Medieval Life

MEDIEVAL HISTORY

There are volumes of books and countless collections of medieval history in homes and museums all over the world. If you ask people to list a few things belonging to the Medieval Ages, most all will include chivalrous medieval knights, huge fortified castles, very long medieval swords and, of course, "a damsel in distress".

But how did the medieval knights get started?

As the Frankish Empire collapsed no central government existed. Ambitious noblemen kept their lands and made them into private jurisdictions with hereditary powers. Soon a new class of unproductive nobles developed from lesser lords who were granted protection by the barons in exchange for certain obligations, including military service. This lead to the professional medieval knight (or chevaliers) as a new occupation.

Some medieval knights demonstrated mastery of the many core skills, as well as, possessing honor and virtue. It was 1346 when the first Order of Knighthood, The Gata, was created by King Edward III as he knighted a select group of the best medieval knights in the first knighting ceremony to ever take place.

MEDIEVAL CASTLES

Medieval castles are majestic visions of grandeur and allow you a glimpse into medieval life. Medieval England, Germany, France, Spain and most European countries are all dotted with medieval castles.

Overall, the medieval castle is well known and endless examples exist. Many have been destroyed through battles in the middle ages or eroded over time, but other medieval castles have been converted into museums or hotels for people to enjoy a fabulous vacation – reliving medieval history.

Initially designed to keep any attacking force out, medieval castles eventually became prisons when under siege (surrounded and attacked for months or even years). Designs of medieval castles varied widely, but commonly included a moat or utilization of high ground, as well as high walls and towers.

Interestingly, the medieval English architects built medieval castles with square shaped towers (with right angles). This squared tower design created blind spots opposing forces could take advantage of during a siege. It was not until the first Crusades that a solution was discovered. Medieval knights abroad found the round-shaped towers of Middle Eastern fortresses much more difficult to attack because the blind spots were gone. As soon as word of this new round tower design reached medieval England, every new castle built had round towers.

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

Oddly enough, stirrups played a very important role in the evolution of medieval warfare. Prior to the Medieval Ages, cavalrymen had difficulty controlling their horses and maintaining their balance. The solution to this problem was found in a few leather straps.

About 500 AD, nomads in Inner Asia created "foot loops" which quickly evolved into stirrups. Now the rider had improved control of the horse, could stand in the stirrups to shoot arrows, and brace for an impact. With the rider now stabilized on the horse, it became much more difficult to knock them off their mounts.

Throughout the medieval period many different styles of stirrups were used in an attempt to find the perfect design suitable for medieval warfare and medieval jousting. (Additional information on medieval warfare is mentioned within some sections below.)

One of the other most influential advancements in medieval warfare came from the Assyrians. It was about 900 BC when the Assyrians developed the batteringram, one of the most devastating weapons in history. The destructive power of the batteringram allowed for the penetration of most any obstacle, and it remained a primary siege weapon until the invention of gunpowder and canons.

If you review medieval history and warfare, three common reasons (or types) of war can be identified:

• Defensive (to resist invasion)
• Expansion (3 Crusades, Norman & Germanic wars, etc.)
• Petty Confrontations (family feuds & rival lords)

MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS

Many people envision medieval knights as chivalrous men of great honor and bravery. While this is true for some of the most noble of medieval knights, the majority of medieval knights were actually 'hired protection' (see Medieval History above for more information). Nobles and wealthy landowners needed protection from neighboring nobles who wanted to expand and capture more lands. Highly skilled medieval knights were the solution.

These medieval knights lived the life of luxury with the best food, drink and companionship available. "Work" for a medieval knight might include threatening or tormenting neighboring lands on behalf of an aggressive noble, or participating in a group of medieval knights sent to lay siege against the targeted noble's castle until he surrendered or was killed.

Just like most quarrels, neighboring nobles would put their differences aside when the nation was being invaded. Medieval England is a great example. Frequently the target of invasion, medieval England had to mass an army quickly... and a paid army of nationalist was always found in the medieval knights.

Becoming a medieval knight was no easy task and required many skills and years of training. Typically, boys of nobility would be allowed to function as a squire throughout his youth. He would learn from his knight just as one learns from a teacher.

Once of age, the squire would be advanced through formal training and eventually tested. If successful, he would be dubbed a knight in a formal knighting ceremony. The first knighting ceremony ever to take place was in 1346, when King Edward III created the first Order of Knighthood, The Gata.

MEDIEVAL SWORDS

In the medieval ages, the right to bear arms was heavily restricted by the aristocracy. Laws were passed making it illegal for peasants and the lower classes to own medieval swords - even if it was a gift or family heirloom. As well, the reality was that medieval swords were also expensive, and only the wealthy could afford them. This not only prevented an armed uprising, but maintained the lower class' need for the nobility to protect them from rival nobles and invaders.

