Knights of the Middle Ages. How did medieval knights appear? The emergence of the knightly cavalry

An essay about knights grade 6 can be used in preparation for the lesson.

Who are the knights? Briefly

The era of knights falls on 500 - 1500 years, that is, in the Middle Ages. It was marked by numerous wars, diseases and epidemics. Previously, infantry soldiers took part in hostilities. But since the invention of the stirrup and the improvement of the saddle, they began to fight on horseback, using a heavy spear as a weapon. Then the rider or riding warriors began to be called knights.

It is difficult to imagine a knight without his faithful horse. On it, he not only fought, but also hunted, participated in tournaments. Such horses cost a lot of money: only special breeds with a strong build and endurance were selected for military affairs. These qualities were reinforced by constant training.

As a rule, the knights were wealthy people and lived in castles with moats and thick walls. Those who were poorer lived in stone houses with moats filled with water.

How could one become a knight?

The estate of knights was formed from the children of the nobility: at the age of 7, sons were prepared for the service of a page. Boys were taught swimming, horseback riding, fisticuffs, and the habit of wearing heavy battle armor. When they were 12-14 years old, they became squires and left the family to serve and live in the knight's castle. Here he learned to handle the sword and spear. At the age of 21, young people were solemnly knighted.

Virtues of a knight

The value of a knight is his dignity and honor. So he followed certain rules. Also, the knight must be generous. They owned the wealth that they received from the exactions of the peasants, military campaigns and robberies of neighboring feudal lands. Therefore, they distributed their wealth to the needy, "sponsored" talented and inventive individuals. Extravagance for a knight of that time was a familiar and prestigious phenomenon. It was believed that in this way he eradicates the sinful vices of stinginess, greed, self-interest and pride.

Also, the knights were preachers of morality and the Christian religion among Muslims. They demonstrated their military prowess not only during campaigns, but also at knightly tournaments. On them, he could show one more of his dignity - generosity, sparing the defeated opponent.

How were the knights armed?

The armament of the knights was armor and various weapons. The vestment weighed up to 25 kg, so the master always had his own squire, who helped to dress, undress and handed over weapons. Often, war horses were also dressed in heavy armor.

Under the armor, the knight wore chain mail, consisting of 1000 rings. Metal pants, gloves, a chin rest, a bib and details that protected the face were attached to it. The image of a warrior was completed by a helmet and shoes with spurs.

The knights were small people - their height did not exceed 160 cm.
Under the knight's helmet, fleas and lice swarming in the folds of his clothes. They bathed no more than 3 times a year.
Putting on and taking off armor took neither more nor less - 3 hours. Therefore, in military campaigns, they often relieved themselves.
For a long time, knights were considered the strongest warriors on the field. Nobody could defeat them. The secret lay in an effective projectile that instantly hit the heart of the enemy - a crossbow.
In 1560, chivalry ceased to exist as an estate of the population.
The weapons were a spear and a sword. In addition, the knights wielded a bow.

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Knightly culture of the Middle Ages

The image of the Middle Ages is often associated with the colorful figure of an armed knight in armor. Knights - professional warriors - were a corporation whose members were united by a way of life, moral and ethical values, personal ideals. Knightly culture takes shape in a feudal environment. The feudal camp itself was heterogeneous. The small elite of the feudal class was created by the largest landowners - bearers of high-profile titles. These most noble, with the largest pedigree, knights stood at the head of their squads, sometimes real armies.

Knights of lower rank served in these squads with their detachments, appearing at the first call of the owner. At the lower levels of the knightly hierarchy were landless knights, all of whose property was contained in military training and weapons. Many of them traveled, joining the detachments of certain commanders, becoming a mercenary, and often simply hunted robbery

Military affairs were the prerogative of the feudal lords, and they did everything to prevent the participation of "rude peasants" in the battles as much as possible. Carrying weapons and riding were often prohibited for "bazaar merchants, peasants, artisans and officials." There were times when knights refused to take part in battles along with commoners and, in general, with infantry.

According to the spread of ideas in the knightly environment, a real knight had to come from a noble family. A self-respecting knight referred to a branching genealogical tree to confirm his noble origin, had a family coat of arms and a family motto. Belonging to the camp was inherited, in rare cases they were knighted for special military exploits. The severity of the rules began to be violated with the development of cities - these privileges began to be bought more and more often.

In different countries, there were similar systems for educating knights. The boy was taught horseback riding, weapons - primarily a sword and a pike, as well as wrestling and swimming. He became a page, then a knight's squire. Only after that the young man was honored to go through the rite of initiation into a knight. There was also a special literature devoted to knightly "arts". The future knight was taught, in addition to another, and hunting techniques. Hunting was considered the second occupation worthy of a knight after the war.

The knights developed a special type of psychology. The ideal knight was obliged to have many virtues. It should be outwardly beautiful and attractive. Therefore, special attention was paid to clothing, decoration, physique. The armor and harness, especially the parade ones, were real works of art. The knight required physical strength, otherwise he simply could not wear armor, which weighed up to 60-80 kg. Armor begins to lose its role only with the invention of firearms.

So, their participants had to use the same weapon. Most often, at first, the rivals rushed one at the other with a spear at the ready. If the spears broke, they took up the swords, then the mace. Tournament weapons were blunt, and the knights only tried to knock the opponent out of the saddle. During the tournament, after many individual fights, which could last several days, they arranged the main competition - an imitation of the battle of two squads. Knightly duels have become an integral part of the battles in the endless feudal wars. Such a duel took place before the battle, single combat ended with the death of one of the knights. If the fight was not held, then it was considered that the fight was started "not according to the rules."

Standing solidarity was developed among the knights. History knows many examples of truly chivalrous behavior. During the war between the Franks and the Saracens, one of the best knights of Charlemagne named Ogier challenged the Saracen knight to battle. When Ogier was captured by cunning, his opponent, disapproving of such methods, surrendered himself to the Franks so that they could exchange him for Ogier. During one of the battles during the Crusades, Richard the Lionheart found himself without a horse. His rival Sayf-ad-Din sent him two war horses. In the same year, Richard knighted his rival.

The highest manifestation of knightly love for war, the aggressive desire of the feudal lords to seize new lands, supported by the Catholic Church, were the crusades to the East under the banner of protecting Christians and Christian shrines from Muslims. In 1096 the first of them took place, and in 1270 the last. During their conduct, special military-religious organizations arise - knightly orders. In 1113, the Order of the Johnites, or Hospitallers, was founded. In Jerusalem, near the temple was the center of the order of the Templars, or templars. The order was ruled by the Grand Master, who submitted personally to the Pope.

Entering the order, the knights took oaths of obedience and humility. They wore monastic cloaks over knightly armor. The Teutonic Order played the main role in the aggression against the Slavic peoples.

The chivalric code was reflected in chivalric literature. Its peak is considered to be the secular lyric poetry of the troubadours in the vernacular, which originated in the south of France. They create a cult of the Beautiful Lady, serving which, the knight must adhere to the rules of "court". "Courtoise", in addition to military prowess, required the ability to behave in a secular society, keep up a conversation, sing. A special ritual of grooming girls was developed. Even in love lyrics, in describing the knight's feelings for the mistress, characteristic terminology is most often used: oath, service, gift, seigneur, vassal.

Throughout Europe, the genre of chivalric romance is also developing. For his plot, ideal "knightly" love, military exploits in the name of personal glory, and dangerous adventures were obligatory. The novels broadly reflected the life and features of their time. At the same time, an interest in a separate human personality is already noticeable in them. The most popular stories are about the Knights of the Round Table, about the legendary King of the Britons Arthur, the knight Lancelot, Tristan and Iseult. In many ways, thanks to literature, the romantic image of a noble medieval knight still lives in our minds.

