![]() They also did various chores for the lord, such as cutting firewood, fixing the castle’s walls, and cleaning the moat. The serfs worked a few days a week on the lord’s fields. This means that they are bound by law and custom to plough the field of their masters, harvest the corn, gather it into barns, and thresh and winnow the grain they must also mow and carry home the hay, cut and collect wood, and perform all manner of tasks of this kind.” “It is the custom in England, as with other countries, for the nobility to have great power over the common people, who are serfs. The position of a serfs and peasants were made clear when Jean Froissart, a French medieval writer, wrote: ![]() Lords did not simply give away their serfs if a serf was to marry a serf from another manor, the lord usually demanded payment for his loss. Serfs belonged to the estates and in which they were born and were totally dependent upon their lords. Many of the peasants were serfs-that is, they were not free. Although a serf had some freedoms, they were close to being slaves. Below the peasants were menial workers called serfs. Peasants had hard lives and not many privileges, but they were still not the lowest class. The tournaments were an essential part of feudalism as they acted as a necessary training ground for the knights.Īn estate manager and serfs during Medieval Europe. Sometimes a knight could even make a living form it. Tournaments were also popular outdoor pastimes. This expedition could take days and a hunting group usually consisted of many people including friends, household members, and visitors, plus a large number of servants. A common pastime of knights was hunting with a bow and arrow. The Knights, like the lords, also had some leisure time. The Squire served in this role for seven years and became a Knight at the age of twenty-one. Squires also practiced wearing heavy armor to get used to the weight and using weapons. Besides carrying out their duties in the lord’s household, squires learned the martial arts of being a knight. ![]() The squire was an apprentice to the knight who handled the knight’s armor, served his meal, tended his horse and cleaned his weapons. The winner of the jousts was awarded a prize by the Queen of Beauty, elected for the occasion from amongst the women present.īy the 14th-century tournaments became rousing fairs complete with singing, dancing, and feasting which might last for several days.At the age of 14, a page became a squire. A knight accepting the challenge rode up and touched his lance to the shield. Challengers erected tents at one end of the ground and hung a shield outside. The object of the tourney was simply to unhorse your opponent, though often the fighting was so fierce that men were killed. The armour worn in tourneys was different from regular battle gear. Prizes were given to the winners, and some knights, such as the famous William Marshall, made their fortunes on the tournament circuit, much as a modern rodeo rider might in the American West. ![]() Lances and swords were blunted, but tournaments were a place where reputations were made, so the fighting was hard and dangerous. These "war games" consisted of individual contests (jousts), and group combat. Imported from France in the 12th century, tournaments were an essential part of military and social life. Your foe was worth more to you alive than dead. The object in a fight wasn't necessarily to kill an opponent, but to capture and ransom him. In theory, the squire could be knighted on the battlefield for exceptional valour, but this event was much rarer than Hollywood would have us believe.īattles were usually small affairs, fought between the knights of individual lords. This code was rarely lived up to, but it remained the standard for chivalry and proper behaviour amongst the nobility for centuries. He had to swear to the knightly code which asked him to "protect the weak, defenceless, and helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all." When he was judged ready (generally between the ages of 18 and 21) the squire was knighted in a religious ceremony after spending the night guarding his armour before a church altar. From the knight, he learned riding and all the skills of war, as well as hunting, hawking, and other sports. At 14 the page became a squire, a personal attendant to a knight. For seven years a page was cared for by the women of the house, who instructed him in comportment, courtesy, cleanliness, and religion. The path to knighthood began at the age of seven when a vassal sent his son to the lord's house to become a page. After the lord on the social ladder came the knight.
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