What girl doesn't dream of a handsome knight? And I'm no exception. I imagined how a strong, brave and courageous prince on horseback would come to my house and make me the lady of his heart. And my knight found me, however, there was no horse. But is this important?
Who are knights
When you hear the word knight, everyone imagines a brave horseman with a sword in his hand. And that's true though real knights were far from ideal. Chivalry Start form approximately in the 8th century during the era of Charlemagne. These were heroes of their time, but only a person of noble family could become a knight. Idealized chivalric code sounded like this:
- defend the poor and weak;
- always be ready for battle;
- help those who cannot defend themselves;
- don't break promises;
- Homeland is more important than life.
But in reality, everything was not so beautiful. Knights owned castles and surrounding areas and themselves laid down laws. They are constantly fought wars with their neighbors and sometimes were no better than robbers and thieves. The code of honor required that the knight constantly perform feats. But the Crusades did not occur so often, so they became a good replacement tournaments. Here the knights showed their skills.
Everyone has it the knight had his motto and the lady of the heart, not necessarily free. Subsequently, chivalry began to grow stronger and has become an uncontrollable force. But the defeat of the Templar Order practically destroyed this elite military force, and knighthood lost its former power.
Ukrainian knights
Apparently no one will argue that Cossacks- a very interesting phenomenon not only in Ukrainian, but also in world history. These were talented warriors who defended not only their own lands, but also the lands of other countries. Their main law is honor and justice. The Cossacks loved entertainment and vodka. But drunkenness during campaigns was punishable by death.
Not only Ukrainians lived in the Sich, but also Poles, Belarusians, Moldovans and Russians. Cossacks traveled around the world, were interested in the culture of other countries and borrowed various fighting techniques. Cossacks, like European knights, had their own code. The main principles in it were love for the Motherland, care for women, children, the elderly, nobility, charity and freedom.
And among the Cossacks lived the so-called characterniki who are said to possessed magical powers. Neither a bullet, nor a saber, nor fire could take them. They could breathe underwater, see the future and turn into animals. Who knows if this is true or fiction. But the fact that Tothe azaks were real knights there is no doubt.
An interesting story about knights, about knightly qualities and traditions of the knightly movement. The history of the knights
The code of ethics of a modern young man has been formed over many centuries. Gradually, norms and rules of male behavior were developed, an idea was formed about certain character traits that should be developed in oneself from childhood, and about unacceptable shortcomings that must be steadfastly gotten rid of, and the opinion about the necessary moral qualities and moral foundations of the stronger sex was strengthened.
The formation of this code began during the transition from the ancient world to the Middle Ages, at the turn of the VI-VII centuries. n. e., when the vast territory of the once powerful Roman Empire was attacked by the barbarian cavalry of the Goths from the north and, together with a huge army, the power of the harsh and merciless Roman law fell, giving way to anarchy and arbitrariness. Under these conditions, only a warrior, a strong and fearless person, capable of covering vast distances on his faithful war horse, dressed in armor that glittered in the sun (by the way, weighing dozens of kilograms), could restore order, punish offenders and punish the guilty. It is not surprising that such a person inspired awe in the poor peasants of medieval Europe, who were often subjected to cruel oppression by local feudal lords.
The first rites of solemn initiation into warriors existed already in the era of Charlemagne (8th century AD), although the very concept of knighthood, inextricably linked with a certain initiation rite that had already been established by that time, arose much later - in the 11th century.
❧ In the era of Charlemagne, a young man who decided to choose the glorious path of a warrior was solemnly girded with a sword and dressed in military armor, from that moment he became not only the defender of the country, but also the keeper of the faith and royal law.
With great enthusiasm, the young knights fought against the outrages, numerous robberies and assaults committed by local barons, and restored the legality of royal law.
In knights, the qualities of a true warrior were valued above all: courage, bravery, the ability to withstand adversity in difficult campaigns, the ability to make decisions and, even in the heat of battle, to remain calm and reasonable. But no less significant were loyalty to one’s overlord and the ability to keep one’s word: contracts were most often sealed only by an unbreakable oath, to betray which meant becoming an oathbreaker and an outcast in knightly society.