Knighthood as a military and landowning estate arose among the Franks in connection with the transition in the VIII century from the people's foot army to the horse army of vassals. Being influenced by the church and poetry, it developed the moral and aesthetic ideal of a warrior, and in the era of the Crusades, under the influence of the spiritual and chivalric orders that arose at that time, it closed into a hereditary aristocracy. The strengthening of state power, the preponderance of infantry over cavalry, the invention of firearms and the creation of a permanent army by the end of the Middle Ages turned feudal chivalry into a political class of untitled nobility.

emergence

Exhibit of the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus
The prototype of the knights to a certain extent is the class of equites (horsemen) in ancient Rome. However, a fundamental change in the methods of waging war and organizing social relations in Europe is associated with the fall of the Roman Empire under the pressure of nomads from the east during the Great Migration in the 4th-7th centuries. The heavy weapons of the Sarmatian cavalry and the long straight sword made of welded steel of the Hunnic type are the obvious prototypes of the weapons of the medieval knights of Europe.

Since it was the nomads (primarily the Sarmatians and Ostrogoths) who made up the dominant stratum of society after the collapse of the union under the leadership of the Huns, it is logical to see the primary source of differences between the European knightly culture of the Middle Ages and the culture of antiquity in the nomadic culture of the newcomers. However, due to their relative small numbers, it took centuries for its influence to spread through synthesis with a local basis.

Among the Franks, whose armed forces still in the 7th century were dominated by the foot army of the free, the cavalry was made up of the king's warriors (antrustions). Chivalry manifested itself in the Frankish state first of all during the attack of the Arabs, who, together with the Christian counties of the Iberian Peninsula who had gone over to their side, also penetrated into Gaul. In Gaul, free peasants were unable to carry out horse service on distant campaigns, and the Carolingians had to rely on the seignorate (masters) to create cavalry.

Under Charles Martell and his sons, the need for horsemen caused the distribution of church lands on the terms of a precaria. Karl Martell distributed church lands to his warriors (gazinds) and demanded horse service from them. Then, under the same conditions, crown lands began to be distributed as beneficiaries. Since the 8th century, the name of vasses, vassals, has appeared for the state of the gazinds.

A free, but, due to lack of property, incapable of performing horse service, a person could, as a vassal, receive beneficiaries or, as a settler (Hintersasse) - a piece of quitrent land. The allotment of quitrent land pursued economic goals, the distribution of beneficiaries - military. Partly free people, partly not free people became vassal relations. A free man became a vassal by commendation (manibus iunctis se tradit) and took an oath of allegiance (per sacramentum fidelitas promittitur) to his liege.
At the end of the 8th century, an oath of allegiance was also required from the not free (servi), who received benefices or positions (ministeria) or became vassals. Charlemagne still used infantry in his wars; Louis I and Charles II gathered only cavalry for the campaign.

Knight's Cavalry at the Battle of Hastings
In 865, the owner of 12 gufs of land was required chain mail or scaly shell, that is, accessories of heavy cavalry; light cavalry was supposed to appear with a spear, shield, sword and bow. Everywhere below the armored knights of the free state (milites) stood lightly armed horsemen, not free by origin (vavassores, caballarii).

From the quitrent population, it was possible to rise to ministerials, having received a position at the court of a seigneur, to serve as a lightly armed horseman, and then, having earned the appropriate benefices, go into heavy cavalry and become a knight. In this way, a privileged class of domestic servants (vassi, servi ministeriales, pueri) emerged from among the not free under the wealthy feudal lords. With the development of the fief system, ministerials received fiefs and were involved in knightly service.

Knights on the march (fragment of the altar of the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent, painted by Jan van Eyck, before 1426-1432)
In Germany, ministerials since the 11th century have constituted a special class of Dienstmanns (Dienstmannen), standing above the townspeople and the free rural population, immediately behind the free knights. A sign of their unfree state was the inability to leave the service at will.

The advantages of the ministerial estate encouraged the free, and from the middle of the 12th century even the nobles, to voluntarily submit to the lords as ministerials. This raised the position of the class in public opinion. The first place among ministerials belonged to the dinstmanns of the king and spiritual princes (Reichsdienstmannen); further came the ministerials of the secular princes. Prelates, not equal to princes, and free feudal lords who were not princes kept, if not dynstmanns, then still not free knights, who were below the ministerials.

In southern and western Germany, such milites (eigene Ritter) were encountered even in the service of the same Dienstmanns. In Austria and Styria, in the second half of the 13th century, the ducal dinstmanns managed to catch up with the local nobility (they became Dienstherren); their place, as dinstmanns, was taken by unfree knights (Eigenmannen). In northern Germany, where the princes handed out fiefs mainly to the dinstmanns, from the middle of the 12th century the nobility began to move en masse into ministerials. Since the middle of the 13th century, the right to appear in the count's court and to be sheffens has been universally recognized for the dinstmanns.

In the 14th century, their non-free origin was completely forgotten, the memory of which was preserved for eigene Ritter until the 15th century. In the 12th century, free knights and ministerial knights were distinguished as ordo equestris maior et minor. The passage of new strata of the unfree classes, or of the free but non-military population into chivalry, was delayed in the middle of the twelfth century; with the Hohenstaufen, German chivalry became hereditary. The decree of Frederick I of 1156 (Constitutio de race tenenda) forbade peasants to carry a spear and a sword; even a merchant does not dare to gird himself with a sword, but must tie it to the saddle.

This constitution also introduced the concept of knightly origin (Ritterbürtigkeit); miles (rider) has the right to a duel if he can prove his knightly origin (quod antiquitus cum parentibus suis natione legitimus miles existat). According to the Saxon Mirror, a true knight (von ridderes art) already had a father and grandfather who were knights. Another constitution of Frederick I (Constitutio contra incendiarios, 1187-88) forbade the sons of priests, deacons and peasants to gird themselves with a sword like a knight.

In France, the owners of noble lands, that is, fiefs (fief-terre), were considered noble people; the second sign of nobility was admission to knighthood. Although common people sometimes became knights, the prevailing rule was that the owner of the fief was knighted.

Ministerials endowed with fiefs, that is, people of non-free states (sergent fieffé, serviens), were equated with vavassors, that is, with the lower nobility. While the possession of a feud was the main sign of nobility, townspeople and even peasants could acquire it by simply buying fiefs. At the end of the 13th century, the purchase of fiefs by ignorant people was hampered by heavy extortion (droit de franc-fief), but at that time it was possible to get into the nobility by grant (lettre d'anoblissement) of the sovereign; the right to award in the nobility became the privilege of the king.

In England, the right to knight (knight) early became the prerogative of the crown. Henry III and Edward I demanded obligatory knighting from any fief who owned an annual income from the land of at least 20 pounds. The fact of possessing a qualification took precedence over the origin of the person.

The influence of the church on the military estate went first through an oath of allegiance, then through an oath to the earthly or God's peace, and finally through the rite of consecration of weapons before handing them to a soldier upon reaching maturity. “Loyalty” includes the fulfillment of the Christian duty to serve God, the observance of the peace of the sovereign in relation to churches, widows, orphans, the duty to observe justice, etc. Zemsky and God’s peace (treuga and pax), sealed by an oath, is established by sovereigns and cathedrals. Pax protects the entire non-military population from violence - clerics, women, merchants, peasants; treuga limits the feuds between the knights themselves.

Initiation ritual

Accolade (ceremony)

Already in the time of Tacitus, handing weapons to a young German in the presence of a popular assembly meant recognizing him as an adult; weapons were handed over by one of the leaders of the tribe, or the father, or a relative of the young man. Charlemagne in 791 solemnly girded his 13-year-old son Louis with a sword, and Louis, in 838, his 15-year-old son Charles. This Germanic custom formed the basis of the medieval knighting, as a member of the military class, but was covered by the Roman term; Knighting in medieval Latin texts was denoted by the words “putting on a military belt” (lat. cingulum militare).

