Try to imagine that there are two knights in an open field. You watch them from the ground below. One of the knights is trying to protect his castle. They keep fighting until one knight falls off his horse. You are still watching the two. They're still going at it. All of a sudden you see the one knight that was defending his castle make the other knight fall. The knights' flags help you know who is who. This is a scene you might have seen during the Medieval Times.

In order to become a knight, a young man would go through three stages. Here is more information about each stage:

A knight or chevalier was a professional soldier. He usually was responsible for his weapons, three horses, his attendants and his flag. The three horses each had their own use, one for battle, one for the route and one for luggage. He carried a lance for encounters and a sword for close fighting. He had several attendants, one to conduct the horses, another to handle the heaviest weapons, another to aid him in mounting his horse for battle, and the fourth to guard prisoners. A lance usually carried the flag of whom the knight was fighting. The flag was a distinctive mark of chivalry.

A knight had to pay for his own way. He had to take care of his horse and pay his attendants. Countries did not have any budget to pay the knights. Land was the only riches each Lord had. If he wished to raise an army he divided his land into military fiefs. Tenants were held to military service at their own expense for a number of days.

The knightly profession was the only career. Knighthood was not heraldry. Only the sons of a knight or Lord were eligible to its ranks. These boys were sent to the court of some noble where they were trained to use horses and weapons and were taught lessons of courtesy.