The first crusade took place in 1095, it was initiated by Pope Urban II, who wanted the liberation of the city of Jerusalem from Muslims and the proclamation of Christianity in the Holy Land (now Palestine).
At the initial stage of its formation, knighthood opposed anarchy, lawlessness, and oppression inflicted in a fragmented Europe struck by a serious illness of civil strife. But the gradually increasing strength of the knights itself required control, became uncontrollable, and they began to realize that they were chosen. And then the Catholic Church decided to turn this power for the good of religion, declared the knights to be the true patrons of the faith, whose calling is to protect all the powerlessly humiliated, unfortunate, insulted, and orphaned. For glorious deeds in the name of faith and for piety, the knights were guaranteed a happy afterlife, and on earth the rite of passage was filled with numerous sacred meanings and acquired increasing external pomp, which cast a cloak of mystery and enigma on each member of the emerging knightly orders.
It was no longer enough for the knights of the 11th century to have simple brute strength, determination, courage and loyalty; they were required to be able to pacify their spirit with will, to subordinate their lives to the service of a great goal, most often of a religious nature.
One after another, the Crusades were organized in defense of the Holy Sepulcher, in which warriors fought side by side against the Saracens for many months. Fighting in difficult desert conditions, under the scorching rays of the sun, with frequent dust storms, in a completely unusual environment for young men, required incredible endurance and strong male friendship. Over time, the knights who supported each other began to organize their own monastic orders, the most famous of which was the Order of the Templars.
❧ The Knights Templar (existed from 1119 to 1312) is considered the very first among religious military orders. This organization was very rich and influential and even served as a bank, although its main activity was the protection of Christians in the East after the Crusades.
Gradually, knights ceased to be just warriors and became the real elite of the secular society of medieval Europe, they developed a full-fledged set of rules and norms of behavior, a code of relationships with the fair sex. It must be said that education, the ability to speak beautifully and compose poetry were not valued among the courageous knights, hardened by constant campaigns. For this purpose, there were troubadours - free singers who accompanied the warriors and composed romantic poems about them, full of beautiful exaggerations. Thanks to such songs, the glory of the knights grew, and there were more and more people who wanted to join the brave-hearted warriors.
The code of honor of a true knight required that a warrior constantly perform feats, but the Crusades were not carried out every year. To demonstrate their skills, the knights organized tournaments, which attracted the entire flower of knighthood. In battle, the ability to masterfully wield weapons, dexterity, courage, resourcefulness and, of course, luck were demonstrated.
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Tournaments alternated with merry feasts glorifying strength and courage.
Knightly love was as different from the feelings of an ordinary person, just as the knight himself was not like a peasant, and, undoubtedly, was subject to the harsh laws of the code of honor. First of all, the knight’s love had nothing to do with crude passion; it was purified by a high religious feeling, full of selfless loyalty and did not imply reciprocity at all.
The lady could be married, or there could be other equally insurmountable obstacles between the lovers - this did not extinguish the feelings, but, on the contrary, gave them a new color.
The knight’s love valued generosity, self-denial, providing constant protection and patronage to the chosen lady of his heart, as well as an irresistible desire to glorify her name throughout the land where the warrior’s foot set.
Each knight had his own motto written on his shield. A horse and a squire, and besides all this, he had to have his own lady of his heart - a girl in whose name the knight showed his valor.
Of course, an unmarried lady could eventually become the wife of a knight, but her freedom from other obligations was not an indispensable condition for him.
The knight's most terrible vices were lies, inability to keep his word, hypocrisy and treachery.
Accordingly, the opposite qualities were highly valued - truthfulness under any circumstances, a strong and unbreakable word, respectful attitude towards one’s comrades and respectful treatment of ladies, frankness and nobility.
For faithful service, knights received many privileges: they could sit in the presence of the king, they were given titles and land plots. Only knights could be armed with spears; the warrior’s chest was protected by double chain mail - all this was inaccessible to other classes.