Everyone could be made a knight for a long time. At first, knighthood was given, according to the German tradition, at 12, 15, 19 years old, but in the 13th century there was a noticeable desire to push it back to adulthood, that is, to the 21st year. The initiation most often took place on the holidays of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost; hence the custom of "night watch" on the eve of initiation (veillée des armes). Each knight could knight, but most often this was done by the relatives of the initiate; lords, kings and emperors sought to assert this right exclusively for themselves.

In the XI-XII centuries. to the German custom of handing over weapons, at first only the ceremony of tying up golden spurs, putting on chain mail and helmets, and bathing before vesting were added; colée, that is, a blow to the neck with the palm of the hand, came into use later. By the end of the ceremony, the knight jumped, without touching the stirrup, onto the horse, rode at a gallop and hit the mannequins (quintaine), approved on the pillars, with a blow of a spear. Sometimes the knights themselves turned to the church for the consecration of weapons; thus the Christian beginning began to penetrate into the rite.

An Idealized Image of a Medieval Knight: Hartmann von Aue
Under the influence of the church, the German military rite becomes first religious, when the church only blessed the sword (bénir l'epée, in the 12th century), and then directly liturgical, when the church itself girds the knight with a sword (ceindre l'epée, in the 13th century). . In ancient episcopal ceremonies, Benedictio ensis et armorum (blessing of weapons) is distinguished from Benedictio novi militis (consecration of a knight). The oldest traces of the consecration of a knight by the church were found in a Roman manuscript from the beginning of the 11th century, but then until the 13th century. no trace of Benedictio novi militis; one can think that this rite originated in Rome and spread from there.

Coat of arms shoulder straps ailettes, worn by knights before the advent of real metal shoulder straps, due to the fact that they, like shields of that time, were made of wood and leather, were worn mainly at tournaments and parades, unlike real shoulder straps, they served only for wearing emblems

The stroke at knighthood was first mentioned at the beginning of the 13th century by Lambertus Ardensis, in the history of the counts de Guignes and d'Ardre. Alapa also penetrated into the church rite of Benedictio novi militis. According to the episcopal ritualist Guillaume Duran, the bishop, after mass, proceeds to bless the sword, which lies naked on the altar; then the bishop takes it and puts it in the right hand of the future knight; finally, sheathing the sword, she encircles the initiate, saying: "Accingere gladio tuo super femur etc." (let your loins be girded with a sword); brotherly kisses the new knight and gives alapa, in the form of a light touch with his hand; the old knights tie spurs to the new; everything ends with the presentation of the banner.

The chivalrous strike spread in France from the north. Contemporaries saw in him a test of humility. For unfree riders, knighthood was tantamount to liberation, and therefore, probably, it was at their consecration that colée first appeared - a blow that must then be compared with the Roman form of liberation per vindictam, which persisted until the 8th century. (the formula for the release of a slave to freedom in the church is drawn up according to the formula for liberation per vindictam; in Anglo-Norman law, liberation is found in the people's assembly of the county, by handing over weapons).

… and Ulrich von Liechtenstein (Codex Manesse)
In Germany, the ancient rite for knighthood knows only the girdling with a sword at the age of majority (Schwertleite); the existence of a "strike" (Ritterschlag) before the 14th century. not proven. Count William of Holland had not yet been knighted when, in 1247, he was elected king of Rome.

Johann Becky (circa 1350) has a description of his knighting by blow. The knight must be "m. i. l. e. s.", i.e. magnanimus (generous), ingenuus (free-born), largifluus (generous), egregius (valorous), strenuus (warlike). The knightly oath (votum professionis) requires, among other things: to listen to mass every day, endanger life for the Catholic faith, protect churches and clergy from robbers, protect widows and orphans, avoid an unjust environment and unclean earnings, go to a duel to save an innocent, attend tournaments only for the sake of military exercises, respectfully serve the emperor in worldly affairs, not alienate imperial fiefs, live impeccably before the Lord and people.

The spread of the colée (strike) in Germany may have been due to French influence under Charles IV. The knightly blow was now received by the one who had already wielded a weapon, whereas in the old days the delivery of weapons at the age of majority and knighthood always coincided. The simple handing over of weapons remained obligatory for every warrior; the solemn consecration of the sword, the golden spurs and the “blow” became a sign of the acceptance of a warrior into a knightly order.

A young man who receives a weapon becomes a squire (scutarius, Knappe, Knecht, armiger, écyyer). But since chivalry is socially closed in the highest stratum of the military nobility, only the sons of knights (chevalier, Ritter, knight) from the “squires” get into the knighthood; those who are not free, rising and receiving heavy knightly weapons, are no longer called knights, but enter the environment of the nobility as its lowest layer, under the same name of “squires”, which the sons of knights (Edelknecht, armiger nobilis) wear temporarily, before initiation into members of the order. Chivalry becomes not so much an institution as - following the example of France - an ideal for the entire military class of the Middle Ages. Therefore, not in the annals, but in poetry, the images of knights are most clearly captured.

Deprivation of knighthood

In addition to the knighting ceremony, there was also a procedure for de-knighting, usually (but not necessarily) culminating in the transfer of the former knight into the hands of the executioner. The ceremony took place on a scaffold, on which the knight's shield was hung upside down (always with a personal coat of arms depicted on it), and was accompanied by the singing of prayers for the dead by a choir of a dozen priests. During the ceremony, after each sung psalm, a knight in full dress was removed from any part of the knight's vestments (not only armor was removed, but also, for example, spurs, which were an attribute of knightly dignity).

After full exposure and another funeral psalm, the knight's personal emblem was broken into three parts (along with the shield on which it is depicted). After that, they sang the 109th psalm of King David, consisting of a set of curses, under the last words of which the herald (and sometimes the king himself personally poured cold water on the former knight, symbolizing purification. Then the former knight was lowered from the scaffold with the help of a gallows, the loop of which was passed under armpits.

The former knight, under the hooting of the crowd, was led to the church, where a real funeral service was performed on him, after which he was handed over to the executioner, if he was not prepared for a different punishment by the verdict that did not require the executioner’s services (if the knight was relatively “lucky”, then everything could be limited to the deprivation of knighthood). After the execution of the sentence (for example, execution), the heralds publicly announced the children (or other heirs) “vile (literally, vilans in French vilain / English villain), deprived of ranks, not having the right to bear arms and appear and participate in games and tournaments, at court and at royal meetings, under fear of being stripped naked and carved with rods, like villans and born from an ignoble father.

Such a punishment was especially terrible for the German ministerialis, since even as knights (with the prefix background) they were formally considered “serfs”, and the deprivation of knightly dignity turned their descendants into real serfs.

Knightly prowess
courage
fidelity
generosity
prudence (le sens, in the sense of moderation)
refined sociability, courtesy (courtoisie)
sense of honor (honneur)
liberty
Knightly commandments - to be a believing Christian, to guard the church and the Gospel, to protect the weak, to love the homeland, to be courageous in battle, to obey and be faithful to the lord, to speak the truth and keep one's word, to observe the purity of morals, to be generous, to fight against evil and protect good and etc.

Monument to Minnesinger Otto von Botenlauben, Bad Kissingen, sculptor - Laura Friedrich-Gronau, 1965
Later novels of the Round Table, trouvers and minnesingers poeticize the over-refined court chivalry of the thirteenth century. Among the ministerial horsemen and squires who deserve knightly spurs at the courts of overlords, a cult of ladies could also arise; the duty of obedience and respect towards the wife of the lord, as a higher being, turned into worship of the ideal of a woman and service to the lady of the heart, mostly a married woman, standing above her admirer in social position. Hundred Years War between France and England in the 14th century. introduced the idea of "national honor" among the knights of both hostile countries.
Armament, tactics

Armament of a knight. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
In the XI-XII centuries. heavily armed knights defended themselves with only chain mail or scaly armor, and lightly armed horsemen appeared in battle completely without metal armor, protected only by leather quilting. In the 13th century, as the heavily armed cavalry stocked up with brigantines worn along with chain mail, later greaves and bracers, knee pads, elbow pads and shoulder pads - which became common with the middle. 14th century, lightly armed horsemen have chain mail.

