Who was Eligible?

For the majority of the Middle Ages, you could only be a knight if you were born the son of a knight. Knighthood was dor most of the Middle Ages, a man must have been born the son of a knight to become a knight. Knighthood was given only by members of the nobility. As knighthood became more expensive (knights had to buy their own horses, weapons, and armor), rich peasants and merchants wanted to try to become knights, too. By the 13th century in England, if a many could take up arms and pay the fee, he was eligible to become a knight. only on members of the nobility. However, as the costs of knighthood increased (a knight had to provide for his own arms, armor, horses and retainers) and money-based economies became more common, rich peasants and merchants began angling for the title of knight as well. In 13th century England, if a man was free and could take up arms and pay the so-called "knight's fee," he was eligible to become a knight. How to Become a Knight 1. When a boy was about 7 years old, his parents sent him to be a page at another lords castle. A page served the lords family their meals, learned manners, received an education (sometimes including Latin) and practiced battle skills with wooden weapons and horses. (Note: reading and writing wasnt always taught) 2. At about 14 the boy became a squire. A squire was an apprentice to a knight. He took care of the knights horses, polished the knights armor and weapons and practiced horsemanship and fighting with real horses and weapons. He learned to use a bow and arrow and learned to hunt. He also went into battle at his knights side. 3. Around the age of 21 the squire became a knight at a dubbing ceremony, where he was officially dubbed a knight by his father, his knight or sometimes even the king. At this ceremony, he promised to be loyal and brave and to protect his lord, his king and his church. He was then tapped on the shoulder(s) with a sword and was pronounced a knight.

The Code of Chivalry Knights were men that were trained for war, but they traditionally extended courtesy and civility when dealing with their enemies. The ideals they held dear were turned into a knightly code of conducthigh standards that they thought showed how a soldier or warrior should behave. Those standards became the Code of Chivalry. Churchmen liked this idea of high standards so much that they made the dubbing ceremony a religious occasion, complete with a church vigil and a purifying bath. List some of the ideals that made up the code. (Some sample answers follow.) 1. Protect the weak 2. Fight wrong. 3. Seek justice. 4. Be loyal to friends. 5. Be fair to all people.

6. Be true, gentle, faithful and brave. 7. Honor and respect women. 8. Be generous. 9. Dare to do right.

Where did Knights Live? Why? The knights that we study most often lived in Europe, specifically in the Christian lands of Europe. The Christian part of Europe was often called Christendom and the people in this area in the Middle Ages were afraid of the unknown lands around them and often felt threatened by their neighbors. To their south and southeast were Muslim nations and to their east were the Mongol nations. Knights, to the peoples of Christendom, were seen as the civilized worlds defense against the unknown and the Church encouraged these ideas, sending knights on crusades to fight Muslims and other non-Christians.

In the Middle Ages, almost all of the land in Europe belonged to kings. But most kingdoms were far too big for a king to defend without some help so a he would split up his land into manors and turn them over to men he trusted (called barons) to rule each manor on his behalf. A baron swore allegiance to his king and promised to protect his king and kingdom and send soldiers to fight for the kingdom when needed. These soldiers were called knights and swore allegiance to both their baron and their king. Sometimes knights lived in their lords castle. Other times, knights were given their own manors within the barons land to rule and were able to build to their own castles or manor houses. The first castles were more like wooden forts than the castles were used to seeing. These had a keep on a hill with a smaller village-like area below and were surrounded by a wooden fence and a moat. Enemies didnt have a very hard time attacking and destroying these first castles, though, so by the 12th century, most castles and manor houses were made out of stone and were much easier for the lord and his knights to defend. A Knights ArmorWhat did they wear and when? The most common type of body armor worn by medieval knights was made of mail, also known as chain mail. It became very popular around the 11th century. Chain mail is made of many small iron rings, all linked together. No one knows exactly how chain mail was made, but some pictures show armorers using pliers to join the links. We do know that the coats were shaped by increasing or decreasing the number of links in each row, kind of like knitting. We also know that, as time went on, knights wore more and more chain mail to protect more and more of their bodiesthe sleeves got longer, they wore chain mail leggings as well. A chain mail coat (also called a hauberk) weighed about 20-30 pounds and most of that weight was carried on the knights shoulders. Chain mail was flexible and protected a knight against a sword, but he could still be hurt by an arrow, a dagger or a club. In about the 14th century, knights started adding steel plates over the chain mail to protect their arms and legs and, eventually, iron plates to protect their whole body. By the 15th century,

