1.What
were the Crusades? When did they start? How many Crusades were there?
The
Crusades were military campaigns sanctioned by the Latin Roman
Catholic Church during the High
Middle Ages and Late
Middle Ages.
2.What
were medieval castles like?
A
castle (from
Latin:
castellum)
is a type of fortified
structure built in Europe
and the Middle
East during the Middle
Ages by nobility.
Scholars debate the scope of the word castle,
but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a
lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace,
which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a
residence for nobility; and from a fortified settlement, which was a
public defence – though there are many similarities among these
types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has
been applied to structures as diverse as hill
forts and country houses. Over the approximately 900 years that
castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many
different features, although some, such as curtain
walls and arrowslits,
were commonplace.
3.Who
could become a knight?
Knighthood
training was a long and often arduous process. Knighthood training
began in early childhood when a basic education and good manners and
rules of etiquette were taught at home. At the age of 7 young boys
were sent away to the castles and homes of wealthy lords or relatives
to embark on their knighthood training. From the age of seven to
fourteen these young boys were given the role of a Medieval
Page.
From fourteen to twenty-one these 'apprentice knights' were referred
to as Squires
.
The different types and styles of Knighthood training depended on the
age and strength of the apprentice knights. Knighthood training was
focussed on weapon practise which included enhancing skills in
horsemanship, the two-handed sword, battle axe, mace, dagger and
lance.
4.How
did a boy become a knight?
For
almost seven hundred years between the ninth and sixteenth centuries
knights were the lords of the battlefield, admired and respected for
their abilities and their chivalry and courage. So how did a boy in
these centuries become a knight?
Becoming a knight was a
tradition that changed over the centuries of the middle ages and by
around the sixteenth century, with the advent of gunpowder and
firearms, had pretty much become just a symbolic title. But there was
a commonly accepted normal route that a boy could take in his quest
to become a knight during the height of the Middle Ages when
knighthood was important.
5.What
were the basic rules of the Code of Conduct and Chivalry of the
knight?
The
Knights Code of Chivalry was part of the culture of the Middle Ages
and was understood by all. A Code of Chivalry was documented in 'The
Song of Roland' in the Middle Ages Knights period of William the
Conqueror who ruled England from 1066. The 'Song of Roland' describes
the 8th century Knights of the Dark Ages and the battles fought by
the Emperor Charlemagne. The code has since been described as
Charlemagne's Code of Chivalry. The Song of Roland was the most
famous 'chanson de geste' and was composed between 1098-1100,
describing the betrayal of Count Roland at the hand of Ganelon, and
his resulting death in the Pyranee Mountains at the hands of the
Saracens. Roland was a loyal defender of his liege Lord Charlemagne
and his code of conduct a description of the meaning of chivalry.
6.What
kind of armour and weapons did knights use?
The
sword was a standard fighting weapon long before the evolution of the
medieval knight. Nevertheless, the medieval knight found the sword to
be an effective weapon. Medieval swords usually were made from a mild
steel (low carbon steel). Most swords were double-edged, and featured
a crossguard, hilt, and pommel. Many surviving examples of medieval
swords feature some form of engraving, such as a prayer, or the sword
owner's name. How elaborate the sword was decorated depended upon its
owner's wealth, with some of the more intricate ones encrusted with
jewels and fine engravings.