Mail mask
Each heavily armed knight took with him into battle three horses (usually of the destrie type) and one, two or three squires, who were usually recruited from dependent people or knightly sons who had not yet received knighthood. The squires initially went into battle on foot and during the fights remained behind, with spare horses and weapons. When in the 14th century among the knights, the custom was rooted to dismount during the battle, then the squires began to be recruited from light horsemen; the count of the knightly army began to go along the "spears", counting three riders per one knight's spear. On the Rhine, the name "gleve" (glaive) appeared for the same knightly unit.
The usual construction for a detachment of knights in the Middle Ages was a wedge (cuneus). Such a "wedge" could consist of several hundred knights, and sometimes several thousand. Most often, the entire knightly army lined up before the battle in three battle lines, one after the other, and each battle line broke up into “wedges” and had a center and two wings.
In connection with the military life of the knights, jousting tournaments originated in France and from there penetrated into Germany and England (couflictus gallici).
Locks
Castles of the 12th-14th centuries remain monuments of medieval chivalry. With the savagery of chivalry, such castles sometimes turned into robber nests, strongholds for the systematic robbery of neighbors and travelers. Rudolf of Habsburg has the honor of destroying in Germany a large number of robber nests of such knights - robbers who betrayed their lord. On the territory of Russia, the only castle of the Western European type has been preserved in Vyborg.

What is it - the concept of "knights"? Who are these people? These are warriors of the highest class! So they were called in the Horse knighthood - this is a kind of aristocracy on the battlefield. Moreover, this is a kind of military caste. More about this in our article.

How did the first knights appear?

Who are these warriors, and how did they appear in the history of mankind? The answers to these questions have their roots in medieval England. It was there that the title appeared in 971. Since then, much has been said and written about these horsemen, the definition of which is "knights".

Who are the knights of the Middle Ages?

It is curious that for some people the knights were the most common greedy robbers, horse thieves, rapists and oppressors of ordinary mortal people, while for others they were the real embodiment of nobility, valor and, of course, gallantry towards ladies.

Today it is generally accepted that a knight is a valiant warrior in shining armor, a courageous soldier. But to be honest, there really were a variety of people among them - the last scoundrels, and inveterate robbers, and famous poets, and religious fanatics. And they are all knights!

Who are knights in terms of lifestyle?

It is not surprising that the life of these warriors was entirely connected with military campaigns and battles. Each of them was none other than a real hero. The knight was considered one of the most significant figures in such a high due to the fact that not as much power was concentrated in the hands of the supreme rulers (kings, clergy) as they wanted. After all, then this very power belonged to those who fought better than others! In addition, significant privileges were given to those who had horses, heavy weapons and other necessary ammunition, and, most importantly, knew how to use it wisely!

According to cultural tradition, a knight in armor (or chevalier, reiter and knight) is a "horseman". This is how this word is translated into any language of the world. The horseman, who was chained in steel armor, professionally wielded a spear and a sword. In other words, this is a real fearless warrior who gave rise to such an independent culture as chivalry!

Modern "chivalry" is the military prowess and courage of the Middle Ages!

Chivalry, as a cultural tradition of that era, left a very deep mark on human memory. It has become synonymous with military courage and valor. After all, it is no coincidence that today we, speaking about the sublime and gentlemanly attitude towards the opposite sex, correlate this precisely with the era of chivalry! That is why today the most courageous daredevil, ready to stand up for the weak, defend the honor of a woman or fight for the truth, is perceived by the public consciousness as a real knight!

For statistics

Let's take a look at some numbers. There were not so many knights as a combat unit. For example, at the end of the 13th century in England there were about 3 thousand of these brave warriors. At the same time, from several tens to several hundred warriors in armor usually took part in the battles. And only in the largest and largest battles, the knights numbered in the thousands.

The history of the creation of chivalry has not been sufficiently studied to this day and does not have a single agreed opinion of historians. It is interpreted in a wide range and variously dates the organization of chivalry from the seventh to the tenth century. This military estate received general recognition upon the fact of its existence, when researchers allow semantics from the German word "ritter" - horseman. Some researchers see in the knights all the secular feudal lords of the early Middle Ages, while others see only a part of them - petty feudal lords, while implying military servants (horsemen) who were vassals of the nobility. Considering also that as feudal fragmentation grew, which favored the expansion of the rights of small knights, the line between knights and nobility gradually blurred, equalizing their rights.

These examples, presented on the already accomplished fact of the existence of chivalry, do not take into account the degree of logical expediency of any actions of historical characters entering the stage of the theater of history. And the logic is such that knightly equipment is a very expensive pleasure that not every nobleman could afford, as evidenced by the tradition of transferring the helmet and armor of the defeated knight to the winner. It is known that in the early Middle Ages, interstate relations often had a military character, when different kings and sovereigns, being leaders of military detachments, had to wield weapons and constantly improve their military skills. Therefore, it can be assumed that knightly armor is a combat form, first of all, of a king to protect him from enemy weapons.

By tradition, members of the royal family can only cross arms with an equal in position, and chivalry turned out to be the very environment with which the king could, without losing his dignity, participate in tournaments on the lists, holding war games and competitions. So from history we know that at a similar tournament, the French king Henry II, who was defeated in a knightly duel by Count Montgomery, was mortally wounded by a fragment of a spear. The count, who, in the romantic interpretation of Alexandre Dumas, turned out to be the son of Count Montgomery, who spent half his life and died in prison for having drawn weapons against Henry II, who was at that time a prince, challenging him to a duel as a rival in a relationship with a woman. But in everyday life this cannot be done - you can only fight with representatives of the royal house on the lists in an equal duel, having dignity on the social ladder no lower than the title of a count.

So, having received an education corresponding to his status, a knight could take his proper place in the power hierarchy, from baron to king. This hierarchy can be represented, descending from top to bottom, as: "The King and - his barons (dukes, counts)". As time passed and with the beginning of the formation of knightly orders, the role of the baron in the knightly hierarchy decreased: the King is the Head of the order. Duke - Head of the detachment (Head of the Order). Count - Knight (team leader). Baron - Knight (team leader). A knight in the service of a baron.

The original name of the knight - the equestrian comes from the means of transportation necessary for a person armed in heavy armor, which is the horse. Thus, chivalry became a privileged shock military unit of heavy cavalry, capable of breaking through the ranks of an enemy armed with spears, while remaining virtually invulnerable to infantry. The main theme of chivalry is the theme of service and austerity, which are often accompanied by a mystical cult of the beloved - the Lady, whose colors the knight wore on his armor and served as a guarantor of the protection of the honor of this Lady in cases of the so-called "God's judgment", when the conflict was resolved in a deadly duel between representatives accusing and defending side. Even the king had no right to cancel such a court.

Knighting was carried out in a solemn atmosphere, when only the king could knight, later the Grand Master of the Order of Knights began to do this. The training of a knight took place in serving as a page of a noble lady, and then a squire for one of the knights, who then presented his squire to the king for knighthood. Thus, each knight had his own history and affiliation to any land ownership or military knightly order, marked with the appropriate heraldic symbols, which the knight usually wore on his shield. The first military monastic order arose in the 11th century in Palestine, when seven knights created the Order of the Temple to protect pilgrims.

Then other knightly monastic orders were created, into which the children of nobles who did not have the right to inherit the title - Maltese, Livonian, Teutonic, had the opportunity to join. The master or grandmaster, the head of the order, acted as abbot. Therefore, no one could see a woman among the knights (even if it was the queen herself), even in the most nightmare, because it was physically impossible. In the course of the historical period of time, the original meaning of chivalry was lost and perverted to those positions when the knights began to reproduce themselves through a blow to the face and some oral parting words. With the invention of firearms, chivalry ceased to be the main military strike force. And after women were also called knights (masters), the institute of chivalry generally lost any meaning. Freemasonry, which considers itself the heirs of chivalric traditions, has invested a different esoteric meaning in heraldic symbolism, when in allegorical expression the title of a knight sounds like a master. Logos controlling his horse - matter. Here, the true concept of the semantic sounding of the word knight is inaccessible to most people without special education.