Over time, the knights began to realize the fullness of their power, and the intensive growth in the number of monastic militant orders made chivalry a dangerous and uncontrollable force that threatened the strengthening of royal power. The blow dealt to the Order of the Templars, and then to the rest of the main strongholds of chivalry, broke this strength, and gradually the social stratum of the elite army faded away, leaving only numerous songs and legends full of magical miracles and glorious exploits about themselves.
The very concept of “knight” has been transformed from a designation of a social class into a synonym for a noble and generous person who stands up for the defense of all the weak and offended.
Grade 6 can use an essay about knights in preparation for the lesson.
Who are the knights? Briefly
The era of knights falls on the years 500 - 1500, that is, in the Middle Ages. It was marked by numerous wars, diseases and epidemics. Previously, infantry soldiers took part in hostilities. But since the invention of the stirrup and the improvement of the saddle, they began to fight on horseback, using a heavy spear as a weapon. Then the horsemen or mounted warriors began to be called knights.
It’s hard to imagine a knight without his faithful horse. He not only fought on it, but also hunted and participated in tournaments. Such horses cost a lot of money: only special breeds with strong build and endurance were selected for military purposes. These qualities were strengthened by constant training.
As a rule, knights were wealthy people and lived in castles with moats and surrounded by thick walls. Those who were poorer lived in stone houses with moats filled with water.
How could one become a knight?
The class of knights was formed from the children of the nobility: at the age of 7, sons were prepared to serve as pages. Boys were taught swimming, horse riding, fist fighting and the habit of wearing heavy battle armor. When they turned 12-14 years old, they became squires and left their family to serve and live in the knight’s castle. Here he learned to use a sword and a spear. At the age of 21, young people were solemnly accepted as knights.
Virtues of a Knight
The value of a knight is his dignity and honor. Therefore, he followed certain rules. Also, a knight must be generous. They owned wealth, which they received from extortions from peasants, military campaigns and robberies of neighboring feudal lands. Therefore, they distributed their wealth to those in need and “sponsored” talented and inventive individuals. Extravagance was a common and prestigious phenomenon for a knight of that time. It was believed that in this way he eradicates the sinful vices of stinginess, greed, self-interest and pride.
The knights were also preachers of morality and the Christian religion among Muslims. They demonstrated their military valor not only during campaigns, but also at knightly tournaments. On them he could show another of his virtues - generosity, sparing his defeated opponent.
How did the knights arm themselves?
The knights were armed with armor and various weapons. The vestment weighed up to 25 kg, so the master always had his own squire who helped to dress, undress and give weapons. Often war horses were also dressed in heavy armor.
Under his armor, the knight wore chain mail consisting of 1000 rings. Metal pants, gloves, a chin guard, a breastplate and parts that protected the face were attached to it. The image of a warrior was completed by a helmet and shoes with spurs.
- The knights were small people - their height did not exceed 160 cm.
- Under the knight's helmet, in the folds of his clothing, fleas and lice swarmed. They washed no more than 3 times a year.
- Putting on and taking off the armor took neither more nor less - 3 hours. Therefore, during military campaigns, they often relieved themselves.
- For a long time, knights were considered the most powerful warriors on the field. No one could defeat them. The secret lay in an effective throwing weapon that instantly struck the enemy’s heart - a crossbow.
- In 1560, knighthood ceased to exist as a class of the population.
- The weapons were a spear and a sword. In addition, the knights owned a bow.
We hope that the message about knights helped you learn a lot of useful information. You can add to the story about the knights using the comment form below.
Not easy; therefore, before wearing it, you need to undergo training. It is an honor to bear this weapon; therefore, before conferring it on oneself, one must be declared worthy of this honor. No one is born a knight: a man becomes a knight by virtue of a solemn act; the king himself must be knighted. Let us briefly outline the customs of knightly education and initiation.
Armor and weapons of medieval knights
Every young nobleman who is destined to become a knight begins by learning the craft of a military man: learning to ride a horse, wield a weapon, and climb stairs. But he can undergo training either in his father’s house (this is especially true for the sons of noble parents), or from a stranger (as, apparently, they usually did). In most cases, the father sends his son to some lord richer than himself, who takes the young man into his service and feeds him; hence the word nourri (pet), often found in medieval ballads (the lord says: mon nourri).
