What was it like to be a Knight in the Middle Ages?

There are many myths about what it was like to be a knight in the Middle Ages, mainly thanks to the Hollywood movies and the legends recorded during those times. The first picture that comes to mind is probably a noble warrior in shiny armor protecting a just cause. While there might be truth in that, one might wonder what was it actually like being a knight in the Middle Ages, and what did they actually strive for in everyday life?

First of all “The Middle Ages” is a rather long period of time from about the 5th to the 15th century, so it’s hardly possible to say exactly what the life of a particular knight was during such a long period. The location where the knight lived also has to be taken into account. However, we will try to give the most comprehensive answer, despite all this.

It is believed that the position of a knight was first put forward as an official rank around the 8th century among the soldiers of Charlemagne (or Charles the Great) and it was already well-established by the 10th century. The knight was foremost a military title and it was awarded to elite warriors who fought on horseback. However, the term could also be used for positions of higher nobility such as landholders. The higher nobles usually provided land, lodging, food, armour, weapons, horses, and money to the knights in exchange for their loyalty, protection, and service.

Becoming a knight

In the beginning, the training was not as formalized as it had become over the centuries, but the general rule was that they need to be rich and noble families. Usually, when the boys reached the age of around 7, they were sent to some lord or knight so that they could begin their training.

The first official role that was awarded to the boys was a page. During this time, they practiced with practice weapons, mastered horseback riding, participated in hunting and performed various routine tasks, serving the knight to whom they were sent and his family. At the same time, they could also receive a good education, but this was not always the case, especially in the beginning. Pages then were tasked with carrying and cleaning armour, taking care of the horses, and packing the baggage. They would accompany the knights on expeditions, even into foreign lands.

As soon as they reached early adolescence (if they were healthy and generally successful in training), they were transferred to the position of a squire, where training became more difficult and included the use of real weapons and even the opportunity to directly assist the knight they served in the battle. Squires were allowed to own their own armour, but they were required to master the “seven points of agilities” – riding, swimming and diving, shooting different types of weapons, climbing, participation in tournaments, wrestling, fencing, long jumping, and dancing – the prerequisite skills for knighthood.

After about 5-7 years of this top-level training, if they survived and mastered all the necessary skills, they were officially knighted. At first, there were no particular traditions associated with this, but by the late medieval period, chivalry became more of what we present today. The knighting ceremony usually involved a ritual bath on the eve of the ceremony and a prayer vigil during the night. On the big day, the would-be knight would swear an oath of allegiance to his lord and vowed to adhere to various aspects of chivalry. The master of the ceremony would then dub the new knight on the shoulders with a sword.

At the early stages, it was enough to show yourself as a valiant warrior on the battlefield in order to become a knight. Later, when the situation became more elite and prestigious, you had to come from a noble family or at least be the son of a knight. Some rich people even bought the titles. However, it is worth noting that not all knights were wealthy, owned their own castles, lands, and the like.

What did the knights do in their everyday life?

Most knights served a lord for a certain amount of time each year in battle or guarded their lands if requested. Therefore it was not uncommon for them to live in the house of their lord, serving as a kind of bodyguards, security guards, sometimes law enforcement agencies, and sometimes judges, mediating in disputes between local peasants, etc. In fact, their daily lives were a kind of hybrid of soldiers and law enforcement. Those who had their own lands, most of the day they were managing the estates and peasants under their control. However, most of them had helpers and a lot of free time.

Most of the time, they did quite ordinary things, such as attending Mass, playing backgammon and chess, and the like. Those who could read had another potential occupation, although books were rather scarce and expensive for most of this period. Other than that, they really liked hunting, as well as attending various tournaments.

These tournaments initially consisted of massive hand-to-hand fights, including using real sharp weapons. The main point, unlike a real battle, was not to intentionally kill the enemy but to simply throw him off the horse and potentially take him as a prisoner. Over the centuries more and more rules have been added to various tournaments, and there has also been a tendency to blunt weapons. By the end of the Middle Ages, the tournaments began to resemble what is often portrayed in films today, although with less excitement. The duel became extremely popular, and instead of wandering around the fields trying to catch each other, the knights had to fight in a certain area. There was also jousting – the martial game between two horsemen wielding lances with blunted tips with the aim to strike the opponent while riding towards him at high speed, breaking the lance on the opponent’s shield/armour or unhorsing him.

The main job of the knight was to fight

It can be said that knights had fun during their free time, but their main job was to fight in times of conflict. They were obligated to serve their lords for a certain period each year. Often they were ordered to plunder neighboring lands, bringing home loot for them and their lord. However, finding themselves in the heat of a real battle was pretty terrifying and deadly as witnessed by the story of a 14th-century knight, Jeffroy de Charney:

“In this profession, you need to endure heat, hunger and hard work, sleep a little and be alert. Constantly get tired and sleep on the ground to be able to quickly wake up. And you are not able to change the situation. You are often afraid when you see your enemies approaching with lowered spears to pierce you, and with drawn swords to pierce you. Arrows fly in your direction and you don’t know how to protect yourself better. You see how people kill each other, run away, die and are captured, and you see the bodies of your dead friends lying in front of you. Your horse is alive, and thanks to that you can dishonorably escape. But if you stay, you will receive eternal glory…”.

As you can imagine, many modern scholars believe that post-traumatic stress disorder was not unusual among knights, as it is today among soldiers.

Summary

To summarize, the life of a particular medieval knight varied significantly depending on the era, location and wealth. But in general, most of them underwent hard training as elite warriors for many years. Because of that, they were much powerful than the peasants and other ordinary men, giving them more freedom and opportunities.

As for their daily lives, they spent most of their time doing things such as maintaining peace, managing their possessions and workers on their lands (if they had them), hunting, partying, attending tournaments, training and, of course, campaigning for their lords or God.