Knight without fear and reproach

The most famous knight was Bayard Pierre du Terail. He was called "a knight without fear and reproach", his name became a household name, synonymous with honor, disinterestedness and military prowess. Bayard was born near Grenoble in the family castle in 1476. The Terailei dynasty was famous for its chivalrous feats, many of Bayard's ancestors ended their lives on the battlefields. He was raised by his grandfather, who was a bishop and gave the boy a good education and upbringing. One of the main elements of education at school in those days was physical training. From birth, Bayard did not differ in good health and physical strength, so he devoted a lot of time to gymnastics and various exercises. Since childhood, he dreamed of devoting his life to the service of France as a warrior. From an early age, Bayard got used to wearing heavy weapons, jumping on a horse without a stirrup, overcoming deep ditches and climbing high walls, shooting from a bow and fighting with a sword. All his life he remembered the advice of his parents: to hope in God, always tell the truth, respect your equals, protect widows and orphans.

By tradition, Bayard began his service as a page of Count Philippe de Beauges. Having become a knight, he participated in many tournaments. Bayard's duel with the Spanish knight Inigo is described in D'Azeglio's novel "Ettore Fieramosca, or the Tournament in Barletta": "Bayard ... was the first to enter the arena on a beautiful Norman bay stallion; The stallion had three white legs and a black mane. According to the custom of that time, he was covered with a huge blanket that covered his body from ears to tail; a blanket of light green color with red stripes, and the coat of arms of a knight was embroidered on it; it ended with a fringe that reached the horse's knees. Sultans of feathers of the same colors fluttered on the head and on the rump of the stallion, and the same colors were repeated on the spear badge and on the feathers of the helmet ... Bayard restrained his horse against Doña Elvira and, as a sign of greeting, bowed his spear in front of her, and then hit him three times into Inigo's shield... This meant that he summoned Inigo for three blows of his spear... Having done all this, Bayard rode off to the entrance to the amphitheatre. At the same moment Inigo was in his place, opposite him; both held a spear at their feet, point upwards...

When the trumpet sounded for the third time, it seemed that the same impulse animated the fighters and their horses. To bend over a spear, to spur a horse, to rush forward with the speed of an arrow was a matter of one minute, and both horsemen performed it with equal speed and swiftness. Inigo aimed at his opponent's helmet; it was a sure, though not easy, blow; however, when they came abreast, Inigo thought that in the presence of such a lofty assembly it was better to act without risk, and contented himself with breaking his spear on Bayard's shield. But the French knight... aimed at Inigo's visor and hit so accurately that even if they both stood still, he couldn't have struck better. Sparks flew from Inigo's helmet, the shaft of the spear broke almost at the very base, and the Spaniard leaned on his left side so much - for he also lost his left stirrup - that he almost fell. Thus, the honor of this first fight went to Bayard. Both knights continued to gallop around the arena to come out towards each other, each from the other side; and Inigo, throwing back a piece of his spear in anger, drew another from the barrel as he galloped. In the second fight, the blows of the opponents were equal... In the third fight... Inigo broke his spear on the visor of his opponent, and he barely touched his cheek with his spear. The trumpets sounded again and the shouts of "Hurrah!" The heralds announced that both knights were distinguished by the same valor, and together they went to the bed of Doña Elvira ... The girl met them with words of praise.

From the end of the 15th century, the era of the decline of heavily armed mounted knights begins. No, they still participate in wars, they are considered a force, but new types of weapons lead to the emergence of combat-ready infantry and knightly cavalry begins to give up their positions one by one. The feudal militia is largely giving way to mercenary troops, and light cavalry takes the place of heavy cavalry. In the 16th century, the French army already consisted of a standing army and part of mercenaries, the knightly militia was recruited only in case of war. It was then that France was at war with Italy, and Bayard "did not get off his horse" until his death.

He went with the king on a campaign against Naples. In frequent, almost daily battles, he showed miracles of heroism and was always distinguished by high honesty. In one of the battles, he managed to capture the Spanish general Alonzo de Mayor. For his release, according to the customs of that time, it was supposed to receive a ransom, but since the Spaniard gave his word of honor that he would not leave until money was sent, Bayard ordered the general to be released from supervision. But the Spaniard left, and soon he was captured again, and, having paid a ransom, began to tell that Bayard treated him very strictly and slandered the knight in every possible way. Then Bayard challenged him to a duel, in which the Spanish general was killed. But it was a rare case when Bayard ended the duel with the death of the enemy - his generosity and generosity were amazing. His opponents knew this too. Once, pursuing a defeated enemy, Bayard broke into Milan, where he was taken prisoner. Having learned who was taken prisoner, he was immediately released without ransom as a sign of respect for his military merits.

Luck was not always on the side of the French army. In Italy, the French were unlucky and retreated. The French settled down to rest on the banks of the river Garigliano, across which a wooden bridge was thrown. The Spaniards decided to punish the French for such carelessness. A detachment of two hundred cavalry rushed to the bridge to attack the French. Bayard was the first to notice them and rushed towards the enemy. The Spaniards went in threes. Bayard defended the bridge alone until help arrived. The Spaniards could not believe that they were opposed by only one person, and the king of France gave the brave knight an inscription on the coat of arms as a reward: "One has the strength of an entire army." Bayard participated in many more battles. In 1512, he was seriously wounded, and then again was taken prisoner. His opponents Emperor Maximilian and King Henry VIII released him without any ransom. The emperor received Bayard with respect, and the king offered him to go to his service, which was then very common. But Bayard replied that he had "one God in heaven and one fatherland on earth: he cannot change either one or the other." In 1514, Bayard accompanied the French king Francis I on a military campaign to Italy. He prepared a bold passage through the Alps and showed such fearlessness in battle that the king himself, who was twenty-one years old, wished to be knighted by Bayard's hand. He at first refused such an honor, but the king insisted. After the dedication, Bayard said to the king: "God grant that you do not know the flight." Soon Bayard received from Francis I the command of a company of bodyguards. Such a distinction was granted only to princes of the blood.

And again campaigns, battles, victories and defeats. In April 1524, Bayard was sent to Italy to conquer Milan. The campaign was not successful, the French were forced to retreat to the Alps across the Sesia River. Bayard commanded the rearguard. He gave the order to hold the bridge over the river, and he himself rushed to the enemy. The bullet pierced his side and shattered his lower back. Realizing that he would soon die, Bayard ordered to put himself under a tree facing the enemy. "I've always looked them in the face and when I die, I don't want to show my back," he said. He gave a few more orders, confessed, and put to his lips the cross that he had on the hilt of his sword. In this position, the Spaniards found him. The dying Bayard was approached by Charles de Bourbon, who went over to the side of the Spaniards and expressed his regret about what had happened. Overcoming the pain, Bayard answered him: "You should not regret about me, but about yourself, who raised arms against the king and the fatherland." Both the life and death of this glorious knight were flawless.

Order of Malta

One of the most interesting knightly orders was the Order of Malta. This spiritual and knightly order was founded in Jerusalem in the 11th century. It owes its origin to merchants from Amalfi (a town south of Naples), who obtained permission from the Caliph of Baghdad to build a hospital in Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims who visited the Holy Sepulcher. The hospital was run by Benedictine monks from the Jerusalem church of Santa Maria Latina. When Gottfried of Bouillon conquered Jerusalem during the 1st crusade (1099), Gerard, the first master of the order, organized from these monks the monastic order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem. The monks wore a black cloak with a white eight-pointed cross. In 1113, Pope Paschal II officially approved the order. Five years later, the French knight Raymond Dupuis, the first Grand Master of the order, became Gerard's successor, and the order itself turned into a military organization - the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, subordinate to the Augustinian order. The order by that time had grown so much that it was divided into 8 "nations" or "languages", with divisions in various countries of Europe, and was obliged not only to observe chastity and humility, but also to fight for the cause of Christianity to the last drop of blood. Probably, the same Dupuis singled out three classes in the order: knights of the order of noble origin, who cared for the sick and carried out military service; chaplains who were in charge of the religious activities of the order; and brothers who performed the duties of servants in the order.

