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Jousting Tournaments
By Joy J. Fine
During the Middle Ages jousting was not simply a competition between knights but a way to keep the knights in fighting condition in times of peace. The armor a knight wore was important as it protected him from the hits he took from the lances, but equally as important were the rules that were set to keep the matches safe and fair. There were two kinds of jousts, one used a blunt lance and the other used a sharpened lance. The more common tournament event was the joust of peace. This was an event where two knights would fight against each other trying to see who the better man was. It often was conducted in front of a crowd of spectators, both noble and peasant. These events were designed for a knight to show his abilities while not necessarily having to harm his opponent. They used the blunt lance. The jousts of war only had other knights watching and would often end with one knight being killed or severely wounded.
During peaceful times the tournaments would be ongoing across the country. Knights would travel from one place to another to compete. As long as the weather was good these jousting tournaments would be played. They not only served the purpose of entertaining the nobles and keeping the knights sharp but they also kept them out of trouble. They needed some outlet and the jousts served that purpose. It gave them the opportunity to show off and hone their skills. Often a knight would be sponsored by a lady, she would give him a personal time like a scarf or hankie, showing that he was a favorite of hers and she hoped he would win.
There were not a lot of rules for jousting but the ones that they did have had to be followed if you wanted to be part of the tournament. The only contestants allowed to compete in a jousting tournament were the knights and they must own not only their armor but the horse must be theirs as well. This was because if they lost the match they could lose the horse. The tournament could not start before the knights were mounted with their lances and shield and the signal was given. Points were scored based on what you accomplished. You earned one point if you broke your lance against the chest of your adversary and two points if it broke against his helmet. If you knocked him off his horse that gave you three points and you automatically won for unseating him. Each knight was allowed to use, and therefore break or lose, three lances. If you did no more than hit your opponent without breaking the lance it was not considered a good hit and you did not get any points unless he fell off.
There were also specific rules should the knight fall off his horse. If he was knocked off while jousting, called an unhorsing, the champion is permitted to take his horse, his armor or even hold him hostage. He need not do any of them and can instead simply be pleased that he had won. Should the knight be unhorsed the only one allowed to touch him was his squire. The squire could help him up or do whatever the knight required, but no one else. As well, the squire could bring him a new lance should he break one. There was to be no conversation during a joust except when one of their squires came to assist their knight. It was these basic rules that kept the tournaments fair for the competitors and exciting for those who watched.
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