Knightly training is accompanied by service as a squire, and with the latter is associated service as a chamber servant, characteristic of knightly morals. The squire helps his master dress and undress; he serves food and serves at table; he makes beds. These services, which ancient man considered humiliating and entrusted to his slaves, become honorable in the eyes of the medieval nobility (they were already so in the eyes of the Germans; Tacitus mentions this).
During this period, which lasts from five to seven years, the young nobleman, called a squire, or damoiseau (little master), is not allowed to bear arms.
Knights. Fragment of the Ghent Altarpiece, artist Jan van Eyck
When he has completed his studies - usually between the ages of 18 and 20 - if he is rich enough to lead the life of a knight, he enters the knighthood through the military rites described in the poems of chivalry.
Knights. Film 1. Chained in Iron
A young man, having taken a bath, puts on chain mail and a helmet. The knight, sometimes the father of the initiate, but more often the lord who fed him, hangs a sword from his belt, which from that moment on he will wear constantly. This main part of the ceremony is called adouber. Usually the knight hits the young man hard on the back of the head with his fist; it's called colèe. Then the new knight mounts his horse, takes a spear and, at full gallop, hits the pre-prepared effigy; it's called quintaine. This is the procedure for knighting in the 12th century.
Sometimes it is limited to even one act - a blow to the back of the head: this is done when they want to avoid expenses. The historian Beaumanoir talks about one consequence, which, in order to be considered valid, had to be carried out by a certain number of knights. Since one knight was missing, a certain nobleman was immediately knighted. One of the knights hit him and said, “Be a knight.”
Knights. Film 2. In the name of honor and glory
Having already posted an article about two-handed swords, I realized that, in fact, I approached the question from the wrong side. As the battle (yup, on flamberges) in the blog proved. First of all, it would be worth deciding who a knight is. Not in the sense of a hero on a horse, clad in armor along with his beast, fighting in a tournament in the intervals between the destruction of dragons. Who was even called a knight?
I propose to look into this issue. But I warn you right away. The topic is in many ways boring to the point of grinding teeth and of little interest. Because you will also have to dig into socio-legal-economic issues, the principles of organizing armies, etc., etc.
And for those who don’t want to get into the weeds, I’ll immediately give a summary, which I will summarize at the end of the post. The word “knight” can be understood as follows:
1. Just a heavily armed horseman from the high Middle Ages. Warrior. Not an aristocrat.
2. A heavily armed horseman who earns his bread and butter. The era of the late Middle Ages. Essentially a mercenary. He may be a nobleman (or he may not be).
3. An aristocrat without any “buts”. All knighthood of which consists in naming (carrying material privileges) and, perhaps, participation in tournaments.
4. An untitled nobleman who has the rank of knight.
And now you can plunge into the abyss of tediousness.
The principle of vassal relations
Before you begin to understand chivalry, you need to define several terms, without which nothing will be clear.
Vassal (French vassalité, from Latin vassus - “servant”) and overlord, seigneur (French suzerain from Old French: suserain) - a system of hierarchical relations between feudal lords. It consists of the personal dependence of some feudal lords (vassals) on others (lords).
Please note, “hierarchical relationships.” And not that “we are all servants of the sovereign.” That is, it turns out to be such a ladder (experts call it “feudal ladder”). At the top stands the ruler. For simplicity, let's call him the king.
One step below him are, say, dukes and counts. The accuracy of the titles is not important now - in different eras and in different states they were called differently. The important point is that these are the owners of huge plots of land. Really big ones, not only with villages, but also with cities. And they are the owners. It is important.
So, the king is the overlord of the counts and dukes. They are his vassals. The barons were located on the third stage. These nobles could own their own land plots (not owned by the count or duke). They might not own it. Or they could just use them. But at the moment it doesn't matter. The important thing is that they were vassals of the count, he was their overlord. But! They were not considered vassals of the king. This is the whole essence of the expression: “My vassal’s vassal is not my vassal.”