The knights defended Jerusalem from the infidels, but in 1187 they were expelled by Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and settled in Akka (Akko), which they held for a hundred years. Then the knights had to move to the island of Cyprus. In 1310, under the command of the Grand Master Devilaret, they captured the island of Rhodes, driving out the pirates from there. Three times the Turks besieged the island, but the knights held out until 1522, when they were attacked by Suleiman the Magnificent and surrendered on honorable terms after a heroic defense led by Philip Villiers de Lille-Adan. In 153, Emperor Charles V granted them the island of Malta, where in 1565 the knights, under the command of Master Jean de La Valeta, successfully repulsed the Turks. The city of Valletta, built on the site of the destroyed fortifications, bears the name of the hero of this struggle. For two centuries, the Knights of Malta patrolled the Mediterranean, fighting Turkish pirates, building new hospitals and caring for the sick. The French Revolution dealt the order a mortal blow. By decree of 1792, their property in France was confiscated, and in 1798 Napoleon occupied Malta, forcing the knights to seek a new refuge. Most of the knights went to Russia, where Emperor Paul I was elected Grand Master in order to resurrect the former greatness of the order, but after the death of the emperor (1801), the order ceased to exist. In 1879, an attempt was made to revive the order when Pope Leo XIII restored the position of Grand Master, and over the following years three "nations" were organized - in Italy, Germany and Spain, but the order could not return to its former glory. Grand British Priory Honorary Order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, this Protestant order, founded in England in 1830, maintains a distant, though unofficial, connection with the Order of the Knights of Malta. This organization is known for its merits in the field of social work and work in hospitals, as well as the creation of the Sanitary Association of St. John during the First World War. Catholic branches of the order existed until the 20th century. in a number of European and African countries, in the USA and South America.

Warband

The Teutonic Order was founded during the Third Crusade (1189 - 1192). Its full Latin name is Ordo domus Sanctae Mariae Teutonicorum ("Order of the House of St. Mary of the Teutonic"), German - "Deutscher Order" - "German Order". Members of this German Catholic spiritual and chivalric order were considered both monks and knights and took three traditional monastic vows: chastity, poverty and obedience. At that time, the members of the order were completely dependent on the Pope, being his powerful tool and not subject to the authority of those sovereigns on whose territory their possessions were located. In 1198, the order was established by Pope Innocent III, and in 1221 Pope Honorius III extended to the Teutons all those privileges, immunities and indulgences that the older orders had: the St. John and the Templars.

The end of the XIV - the beginning of the XV century was the heyday of the military power of the Teutonic Order, which received great help from Western European feudal lords and the Pope. In the struggle against this formidable force, Polish, Russian and Lithuanian troops united. In 1409, between the Teutonic Order, on the one hand, and Poland and Lithuania, on the other, a war broke out again, called the Great. The decisive battle between the army of the Teutonic Order and the Polish-Lithuanian-Russian troops took place on July 15, 1410 near Grunwald (the Lithuanians call this place Žalgiris, and the Germans - Tannenberg). Under the leadership of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas, the main forces of the Teutons were defeated. This put an end to the expansion of German feudal lords and crusaders to the East, which lasted 200 years. The epochal significance of the battle, in which Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen and almost all members of the military leadership of the order were killed, lies in the fact that the military and political power of the Teutons was broken, their plans for domination in Eastern Europe were dispelled. The Teutonic Order could no longer recover from the defeat inflicted on it. In vain he sought help from the Pope and from the ecumenical councils, which at that time were trying to strengthen the shattered authority of the Catholic Church. Under the combined blows of Poland and the rebellious cities, the Teutonic Order was forced to admit defeat and give up political independence.

In the first quarter of the 16th century, interesting events unfolded in the history of the Teutonic Order. On April 2, 1525, the Teutonic grand master Albrecht Hohenzollern entered Krakow, the capital of Poland, in a white cloak of the "holy army" decorated with a black order cross, and already on April 8, he signed peace with Poland not as a grand master of the Teutonic Order, but as a duke of Prussia, which was in vassalage dependence on the Polish king Sigismund. Under this agreement, all the old privileges enjoyed by the Teutons were lost, but all the rights and privileges of the Prussian nobility remained in force. And a day later, in the old market of Krakow, kneeling Albrecht took the oath of allegiance to the King of Poland. Thus, on April 10, 1525, a new state was born. The Teutonic Order was abolished in order for Prussia to exist.

In 1834, the order was restored with slightly modified tasks in Austria (under Grandmaster Anton Viktor, who became known as Hochmeister), and soon de facto in Germany, although the official order authorities claim that the Teutons resumed their activities in this country only after the end of World War II, because the knight brothers were persecuted under Nazism.

Ministry of General and Vocational Education of the Sverdlovsk Region

Education management

Municipal educational institution "Secondary general education

school number 7 "624356, Kachkanar, Sverdlovsk region, microdistrict 5a, 14a

TIN 6615006689 Department of Education

Theme: The era of the Middle Ages. Knights.

1. Introduction 3

2. Knights 4-5

3. Knightly code of honor 6

4. Heraldry 7-8

5. Armament of the knight 9-10

6. Combat tactics 11

7. Knight tournaments 12

8. The most famous knight 13

9. The emergence of knightly orders 14-15

10. Conclusion 16

11. Literature 17

1. Introduction

In the 4th grade, we began to get acquainted with such a subject as history. A lot of interesting things from the past of mankind were told to us by our teacher Alena Anatolyevna. But she not only told and showed us interesting facts, but also suggested to us the sources in which we can learn more about the event that interested us. And also, together with her, we prepared material for the lessons: we read books, prepared messages, searched for and made presentations, slide shows. I got the theme of the Middle Ages. Starting to prepare for the lesson, I realized that this era is so mysterious and interesting. And I decided to get acquainted with the Middle Ages in more detail. I especially enjoyed learning about the knights. Reading about them, I imagined myself in their place. And in order to systematize my knowledge, I decided to write an essay on this topic.

I set the goal of my work to get acquainted with the literature on this topic and make my own presentation, so that it would be more interesting to tell the guys.

The tasks I have set for myself are:

Find out who the knights are in the explanatory dictionary and other sources, what qualities it was necessary to have in order to become a knight

Find out what the code of honor meant for a knight

Learn about heraldry, its origin

Learn about the weapons of the knight

Learn about knight fighting tactics

Learn about knight tournaments

Learn about the most famous knight, how he glorified himself for centuries

Find out how knightly orders arose

Well, forward to knowledge!

1. Knights.

Knight(through the Polish ruserz, from him. Ritter, originally - "horseman") - a medieval noble title of honor in Europe.

Knights - professional warriors - were an organization whose members were united by a way of life, moral and ethical values, personal ideals. The small elite of the feudal class was created by the largest landowners - bearers of high-profile titles. These most noble, with the largest pedigree, knights stood at the head of their squads, sometimes real armies.

Military affairs were the prerogative of the feudal lords, and they did everything to prevent the participation of "rude peasants" in the battles as much as possible. There were times when knights refused to take part in battles along with commoners and, in general, with infantry.

In different countries, there were similar systems for educating knights. The boy was taught horseback riding, weapons - first of all, a sword and a pike, as well as wrestling and swimming. He became a page, then a knight's squire. Only after that the young man was honored to go through the rite of initiation into a knight. There was also a special literature devoted to knightly "arts". The future knight was taught, in addition to another, and hunting techniques. Hunting was considered the second occupation worthy of a knight after the war.

