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The life of a page -

At the age of around seven or eight, a boy with aspirations to one day become a knight would start as a page. Pages worked primarily as errand boys, and also learn the basics of writing, hunting, and chivalry during this time.

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The life of a squire -

Once a page reached the age of 15, they became a squire. A squire shadowed a knight, following them into battle and learning all the necessary techniques and arts of war. After six years, at 21 years old, it was finally time to become a knight.

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Becoming a knight -

The graduation from squire to knight was filled with ceremony. Starting with a physically and spiritually cleansing bath, the knight-to-be then fasted for 24 hours before receiving the now-famous touch of the blade on each of his shoulders.

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Most knights were more like mercenaries -

While the knights of the Middle Ages are commonly associated with their undying loyalty, which kingdoms received that loyalty was usually entirely up to the knights. In areas like France, kingdoms would recruit from all across the land and knights would choose who to give their oath to based on which lord offered the better deal.

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They fought for land rights -

The main motivation for hiring knights was to protect the land of whichever given lordship. Through their service, knights would also be given their own swaths of land.

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Knights were passionate followers of Christ -

Nearly everyone in Europe during the Middle Ages, be they nobles, knights, or peasants, were devout followers of Catholicism. Every knight's morning started with mass, thought to be essential to their success in life and in battle.

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What was chivalry, really? -

Most people know about the strict code of moral conduct that all knights lived by called chivalry. While many chivalrous ideas were good in theory, it might be important to keep in mind that chivalry wasn't the creation of the knights themselves.

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What was chivalry, really? -

Chivalry was actually developed by the Church's clergy, who were terrified of how rowdy and powerful the knights were becoming. And so the code of chivalry was introduced, to prevent knights from attacking priests, assaulting women, and committing other random acts of violence or robbery.

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Knights ate an almost carnivorous diet -

Meat was prohibitively expensive and hard to come by throughout most of the Middle Ages, but as knights were seen as just below a class of nobility, they were able to eat their fill. Considering as well the commonly-held belief that many vegetables were in fact poisonous, most knights ended up eating exclusively meat and bread.

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Knights were also fashionistas -

It was important to the upper classes to distinguish themselves from the serfs and farmers. One way they did this was with the clothes they wore, and knights were no exception. When not wearing their armor, knights were known to wear loud and brightly colored fabrics.

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They were big drinkers -

This fact isn't unique just to the knights, but to everyone in Europe during the Middle Ages. Since clean water was so hard to come by, alcohol became the drink of choice, and everyone, from kings to knights to priests, was likely constantly quite drunk.

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Knights didn't actually work very much -

Despite (or because of) their high standing in society, the average knight saw very little action, and spent most of their days training and lounging. It is thought that the average knight only worked about 40 days a year.

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Peculiar sleep schedules -

Similar to other cultures around the world, most medieval Europeans, knights included, didn't sleep the whole night through. It was common for a knight to sleep for a few hours, wake when the moon was still high in the sky for an hour or two to pray, write, or eat, and then fall back asleep until morning.

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Songs of great deeds -

By the late Medieval period, knights were seen in a much more positive light than in the early days and were closely associated with chivalry and heroism. Many songs were written in their honor, traditionally called chanson de geste, or "songs of great deeds."

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Knightly piety -

During the time of the Crusades, the concept of knightly piety became central to the code of chivalry. While almost all knights still acted independently from the Church, their spiritual commitments still compelled many to defend the Church.

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Melee tournaments -

Since so little fighting was done by knights, there would frequently be held melee tournaments to keep the warriors in shape. These tournament were usually fought with blunt weapons, but injuries and deaths were still quite common.

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Jousting -

In an attempt to lower the number of needless casualties caused by the melee tournaments, jousting became a popular alternative in the 15th century.

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Women as knights -

While the vast majority of knights in the Middle Ages were men, certain orders such as the Knights Templar did accept women into their ranks in non-combat roles, and awarded them the distinction of dame rather than knight.

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Battle of Tortosa -

However, as does so frequently happen throughout history, a group that was formally forbidden to fight not only fought, but prevailed and claimed victory, during the Siege of Tortosa in 1148. When Moorish attackers descended upon the city, all of the male warriors were absent fighting other battles, so the female citizenry donned the armor of the men and successfully fought back the invaders of their city.

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The importance of horses -

More so than shields or swords, the horse was by far the most important tool at a knight's disposal, and being an accomplished rider was paramount to a successful career. Carrying such massive weight in both hands in the forms of lances and shields, feeling comfortable in the saddle could make all the difference in battle.

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The Knights Templar -

At the start of the Crusades, a number of groups of knights formed to dedicate all of their power to what they saw as the righteous defense of Christianity. The most famous of these groups by far was the Knights Templar.

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The Knights Hospitaller -

Another famous and powerful order of Catholic knights was the Knights Hospitaller. Fighting alongside the Templars during the Crusades of the 11th century, the Knights Hospitaller were also know for rescuing sick or injured pilgrims in or on their way to Jerusalem.

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The Teutonic Knights -

An offshoot of the Knights Hospitaller, the Teutonic Knights were far more aggressive and power-hungry. Dissatisfied with just the Crusades, they were also largely responsible for the invasion of Prussia in the 13th century.

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The grand masters -

The highest rank a knight could hope to attain was that of grand master. This title was only given to those who had proven in battle a genuine, rare, and unflinching heroism.

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William Marshall, the greatest knight in history -

William Marshall, First Earl of Pembroke was one of the most famous and widely beloved knights in England. Not only was he perhaps the most successful jouster in history, winning more than 500 rounds, it is also widely believed that he is the historical model for Sir Lancelot, King Arthur's great fictional friend and confidant.

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The Black Douglas -

As dangerous as he was audacious, James Douglas, known as the Black Douglas, played a key role in the emancipation of Scotland from England during the late 13th century.

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Bertrand du Guesclin -

One of the most formidable figures of the 100 Years' War was the French knight Bertrand du Guesclin. A fearless warrior who was once famously too busy fighting to realize his army had surrendered, was eventually appointed Constable of France, the second-highest position beneath the kingship.

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Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar -

Perhaps the most legendary knight to have actually roamed the Earth was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, historically known as El Cid. Born into modest Spanish nobility during a tumultuous time in Spain's history, El Cid frequently lent his loyalty to both the Spaniards and the Moors, until eventually striking out as an independent warlord and conquering the city of Valencia in his own name.

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Geoffroi de Charny -

French knight Geoffroi de Charny is credited with putting the code of chivalry down to paper for the first time, in his 'The Book of Chivalry,' some time in the mid-14th century. As a knight, he was known to be noble and valiant, and was given the important honor of carrying his king's flag into battle.

Sources: (Ranker) (Today I Found Out)

See also: The dazzling history of dragons

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