower then you choose one of those.
3; False. King Richard set off on the Third Crusade and took a hawk off a peasant saying
hawks should only be used by lords. A mob of peasants surrounded him and Richard slapped
one man with the flat of his blade. It snapped. Richard just about escaped with his life.
4; True. The Crusaders learned this trick from the Turks. Messages were fastened to pigeon's
tails, or under their wings, not on their legs.
5; True. On 15 April 1291, a group of Templar knights crept into a Turk camp. They seemed to
forget that tents are held up with rope. One knight tripped over a rope and fell head first into
the ditch that the Turks used for a toilet. He drowned in the sewage. The rest of the knights
were captured and executed. The Battle of Otterburn in England also started with a night
attack and ended with the English attackers blundering to defeat. They attacked the baggage
train by mistake and missed the Scottish knights. It seems dark knights can get confused by
dark nights.
6; True. The sword was kept in a scabbard but could still lose its shine very quickly. A young
squire would have the job of polishing it and the armour with vinegar. Chain mail was put into
a sack with sand and vinegar and shaken about until it was clean.
7; False. The first mouthful of food should be eaten from the tip of his father's sword if he was
going to grow up to be a knight.
8; True. And some knights in the heat of the holy land made sure their horses had water before
they did.
9; False. It was a goose. In 1095, when the First Crusade set off, one group of pilgrims found a
goose they thought had been sent by god. They began to play follow my leader with it until
they ran out of food. Wonder what happened to the goose.
10; False. The archers would also be armed with swords and some even had horses. Once their
arrows were used up they would join the attack with their weapons.
By the end of the Middle Ages a full suit of armour could cost up to £50,000 in todays
money. Knights were usually rich lords because only rich lords could afford that sort of cash.
Did you know...?
Tournaments were extremely popular and in 1140 the whole of Lincoln went to see the one
being held there, including the city guards. The Earl of Chester was able to capture the town
using only 3 soldiers!
Did you know...?
A knight could have his assistant, his squire carry fresh weapons to him in the jousting area.
But the squires sometimes got carried away and stared using the weapons on the opposing
squires. A new rule was invented. It said that squires whilst carrying a sword had to carry it by
the point.
Did you know...?
Henry V was a great believer in chivalry. He believed that a knight should not be killed if it
could be helped. And a knight should never be killed by a peasant!
Henry`s favourite groom was a peasant and, in a siege at Montereau, the young groom
accidently killed a knight. Instead of rewarding him for his courage in battle he had him
hanged for killing a man of higher rank!
Did you know...?
A German knight called Max Walther went into a tournament with an unusualy crest on top of
his hemet. It was a spike that held three sausages!
True or false....?
1; When a knight in armour fell off his horse, he couldn't get up and fight again.
2; Stairways in castle towers go up clockwise.
3; Richard the Lionheart had an unbreakable sword.
4; Besieged castles kept in touch with friends by carrier pigeons.
5; Knights didn't always charge on horseback. Sometimes they crept up on enemy tents to
murder them in their sleep.
6; Swords were polished by cloth dipped in vinegar.
7; If a baby was going to grow up to be a knight then his first mouthful of food should be from
a silver spoon.
8; A Crusader would share his tent with his horse.
9; One crusade was led by a duck.
10; Once archers had used up their arrows they had to hide behind the knights.
Answers;
1; False. , Most armour allowed the knight to move easily.
2; True. If someone is chasing you up a castle tower then it's easier for right handed
swordsmen to back up the spiral stairs. A right handed attacker would fight it difficult. But,
some castles like Caerphilly in Wales have a couple of stairways that go anti-clockwise. If you
found you were fighting to get into your own tower then you choose one of those.
3; False. King Richard set off on the Third Crusade and took a hawk off a peasant saying
hawks should only be used by lords. A mob of peasants surrounded him and Richard slapped
one man with the flat of his blade. It snapped. Richard just about escaped with his life.
4; True. The Crusaders learned this trick from the Turks. Messages were fastened to pigeon's
tails, or under their wings, not on their legs.
5; True. On 15 April 1291, a group of Templar knights crept into a Turk camp. They seemed to
forget that tents are held up with rope. One knight tripped over a rope and fell head first into
the ditch that the Turks used for a toilet. He drowned in the sewage. The rest of the knights
were captured and executed. The Battle of Otterburn in England also started with a night
attack and ended with the English attackers blundering to defeat. They attacked the baggage
train by mistake and missed the Scottish knights. It seems dark knights can get confused by
dark nights.
6; True. The sword was kept in a scabbard but could still lose its shine very quickly. A young
squire would have the job of polishing it and the armour with vinegar. Chain mail was put into
a sack with sand and vinegar and shaken about until it was clean.
7; False. The first mouthful of food should be eaten from the tip of his father's sword if he was
going to grow up to be a knight.
8; True. And some knights in the heat of the holy land made sure their horses had water before
they did.
9; False. It was a goose. In 1095, when the First Crusade set off, one group of pilgrims found a
goose they thought had been sent by god. They began to play follow my leader with it until
they ran out of food. Wonder what happened to the goose.
10; False. The archers would also be armed with swords and some even had horses. Once their
arrows were used up they would join the attack with their weapons.
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