The medieval sword itself evolved from a very long, wide-bladed hacking weapon in the early Medieval Ages, to an extremely balanced two-handed sword with a reinforced tapering blade, also known as the cut-and-thrust sword.

Other styles of medieval swords were very popular, including the single-handed broadsword, hand-and-a-half, and medieval rapier. The era of the medieval sword as the dominant blade of choice soon ended and can be attributed to three primary factors:

• A new sport for the elite developed called fencing.
• The invention of gunpowder, guns and canons.
• A shift in mainstream fashion to no longer wear swords.

Learn more about medieval swords in the following sections:

• History of Medieval Swords & Daggers
• Cultural Traditions and Sword Rituals
• Basic Sword Parts
• Differences In Sword Materials

MEDIEVAL ARMOR

Medieval armor (also known as 'medieval armour' in the old English) evolved throughout medieval history as new and more deadly medieval weapons were created. The earliest form of medieval armor was simply a long chain mail shirt, coif (chain mail hood), and chain mail leggings. As advancements in medieval armor were made, the simple protection became the standard medieval armor for infantrymen, archery men and squires.

Soon thereafter, medieval knights realized chain mail alone was insufficient protection. Plate armoring was the answer. This was not the "full suit" of medieval armor we typically envision when we think of a medieval knight, but rather sections of body armor tied to the chain mail. This plate armor included these basic pieces as shown in the photo below:

• (A) Cuirass with Tassets (breastplate, backplate, thigh plate)
• (B) Pauldrons (shoulder protection)
• (C) Rerebrace, vambrace, couter (arm protection)
• (D) Gauntlets (metal gloves)
• (E) Chain Mail
• (H) Helmet (slade with bevor)

Wearing this much medieval armor, combined with advances in medieval knight swordplay, soon made medieval shields obsolete. Medieval swords and a few personally favored medieval weapons were all medieval knights needed in battle.

As weapons improved, thicker armor was needed and additional armoring areas only protected by chain mail. This lead to the development of the full-suit armor associated most commonly with medieval knights.

These new swordplay skills (founded in Germany) allowed the professionally trained medieval knights to hold-off between 6 or 8 adversaries at one time. This must have been a fabulous sight... and it was! For tales of these heroic battles quickly spread and forever instilled the knight in medieval history.

By 1400, widespread use of full suits of plate armor had been established with the best medieval armor coming from Milan and Nierenberg. Back in medieval England, King Henry VIII (1509-1547) decided to capitalize upon the new industry of armor manufacturing and break the monopoly of these continental rivals. He created his own workshops in Greenwich and staffed it with highly skilled artisans from abroad.

MEDIEVAL WEAPONS

As medieval knights found themselves engaged in one-on-one combat, other medieval weapons became a necessity when their medieval swords broke or were unavailable. Although medieval knights had a variety of weapons to choose from, each knight often had one or two medieval weapons he favored most.

The most common medieval weapons included the:

• Axe
• Flail
• Mace
• War Hammer

References:

• Medieval Combat, by Mark Rector
• Halbritter's Arms through the Ages, by Kurt Halbritter
• Swords, Daggers & Cutlasses, by Gerald Weland
• Knights & Armor, by Sadel Doc
• The Roman Invasion of Britton, by Kultur
• Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight, by David Edge
• Arms Through the Ages, by William Reid
• Weapons of War, by P.E. Cleator
• Weapons, An International Encyclopedia from 5000 BC to 2000AD, by The Diagram Group
• Warriors & Weapons of Early Times, by Niels M. Saxtorph
• Book of the Sword, by Richard Francis Barton
• A Knight and His Weapons, by Ewart Oakeshott
• Metallurgical Analysis: Grades of Steel, By WarAngel, with special thanks to Motoyasu and Bob Engnath (Highlander's Sword Shopper's Guide)
• Medieval Warfare: A History, by Maurice Keen
• War in the Middle Ages, by Philippe Contamine
• The Roman Sword in the Republican Period & After, by James Hurst
• Soul of the Sword, by Robert L. O'Connell
• Shoshone Medieval Teaching Tool
• Franciscan University of Steubenville
• The History Net
• Choose a Weapon, Shaolin-Society
• Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
• A Record of European Armour and Arms Through Seven Centuries, by Sir Guy Francis Laking
• European Mediæval Sword, Lee A. Jones
• From Rapier To Langsax: Sword Structure in the British Isles in the Bronze and Iron Ages, by Niko Silvester
• Association for Renaissance Martial Arts
• Dress, Jewels, Arms and Coat of Arms: Material Culture and Self-Representation in the Late Middle Ages, Central European University and Russel Mitchell, Vladimir Baranov, Annamaria Kovacs, Dora Sallay, Elena Lemeneva, Kiss Farkas Gabor

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