Medieval Knights of the Middle Ages

Personages reminiscent of military heroism and romantic loyalties, medieval knights have become highly-idealized characters that still retain the sense of honor and excellency through the honorific knighthood still conferred in some countries today. However, their story is real, and their influence in European history significant. Here is a taste of it.

History

The history of knighthood starts in the chaos of post-Roman Europe, when local lords would protect themselves using young men well-versed in combat to fend off conquering neighbors or keep vassals under their control. The knights were associated with horse mounted combat and were rewarded with war loot and land. Soon, they turn their land grants into hereditary rights, and rose in social importance beyond their role in the military, involving themselves in politics and overseeing of justice. The ideal of chivalry evolved into a code of courage, honor and faith that held the knights to high standards. With the invention of the crossbow and gunpowder, the role of the knights on the battlefield grew obsolete, and the title slowly evolved into a rather honorific one bestowed by heads of state upon persons of important achievements unrelated to this narrow sense of chivalry and military service.

Achieving the knight status

For those born to knights or royalty, achieving knight status at their turn was a perfectly achievable goal. They would start preparing for this role as early as the age of 8, when they were sent to castles to serve as pages and, later, squires to learn the rules of chivalry and combat. They gain admittance to their rank around the age of 20; from then on, they were required to uphold their code, with no exceptions permitted. If born outside the ranks of knighthood, a young man faced almost insurmountable obstacles to knighthood. His only chance was to prove himself in combat through exceptional bravery.

The code of chivalry

The code to which the knights were held evolved along the centuries into one that encompassed three areas: military, religion and social life. Knights were trained in fighting, with a strong emphasis on horse-mounted combat, but knowledge of the rules of court and a honorable, courteous behavior were very important as well. Crusades played a significant role in defining this code and made the use of weapons for the protection of the weak, defenseless and helpless the main focus in the life of a knight. Staying well-read in classical literature and skilled in writing, music, dance and rhetoric completed the portrait of a knight, who was expected to lead a life of permanent vigilance and improvement.

Idealized and over-romanticized, knights remain a historical example of the strong human need for excellence and honor. The principles of medieval knights, while sometimes served in rather peculiar ways, remain mostly those by which many today strive to abide: loyalty, courage and constant self-improvement.