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Attaining Medieval Knighthood
By Joy J. Fine
Medieval knighthood was a goal for many young men from good families. It was a way to attain status and show others that you were to be respected. But it was a very long process that began when the potential knight was no more than a young boy. The boy was most likely the child of a vassal, a vassal being a man who had a responsibility to the local lord. The lord would protect him and his family in exchange for the vassal being available at any time to fight against the lord’s enemies. When the child was about seven years old he would be sent to the stronghold of the lord for training. Sometimes the boy would be sent to the King’s palace. Even a child from a noble family who had knighthood as his goal would be sent away. This was done in part because it was believed that his mother and sisters would spoil him so much that he would never learn in his own home.
Steps to Knighthood
A boy would have to follow specific steps to knighthood, beginning with serving as a page. He would spend the next seven years serving the Lady and Lord of the manor. He would go with them everywhere always waiting on them and taking care of whatever they asked. This meant the child would serve them their meals, tend to the fires or carry their belongings as well as whatever else was asked of him. His endless duties may seem harsh to some, especially for a boy of this tender age, but in many respects it was considered a privilege for the boy to be accepted as a page since along the way he was taught what he would needed to embrace medieval knighthood as a way of life. He would begin by getting a religious education from a combination of the women of the household, who took care of him, and the chaplain. Respect for women came from their teachings. The women would also teach him to play the lute, to dance, sing and sometimes read. He was also taught to hunt and one of the most important things a future knight needs, he would be taught to ride. The squires would start him in battle training.
When this stage was over, at fourteen, he would be one step closer to medieval knighthood. Once the boy became this age he was no longer a mere page but was now a squire. His duties and his training changed. For the next seven years the young man was taught to use a lance and a sword. He must get used to the weight of the armor he was to wear. At this stage the squire would be given to a knight to serve him and be trained by him. During this time he would help the knight put on his armor; take care of his weapons keeping them clean and shining. He would care for the knight’s horse and if something happened to it he would give his own horse as a replacement. If the knight fell during a contest or in battle the squire must go and help him up. If the knight died it was the responsibility of the squire to take his body back to his home. In the lord’s manner the squire would be the one that must now carve the meat for dinner instead of simply serving the meal. Once the boy had become a squire it would be his turn to train a page.
During this stage the squire is taught mostly by the knight. He is not there just to care for his needs but to learn from him, especially to learn what it meant to be a knight. This included the code of chivalry which taught the young man about loyalty, compassion and courtesy. When he turned twenty one, medieval knighthood was there for the taking, if he had trained well and served his Lord well.
Sometimes knighthood came a different way. If the squire was especially brave on the battlefield, perhaps saving their knight’s life or their Lord’s they could be knighted for this act. A man could be knighted at the whim of the King for having done something that pleased him. But most often it was by earning their knighthood by a long process of learning and service.
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