Jousting
Jousting evolved from the early medieval tournament into a public spectacle that allowed the knight to show off his power, prestige and prowess.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, the tournament was purely to train for war,
and was run as a small scale campaign, often encompassing large tracts of land
including plains, forests and even villages. The weapons and armour were real;
death and injury were common, and captured knights might have to ransom
themselves to be freed. As knighthood became as much a social class as a
military one over time, with legal and commercial aspects as well as the
military ones, tournaments evolved too.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, tournaments were a way to entertain and impress the masses. Knights were suffering defeats on the battlefield at the hands of disciplined peasants and mercenaries, but at tournaments they reigned supreme. All who could afford entry could watch, but no commoners could take part. Melees were as much for spectacle now as for war training, and other events such as sword or poleaxe combats were included, but the joust was the centrepiece. It was a chance for individual knights to compete one-on-one, and be seen by their peers. The early 15th century also saw great changes in the practise of jousting, with the introduction of the tiltline and specialised armour to reduce the dangers.
As
the role of the knight in warfare reduced after the 15th century, the
tournament devolved into pure show, a chance to show off ones riding skills,
and the element of risk removed as much as possible. The tournament only
survived as a shadow of its former self until the 19th century and the Romantic
Revival. Nobles built mock castles, adopted medieval pageantry and even jousted
again on occasion. Tournaments happened sporadically until about 1980, when
jousting evolved into a modern sport and public spectacle again.
Today there are hundreds of riders and support crews around the world, recreating aspects of the medieval tournament, whether it is skill at arms such as spearing the ring, show jousting in woollen “armour”, sport jousting to win a purse, or attempts to recreate the equipment, appearance and training of the medieval knights as closely as possible.
I
fall into the last group. I have belonged to the Order of the Boar since 1997,
a small group dedicated to recreating a late 14th century tournament troupe,
with their knights, horses, support crew, family and followers. We only do a
few shows each year, and are never likely to even cover our costs, so we
approach this as a chance to rediscover and experience some of our heritage and
to learn what made the medieval tournament such an exciting part of the middle
ages. The attraction for me has always been to work with the horses; the skill
and commitment, risk and reward.
I
am attempting to recreate an English household knight of the period 1380-1390,
as well as possible. Helen and I have a purpose-made tent and will spend the
next few years filling it with the travelling gear of a moderately wealthy
knight and his lady. We are collecting all the accoutrements of a knight and
his household travelling Europe in style, but this is a large and expensive
undertaking (we are effectively creating a second lifestyle, with the costs
that go with that) and will be a long term project that fills many years,
especially as we replace equipment that wears out or is not to a high enough
standard.
An example is my current harness (a coat of plates and splint amour, of the period around 1350). It was completed during 2004, but I am already realising its limitations (very heavy – over 40kg - and serious limitations on movement that make it unsuitable for foot combat) and will be replacing it with new harness c.1380 during 2005. This is for the same reasons that would have applied in the 14th century; the new armour is going to be both better and stronger, but lighter. It is all being made of heat-treated spring steel (which was not actually available until a century after the period it depicts, but is being done for safety, weight and durability), and represents the “white” harness that was becoming popular at the time – the classic “knight in shining armour” look. I will be adding pictures of my harnesses soon, and will eventually add a section on “Arming a Knight and His Horse” to show just what was involved in preparing for a late 14th century tournament. Armour of the period around 1350 was the heaviest that field harness would ever be in Europe, because it was achieved by layering padding, maille and plate on top of each other; as the plates got bigger and articulated off each other, the weight of the leather covering and rivets was removed, and maille came to be used only in the gaps that could not be protected with steel plates. The rigors of jousting, where armour MUST do its job and could save our lives, quickly shows up any weaknesses in our equipment.
Horse equipment is a whole subject on its own. I don’t own my own horse yet, hence I consider myself to be attached to the household of a noble who can supply my horse. My choice of an English character is because of the amount of English language research available, and the amount of equipment particular to England. In England the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) marked the high point of English success in war, and that of Richard II (1377-1399) was an age of great spectacle and ceremony, marking the self-conscious awareness by the gentry of their place at the pinnacle of the social order. This was also a period that saw the introduction of gunpowder weapons in Europe, and great innovation and experimentation with armour and tactics, that I am keen to explore.
