If you order your custom term paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on The Life of a Knight. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality The Life of a Knight paper right on time.
Out staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in The Life of a Knight, therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your The Life of a Knight paper at affordable prices !
The Life of a Knight
Every boy of noble birth had to undergo many years of training before he could become a knight. The training began when he was just a young boy.( around the age of 7 years ) The young boy sometimes received training at home but usually he went to live with some well known lord of great wealth. Every important noble had several young lads living in his home as pages.
The pages helped the ladies of the court in everyway they could and they also learned many things from them. The ladies would teach them how to sing and dance. They would teach them how to compose music and play it on the harp. They also taught them how to make themselves useful and agreeable at all times. The ladies told them many stories of knights and heroes and those that could read taught the young pages how to read.
Many things were expected of a page and manners was high on that list. They were taught that when they enter their lord's place they would say "God's speed" and cheerfully greet everyone in the room. They weren't to rush in and be rude instead they were to enter slowly with their head up and they were to kneel on one knee in front of their lord. They weren't to sit down and they were to be ready to stand until they were bidden to sit. They were to keep their hands and feet still at all times.
The manners to be used at the dinner table were also important. When their lord went to get his meat the page should be ready to fetch him water and hold a towel for him until he is done. They would stand there until their lord bid them sit but then still they would always be prepared to serve him with clean hands. They weren't to hang their heads over their dishes and they weren't to drink with a full mouth. If they ate with another then they weren't to be greedy. They would give the nicest pieces to another. When the meal was over they were to rise without laughing or fooling around and they were to return to their lord's table. They would stand there until grace had been said and the meal was officially over. Then they were to go and fetch water and a cloth and pour water over their lord's hands.
In their spare time the pages played games and did daily exercises in the castle yard. A popular sport they played, which was also considered as training for warfare, was tilting at the quintain. The quintain was a figure of a knight made out of wood. He was holding a shield in front of him and in his right hand he held a club. The pivot was fixed to a pole and it would turn around if touched. Each page would mount a horse and they would dash towards the figure at a gallop. They would try to strike the dummy with a lance. If they struck it in the center it was considered a good job. If they missed though and struck the dummy to the side, it would whirl around and strike the page with its club!
For 7 years or more the young boys lived in the castle as a page. After that they became a squire which was the lords devoted attendant who served him in many ways. The squire would polish the armour until it was bright and shining and they cared for the horses. They waited upon their lord at mealtime. They carried water for them for hand washing, they carved their meat and filled their cup. They rode with their lord to battle and to tournaments and they carried their weapons and their shield. If their lord was unhorsed in a tournament, the squire would remount him or if he was injured the squire would carry him to safety and care for his wounds.
In the castle yard the squire would practise warlike accomplishments and manly exercises. They learned to ride on a horse's back and how to hold a lance properly while managing a shield at the same time. They were always courteous and helpful to the ladies of the castle.
When a squire had finally mastered his duties or "won his spurs" his day of knighting would arrive. He could win his spurs by performing some deed proving his worthiness such as showing courage on the battle field in protecting his lord.
The knighting would take place at the castle and it would be accompanied by a solemn religious ceremony in which each part would have a significance. First the knight to be took a bath to cleanse himself blemishes from his past life. Then he would lie down for a moment upon a bed to signify "the rest God gives to his followers, his brave knights." Then he put on a snow white tunic symbolizing " that he must keep his flesh from stain if he would ever hope to reach heaven." Over that went a scarlet robe to symbolize " he must be ready to pour out his blood for the holy church." Lastly, he puts on a black coat " to remind him by its sombre hue that he must die."
After a long fast the young squire spent a whole night alone in a church lit only by a single lamp. He knelt in prayer in front of an altar on which his new armour and weapons were laid. This made these articles worthy to God. In the morning he took the Holy Sacrament and a priest instructed him of his future duties as a knight. The squire took the solemn vows of chivalry which bound him to be brave and honourable, to right the wrong, to protect the women, to help those in need and to show mercy to the weak and the defenceless.
Later that morning he went to the courtyard where many other knights and ladies were assembled to view the knighting. First came the ceremony of putting on his armour. The lord, who was the godfather in chivalry, belted on the sword of the soon to be knight, fastened on his golden spurs and presented him with his shield. Then the young squire knelt as his lord struck him lightly on the shoulder with the flat of his sword. The lord pronounced, "In the name if God, St. Michael, and St. George, I dub thee knight. Be loyal brave and true." The squire was now a knight.
A groomed horse with a bridle engraved with gold, silver and jewels was waiting for the knight and was presented to him as his charger. Wearing his new armour, the knight would give an exhibition of his skill of riding and his use of weapons. Then he would ride over the drawbridge to seek adventure with his faithful squire. The knight would look for some deed to prove his valour and to win some maiden's love.
A true knight was expected to be loyal to the church and to their overlord, to be just and pure, to speak only the truth, to be fair to everyone even his enemies and to know no fear. His honour was the most important quality. Many knights were unable to live up to these expectations. If they broke the vows or if they were guilty of some grave breach of knightly honour, they were publicly disgraced. Their shield was hung upside and smeared with paint and Heralds came by and one by one they ripped his armour off. His shield was then broken into pieces, his spurs ripped off and his sword broken over his head. Then the knight was placed in a coffin and dragged to the church. There a priest held a funeral service for them as if they were dead. The knights were considered dead to honour.
Bibliography
Hartman,Gertrude. Medieval Days and Ways. New YorkMacMillian Publishing Co. Inc,165.
Kesheshyan, Gevork. "The Middle Age-Knights" http//www.burbankk1.ca.us/luther/mages/gevsha/mackinght.html. July, 6 16.
"The Middle Ages" http.//www.askjeeves.com17
Please note that this sample paper on The Life of a Knight is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on The Life of a Knight, we are here to assist you. Your cheap custom college paper on The Life of a Knight will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.
Order your authentic assignment and you will be amazed at how easy it is to complete a quality custom paper within the shortest time possible!