The knight was expected to constantly look after his glory. His valor had to be constantly confirmed, and many knights were in constant search of new opportunities for this. "If there is war here, I stay here," said the knight in one of the ballads of the poetess Marie of France. It was not unusual to measure strength with an unfamiliar opponent if he caused dissatisfaction in any way. Special jousting tournaments were organized. In the 11th-13th centuries. Rules for knightly duels were developed. So, their participants had to use the same weapon. Most often, at first, the rivals rushed one at the other with a spear at the ready. If the spears broke, they took up the swords, then the mace. Tournament weapons were blunt, and the knights only tried to knock the opponent out of the saddle. During the tournament, after many individual fights, which could last several days, they arranged the main competition - an imitation of the battle of two squads. Knightly duels have become an integral part of the battles in the endless feudal wars. Such a duel took place before the battle, single combat ended with the death of one of the knights. If the fight was not held, then it was considered that the fight was started "not according to the rules."

2.Knight's code of honor.

Knighting was an important event in the life of the future warrior. It took place in a solemn atmosphere. The knighting ceremony was founded at the end of the 10th century, although its origins reach back to ancient Germanic rites.

In 12-14 Art. there were peculiar norms of behavior - "rules of honor" - which a warrior who called himself a knight had to adhere to. This knightly code of honor called for being a brave warrior, faithfully serving the lord, protecting the weak and offended, and fighting for the Christian faith. The knight-senior was obliged to take care of his vassal and generously endow him. A real knight could not behave meanly in battle. If he shied away from a fair fight, he branded himself forever. A defeated enemy knight was to be treated with respect. And to meet in battle with an “ignoble” warrior was considered unworthy of a knight. A knight must be generous. Of course, not everyone and not always adhered to these norms of behavior.

Knightly prowess:

courage
loyalty
generosity
prudence
refined sociability
sense of honor
liberty

3. Heraldry.

The custom of introducing coats of arms occurred much earlier, because as a result of the division of lands, people needed distinctive signs, so each country had its own distinctive features, for some it was a raven, for some it was a rose or a lion, and there were still countless coats of arms .

But the origin of heraldry is due to the time of this great crusade. These were not only the distinguishing features of each knight, it was a kind of language, which for many was more understandable even than ordinary literacy, because in those days even half of the lords and seniors were not taught to read and write ..

But the image for the coat of arms was taken for a reason. The image on the coat of arms told about the personality of the knight, because you need to know about a person when you see him for the first time, and the coat of arms showed the life of its owner with one image.

During the crusade for the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher, the coats of arms of those who had already fought in the East and those who had just arrived were different, because those who participated in the battle had shields with the image of a cross of various shapes on it, which meant that the knight had already fought, but only the knights who came had an image in the form of migratory birds, which symbolized the journey of the knights themselves. Often the birds were without a paw or without a wing, such an image meant that the knight was seriously injured in the crusade.

The presence of such images on the coat of arms of the knight several decades later indicated that the knight's family was already quite old, and his ancestors made a significant contribution to the development of the church.

It was after the crusade that the shields became more colorful, for example, in Europe about this time, the blue color was simply unfamiliar, but after the crusade it became very common. Yes, and in principle, Europe did not know what “enamel” was, because it was a Persian word that meant “blue” in translation, but later in Europe this word began to be used in relation to all colors, because drawings on shields began to be applied with enamel paints that were invented in the East.

Over time, the coat of arms became just a hallmark of a knight, and he might not even introduce himself, because the coat of arms said almost everything about himself and his family. The coat of arms began to be depicted on everything that is possible. Both the armor and the knightly weapon itself became a platform for the image of the coat of arms. Now the knights could not invent a coat of arms for themselves in the media, the coat of arms was bestowed on the knight by his seigneur or the king, because it was the coat of arms that depicted all the merits of the knight or his family, but the knight’s misdeeds could also be entered on the coat of arms. Coats of arms became ubiquitous, if before that they were depicted only on shields and places on helmets, now they have become an adornment of any knightly house, coats of arms were depicted on clothes, horse armor, and later they began to come up with knightly mottos that were written on the blade of a knight.

4. Armament of a knight.

The natural defense of a person does not surpass in quality his natural weapons, therefore, a person began to think about protection from weapons immediately after their appearance. Defensive weapons have evolved in parallel with offensive melee weapons in order to give the greatest protection with existing technologies. Until the 17th century, with rare exceptions, only edged weapons were used in wars. It was it that caused up to 90% of all losses in battles, and the outcome of the battle was decided in hand-to-hand combat.

Armor has come a long way of evolution from animal skins, through cloth armor, to a full knight's shell, leaving not a single centimeter of such a vulnerable human body open.

Before the spread of firearms, it was the armor that distinguished the warrior, and the word "weapon" denoted precisely them.

Shirts were replaced by very heavy combat suits for knights, and the sword, which all medieval equestrian warriors loved so much, has not yet decided to replace anything, since it showed itself perfectly in battle, and surpassed even the crooked sabers of the Arabs. Those knights who excellently showed themselves in all the battles they participated in received the right to name their sword, but for some reason this tradition was not widely spread and recognized by the knights. The knight himself was protected by armor on the body, which was either chain mail or shell, shells were most often used. Medieval shells were of two types, the first type was assembled on the body of a knight, and consisted of two metal plates, and the second was assembled from metal scales.

Both types could protect the knight from arrows and stabs with a sword. Armor was attached to the shell, which covered the arms and shoulders of the warrior, and on the legs were boots (often made of armor). The knight's head was covered by a medieval helmet, which was often decorated with horns or feathers. A knight equipped with such a protective suit looked more like an all-metal statue that not only stood, but also had to ride a horse, and at the same time deftly fight the weakest point of medieval armor was a gap in armor, and the gap where the helmet ended and began shell. Another problem was the removal of the shell, sometimes the wounded knights died simply from blood loss, as they could not take off their armor in time.

Animals, such as, for example, war horses, elephants, camels, played an important role, both in battles and performing a transport function in the army. Naturally, people thought about how to protect not only riders, but also animals. Therefore, armor designed exclusively for mounts began to appear. For the first time, they began to armor riding horses in Greece during the period of the Greco-Persian wars, borrowing the idea from the Persians, who already armored chariot horses. Later, the armored cavalry took part in the campaigns of Alexander the Great, where the Thessalians had armored horses.

During the existence of the knights, the equipment of the mounted knight has undergone some changes, such as the replacement of three types of weapons (in the beginning, the knight had to have an ax, a mace and a sling in his equipment) with a shield. In skillful hands, the shield was used as a powerful weapon, and just to protect against sword strikes, arrows and spears, the shield was indispensable.

5. Battle tactics.

Weapons, of course, played an important role in the battle, but in a single battle, the knight could only rely on himself, because no one knows how the battle will develop. But now I would like to talk about a team fight, which is much more difficult than a single fight.

In order to fight in a team, you need to develop tactics so that the team becomes a single entity and everyone can rely on their comrade-in-arms. The weapon was constantly changing, but the developed tactics were unchanged, and for quite a long time.

In our time, of course, it is easy to judge that the battles were predictable, and the knights are not an army. But in fact, everything depended only on the knights, because even a large army of infantrymen could not resist even two dozen knights, because their skills were at their best, and their weapons were simply unique, so the infantry was only to distract the enemy.

Before the battle, the knight began to gather an army for himself, which consisted of almost a dozen squires, who always remained at the back of the front line, and followed the course of the battle, only occasionally changing the knight's horse or weapon. Also, the knight's servants were present in the army in order to serve him even before the battle, and his most important army was the foot soldiers whom he recruited from the peasants who were under his care.

When the army was already on the battlefield, the knights began to build, and they were built in the form of a wedge, in the first row of which there were no more than five knights, then seven knights stood next to each other, and with each new row the number of knights increased. After the formation of the knights, the construction of the entire remaining cavalry took place, which lined up in the form of a quadrangle.