A step lower is the smaller nobility, but the system is still the same. The baron is their overlord, they are his vassals, but not the vassals of the duke, much less the king.
Why is this so important? Because it explains the organization of troops, armies (and not only in Europe). The vassalage system was based on a mutual oath (commendation, homage). According to it, the vassal was obliged to serve on the council under his master, perform military service in the overlord’s army (usually for a limited time, for example, 40 days a year), defend the borders of his possessions, and also, in case of defeat, ransom the master from captivity. The lord was obliged to protect his vassal from military attack.
Now let's see how, for example, the royal army was assembled. The king shouted at the counts and dukes. They called the barons. Barons are nobility. There is no regular army - not even close.
What happens if one of the counts decides to send the ruler into the forest to catch squirrels? This happened often. The king simply lost a healthy chunk of his army. And this situation spreads down the chain. Only the count got together with the neighboring duke to sort it out. I looked, and half of the barons were chilling out in God knows where. And the second decided to change the lord altogether (this was possible). And it was not the count who sorted things out with the duke, but the duke who “clarified” the count.
How was knighthood paid?
Now we need to figure out what flax is, also known as fief. A fief, fief (lat. feudum) or flax is land granted to a vassal by a lord. Now, pay attention! Granted for use, with the right to receive income from them. And extremely rarely with the right of ownership and inheritance. That is, while you serve me, use it. If you leave the service, everything will be mine again. Sometimes the lords were kind and reserved the right to use the lands for life.
By the way, sometimes a fief was simply called a fixed income (salary, essentially) or the right to receive income from land (only income - nothing more). But such a system was not very beneficial for the lords.
When the overlord transferred a fief to a vassal, the lord did not lose the right to own the same fief. As a result, the same fief was simultaneously owned by two or more persons. Appreciate the beauty of this solution.
And one moment. Feudal property was conditional and class-based. The conditionality of feudal property consisted of what I spoke about above. That is, while you serve, the land is yours (well, or the right to receive income from it). But under such conditions, any person could manage the land, regardless of his social status.
But only nobles - aristocrats, titled persons - could own land completely and unconditionally, with the right of inheritance, sale, transfer and all other rights. Peasants and townspeople, even the rich, could not become owners of a fief without first receiving nobility.
For further understanding: people who received a fief for use for military service were called ministerials (Latin ministeriales, from Latin ministerium - service, position). And the very fact of transferring fief in payment for service was called beneficiary (from the Latin beneficium - good deed).
By the way, they were not always poor and unhappy people. A fact that was widely publicized at the time. Werner von Bolland was a vassal of 43 different overlords, from whom he received a total of more than 500 fiefs, including 15 counties, and he, in turn, had more than 100 fiefs.
There is one last term to consider. Let me remind you that the concept of “chivalry” arose in those days when there were no longer slaves and there were no serfs yet. And there was a phenomenon called “precarium” (lat. precarium something given for temporary use, from lat. precarius temporary, transient) - the transfer of land with the condition of paying quitrent or working off corvée.
There were several types of precaria. But experts say that the precaria provided had the most impact on the development of society. Its essence was that a small land owner, under the pressure of certain circumstances, not always within his control, transferred ownership of his land (that is, donated his allotment) to a large land owner. And then he received the same land back, but as a precarium, i.e., he was obliged to pay quitrent. This is how serfdom began in Europe.
Where did knights come from?
Now let's decide who we will continue to call knights. Any dictionary will tell us that this word was originally translated as “horseman.” By the way, “cavalier”, “caballero”, “chevalier” are translated in exactly the same way. Now this creates many problems, because... often leads to confusion during translation. Especially if the source is translated, for example, from German to English, and then to Russian. What is meant? The same knight who is in armor and at the tournament? Just a rider? Nobleman?
But this is true, by the way. For now, I propose to simply talk about a knight as a heavily armed horseman. We’ll also keep quiet about weapons and won’t define “heavily armed.”
