KNIGHTS
The knights were the most important soldiers in the
castle. A boy of noble birth could begin training as a knight at
about the age of seven. He first
became a page and learned obedience and manners. At twelve, he would start his training. At fourteen, he became a squire and worked for a knight. The knight
taught him all the skills he would need in battle. A squire was finally made a knight at a dubbing ceremony
where he was touched on each shoulder with a sword. The night before the ceremony, the knight-to-be would pray all night in
front of the altar with a sword in his arms.
Knights wore armor because they were battered and bashed by swords,
arrows, axes, long lances, and metal clubs called maces. They had to protect
their bodies from many of these sharp weapons and so they made the metal tough
enough to protect themselves.
A Knight went into action when his
lord or king called upon him. Other than that, a
knight's life was dedicated to chivalry, a code of conduct developed among the
nobles of medieval Europe. He was dedicated to serving the poor and needy, and
protecting and loving women.
Page:
A young boy who started at the age
of 7
and trained until they became an esquire at
the age of 14.
Esquire:
A boy at the age of 14 who helps the knight and observes his actions so
one day he may become a knight too. He served the knights by going hunting
with them. He handed them their arrows and observed their fighting technique.
Accolade: At the age of
21, an accolade trained very hard to become a
knight. An accolade had to learn to
use a sword to defend himself. If
successful, an accolade became a knight.
Knight: A
special kind of soldier, or a trained fighter on horseback serving a
nobleman or king, usually defended his kingdom and king. The reward of these knights was land that the king gave.
This site is part of the ThinkQuest Jr. 2001 competition.