some knights wore full suits of plate armor and didnt worry about the chain mail anymore. A full suit of armor weighed between 45-55 pounds, but the weight was spread out over the knights entire body so he could still run, lie down or mount his horse without too much of a problem. Although it protected a knight very well, plate armor was still very heavy, very hot and difficult to put on or take off. Jousting When a knight wasn't busy fighting battle or on a quest, he can participate in a tournaments and win fame as well as valuable prizes. The most important tournament event is known as the joust. When a knight arrived at a tournament, he was required to hang up his shield among the competitors so that everyone would know who was competing. Knights used special lances for this that had a blunted end instead of a regular sharp end. Sometimes there were wooden areas (called tilts) to separate the knights from each other; this was to keep them from running in to each other. In order the win the game, the knight would hold his lance loosely and keep it pointed just below his target; this helped him keep his eyes on his target. The knight would receive points based on the following One Point - for striking the opponent on the body (illegal to strike on the head) Two Points- striking your opponent so hard that your lance breaks Three Points- if you knock your opponent off his horse Each joust lasts three rounds. Points may be scored each round. If even points are scored between players, the joust will be decided by a sword fight on foot.

Why did knights fight? Though there were many reasons a knight would go into battle, here are some popular ones. 1. To help their king get more land for his kingdom. 2. To win back land that their king had lost. 3. To fight for their church and its causes. 4. To defend their lords castle against an enemy attack.

Defending the Castle First things first, as soon as an enemy was spotted, the defenders would pull up the castle's drawbridge. Then they would lower an iron gate (a portcullis) to form an extra barrier. The archers would fire arrows through slits in the castle walls and through the gaps in the battlements. From the top of the castle, wall climbers were met with hot water being poured on their heads. Sometimes quicklime was also poured; this would make their skin burn. Heavy stones also rained down on enemies. Three Steeds Knights were dependent on their horses, and rich knights had at least three!

1. Palfrey- this was the knight's riding horse. He used it to go on an adventure or to ride to war (in order to keep his war horse rested). 2. Destrier- this was the war horse. These horses were not afraid of the noise of battle because they were specially trained. Some of these horses could bite and kick! A well- trained war horse was worth a lot of money. Some war horses had armor; the headpiece was known as the shaffron. 3. Pack Horse- this was the horse a knight used to carry his equipment. Some knights had multiple packhorses in order to carry all their baggage. Heraldry Heraldry was the entire system governing the use and creation of the coat of arms. When a knight went into battle, no one could recognize him. The coat of arms was very important as it told knights friend from foe on the battlefield. There were very strict rules governing who could use what pictures or symbols and how they could be drawn. Learn a bit about this system by matching the shield flap books with their proper names and then designing your very own coat of arms.

Bible Verses When discussing armor, read Ephesians 6:10-17 and talk about our spiritual armor. Famous Knights Research There are various famous knights (some real men and women, some fictional) who are well known throughout history. Have your student research one or more of the following knights: King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Gawain, Sir Gareth, Sir Tristan, Richard the Lionheart, William Tell, Joan of Arc, The Black Prince, Don Quixote, Rodrigo Diaz, Roland, Teutonic Knights, Sir William Marshal, Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein, Saladin, etc.) Vocabulary Vocabulary Cards and Pocket have been included for you to use for new words you encounter through the course of your unit.