It is generally accepted that the more or less established foundation of knighthood dates back to the 8th century. And it was founded by Charles Martel, the mayordomo (senior dignitary) of the Frankish court. Frankish, not French. France did not exist then. This man, who went down in history under the nickname Savior of Europe, became famous as a commander, strategist, economist, and business executive. Quite successfully repelled attacks from both Germanic tribes and Arabs. At the Battle of Poitiers he stopped the Arab expansion altogether.
But what interests us is that it was he who appreciated the advantages of heavy (at that time heavy, of course) cavalry. But virtually throughout its existence, this type of army has been faced with the same problem - the cost of equipment and maintenance is too high. The price of one horseman was high, no matter how he armed himself - in chain mail, armor or, God forgive me, Maximilian armor.
Mr. Martel found a way around this problem. He, and later his descendants, began to distribute crown (belonging to the crown) lands to their warriors on beneficiary terms. That is, we give you land, and you give us service. True, most likely, the lion's share of the income received from the lands went to pay for the existence of the temporary owner. But we are mainly interested in the fact that these warriors, who are now called for some reason by the Italian word “gazinda,” were not nobles.
Light cavalry was recruited from “unfree” people (vavassores, caballarii). Not yet serfs, but owning land on the principle of precaria (paying quitrent). But from the quitrent class it was possible to rise to the ministry.
That is, everything happened approximately as follows:
Step 1. Having received a position at the lord's court (or in his army) - get a precarity.
Step 2. Curry up to the status of a lightly armed horseman, distinguish yourself in this field, and receive a benefit.
Step 3: Move up to Heavy Cavalry and earn even more privileges and lands that you can use.
At this point, the term “knight” already appears, but for now it only means a heavily armed horseman, who, for his service, was allocated fief on a beneficiary basis. There is no talk at all about titles and nobility.
Next, I will quote the text from Wikipedia almost verbatim, because it itself is taken from the wonderful book by Rua J.J. and Michaud J.F. "The History of Chivalry". For the first time in Russia, it was translated from French and published in 1898 and republished in 2007 by the Eksmo publishing house.
The authors consider the development of chivalry using the example of Germany. This is due to the fact that, firstly, it was this country that actually became the “cradle” of knights. And, secondly, most of the sources that have survived to our time are of German origin.
So, in Germany there have been ministerials since the 11th century. constituted a special class of Dienstmannen, standing above the townspeople and free rural population, immediately behind the free knights (meaning land owners who took a vassal oath and served the lord voluntarily). A sign of their unfree state was the inability to leave the service at will.
That is, heavily armed horsemen, knights, already form a privileged class. But you don’t know this yet, and besides, they are dependent on their lord.
In northern Germany, where the princes distributed fiefs mainly to the Dienstmanns, the nobility from the half of the 12th century. began to move en masse to ministries. That is, only from the 12th century. nobles and titled persons appear among the knights.
Let us translate into human language: noble, titled people, attracted by the opportunity to receive land plots and income from them, also wanted to be knights. At the same time, throughout Europe, knights were given other “benefits”. And knighthood, as a class, is becoming more and more privileged. But this does not mean that an ordinary person cannot become a knight. Yes, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a career in this field. But there are still opportunities.
But already in the 14th century. their unfree origins as Dienstmanns are forgotten.
Only aristocrats can now become knights, and this title itself takes on the character of an inheritance. And at the same time, an understanding of knighthood that is close to us is being formed: a horseman in armor and with a spear, fighting for the honor of a beautiful lady. And certainly, at a minimum, a count.
Now knighthood becomes impossible to “earn” - it is bestowed. And, for example, in England, even an untitled noble rank is knight-bachelor. Elton John was knighted by Elizabeth II. Can you imagine him in armor?
And we should not forget that at the same time (14-15 centuries) the value of the knight as a separate military unit came to naught. Lenas are no longer given out, chivalry becomes synonymous with aristocracy and generally takes on an ornamental and decorative character. Yes, there are still knightly orders and secret societies (knightly brotherhoods). But there should be a separate conversation about them. And they practically no longer participate in wars.
And now you can choose which knight we mean when talking about weapons and equipment.