In this formation, the knights began the battle, and at first the knightly horses moved very slowly, one might even say in steps, as they approached the enemy, the speed of the cavalry gradually increased, and on the approach to the enemy’s army itself, the horses were already galloping. Such a wedge easily broke through the enemy's defenses, especially considering that the defending side put forward only foot soldiers who were not at all trained in the art of combat. After the breakthrough was made, the battle itself began, which consisted of hundreds, and sometimes thousands of individual fights. Such a battle could last for hours without interruption, and no one could stop or change this battle.

6. Knight tournaments.

For many, knightly tournaments are a symbol and an integral attribute of the Middle Ages. Described many times in historical novels, they haunt our imagination, and we can almost clearly hear the roar of the jubilant crowd greeting their favorite, we see the shining armor of knights and the benevolent smiles of ladies. In a moment, all this brilliance and beauty will be drowned in the clang of weapons, faded from dust, dirt and blood from the wounds received. But that doesn't make tournaments any less appealing to our imagination.

In the Middle Ages, such "demonstration performances" gave the knights the opportunity to once again demonstrate their dexterity, courage and nobility. In addition, the skills of beginners were honed here, who, after many years of training, decided to declare themselves, opening the list of their exploits with such battles.

To this day, information has come down to three varieties of knightly tournaments that took place at different times throughout Europe. The earliest form can be considered the lists, the event is quite large-scale and spectacular. Two cavalry detachments met on the battlefield, and, at the sign of the host of the tournament, the battle began. However, in the heat of the struggle, a real battle flared up, no one thought to spare the enemy, and therefore most of the tournament participants from the battlefield got to the funeral ceremony. Therefore, soon the lists had to be strictly regulated, and then completely abolished.

It was replaced by a more elegant and colorful type of tournament called "jostra". The horsemen converged one on one, equipped with special tournament weapons, which could not be purposely inflicted with a mortal wound. There were strict rules in the Jostra, according to which, when fighting with spears, the opponent should be hit as high as possible above the belt. Preferably in the head or shoulder. When fighting with swords, some of the blows also remained prohibited.

However, even the noble jostra was a thing of the past, giving way to bagardo, which was no longer a duel, but a simple demonstration of dexterity and bearing. Subsequently, this kind of tournament became part of the entertainment parades and carnivals.

7. The most famous knight.

The most famous knight was Bayard Pierre du Terail. He was called "a knight without fear and reproach", his name became a household name, synonymous with honor, disinterestedness and military prowess.
Bayard was born near Grenoble in the family castle in 1476. The Terailei dynasty was famous for its chivalrous feats, many of Bayard's ancestors ended their lives on the battlefields.
He was raised by his grandfather, who was a bishop and gave the boy a good education and upbringing. One of the main elements of education at school in those days was physical training. From birth, Bayard did not differ in good health and physical strength, so he devoted a lot of time to gymnastics and various exercises.
Since childhood, he dreamed of devoting his life to the service of France as a warrior. From an early age, Bayard got used to wearing heavy weapons, jumping on a horse without a stirrup, overcoming deep ditches and climbing high walls, shooting from a bow and fighting with a sword. All his life he remembered the advice of his parents: to hope in God, always tell the truth, respect your equals, protect widows and orphans.

8. The emergence of knightly orders.

Like secular authorities, the church also needed defenders to lean on. Moreover, in the XI century. the era of the Crusades starts, stretching for more than one century. The prerequisite for the beginning of these wars was the invasion of the Arabs into the Jewish territory, where shrines revered by the entire Christian world were kept. The Pope of Rome announced that this directly threatened the foundations of the faith, so almost all the troops of Europe, and especially the knights, concentrated under the banner of the church. This was the beginning of the formation of spiritual knightly orders.

Some of the warriors of these associations were militant monks, adding to the knightly oaths a vow of asceticism and celibacy. In addition, a group of templars stood out, reporting directly to church leaders. The rest were at the disposal of the Grand Master of his order, the only person whose orders were carried out unquestioningly. Subsequently, the orders became not only spiritual and military associations, they had a great influence on the political situation in Europe.

In addition to the war with the infidels, the knights of temples and orders provided reliable protection for pilgrims making pilgrimages to holy places. They were also engaged in missionary and charitable activities in the Arab East. Some orders were in charge of hospitals for wounded soldiers and the affected local population.

It should be noted that, having collided, the West and the East not only waged a long enmity, but also enriched each other's cultures. Indeed, in those days, unique medical, mathematical, astronomical and other knowledge that Europe did not even suspect was available to Arab culture. The knights also borrowed much from the military science of the Arabs, from weapons and tactics.

When the era of the crusades passed, there was no need for orders. The absolute majority of them were also abolished because neither secular nor ecclesiastical authorities were willing to tolerate competitors in governing the country. The Knights of Malta, which have proven themselves in the 20th century, remain the only order in existence today. as a powerful charitable social structure.

One of the famous knightly orders - These are the Hospitallers (Joanites)

The official name is the “Order of the horsemen of the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem” In 1070, a hospital for pilgrims to holy places was founded in Palestine by the merchant Mauro from Amalfi. Gradually, a brotherhood was formed there to care for the sick and wounded. It grew stronger, increased, began to exert a fairly strong influence, and in 1113 was officially recognized by the Pope as a spiritual and knightly order.

The knights took three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. The symbol of the order was an eight-pointed white cross. It was originally placed on the left shoulder of the black robe. The mantle had very narrow sleeves, which symbolized the monk's lack of freedom. Later, the knights began to wear a red robe with a cross sewn on the chest. There were three categories in the order: knights, chaplains and serving brethren. From 1155, the Grand Master, who was proclaimed Raymond de Puy, became the head of the order. The general chapter met to make the most important decisions. Members of the chapter gave the Grand Master a purse with eight denarii, which was supposed to symbolize the refusal of the knights from wealth.

Initially, the main task of the order was to care for the sick and wounded. The main hospital in Palestine had about 2,000 beds. The knights distributed gratuitous aid to the poor, arranged free meals for them three times a week. The Hospitallers had a shelter for foundlings and infants. For all the sick and wounded, there were the same conditions: clothes and food of the same quality, regardless of origin. From the middle of the XII century. the main duty of the knights is the war with the infidels and the protection of pilgrims. The order already has possessions in Palestine and southern France. The Johnites begin, like the Templars, to acquire great influence in Europe.

Regarding the name "Order of the Hospitallers", it should be borne in mind that this name is considered slang or familiar. The official name of the Order does not contain the word "Hospitallers". The official name of the Order is the Hospitable Order, and not the Order of the Hospitallers.

At present, when military tasks have faded into the background, the Order is actively engaged in humanitarian and charitable activities. Thus, in the new historical conditions, the name "Hospitable Order" acquires a new, special sound.

9. Conclusion.

In conclusion, I would like to summarize my work.

Having studied the literature, Internet resources, I was able to add up, as I think, a fairly complete picture of the knights. It turns out that a knight is not only a rich nobleman, but first of all a courageous, brave and strong warrior. The knights were supposed to be honest, noble and kind, they must follow the code of honor. Each knight had his own castle, coat of arms, which reflected the merits of the whole family. Such a kind of genealogical family tree. The knights were very hardy, as they very often wear knightly armor, which weighs a lot of kg. They also put their horses in armor, protecting them from wounds.

I learned that not only horses were dressed in armor, but also elephants. It turns out that a knight is not only a warrior, but also a medieval noble title of honor. And there are knightly orders that still exist today.

I think that now I can tell the guys a lot of new, interesting things about the knights. And I am attaching my presentation to my story.

10. Literature.

1.http://www.ritterburg.ru/stat/ob/3_2.shtml

2.http://a-nomalia.narod.ru/beb/82.htm

3.http://ricari.net/

4.http://ru.wikipedia.org

5. Shpakovsky V.O. "Knights", Publisher: Timoshka (Baltic Book Company), 2010
6. Shpakovsky V.O. "The Crusaders", Publisher: Timoshka (Baltic Book Company), 2010

Portal for the student. Self-training

Who are the knights? Briefly

How could one become a knight?

Virtues of a knight

How were the knights armed?

2.Knight's code of honor.

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