History - Feudalism and knight life
Statutum Armourum
(statute of Arms) 1292 - legal attempt to control tournaments. introduced rules to govern how the tournaments were fought - swards with points should not be used - Tried to decrease rioting at tourneys - Royal bans of tournaments corresponded with weak rulers insecurity - Government control over tournaments often forced knights overseas
Decay of Feudalism
- 1300s saw an expanding economy, roots of capitalism and the rise of nation states - rise of the medieval middle class in the 14th century - participated in organized archery, formed into guilds - This group took the place of knights in terms of services to the lord and king
William Marshal - general
- A forth son, born 1146 CE and dies 1219 CE - Overcome lack of inheritance through success in the tourney field - Marshal's life recorded in poetry and a book was written after his death - went from the lowest of the lowest to the highest power
Knights social mobility
- Being a noble was expensive, only secure form of income was lordship - By the 12th century concerns over who could inherit land, led to the right of primogeniture (inheritance goes to oldest son) - Landless knights found fortune in war and the tournaments
How people viewed tourneys and the effects of them
- Church: as a threat to man's salvation - Secular authorities: as a threat to public order - tournaments could escalate into public miniature wars - Fair of Boston in 1288 CE, tournament led to destruction of part of the town
Jousting
- End of Edward i reign, jousts take over from melee - Under edward III (1326-1377), fair atmosphere became part of the tourney - Jousting was safer and appealed to knightly vanity - A shift from old style to new style with colourful costumes, role play etc. change in how warfare was fought
The Medieval world rested on
- Feudalism: social relations - Church of Rome: Religion - Seigniorial system: land ownership - Feudal Monarchies: Kings viewed as 1st among equals, not absolute monarchs (not much power)
William Marshals success
- First tourney was at Le Mans in 1667 CE - Won with a borrowed horse and equipment - By 1177, he was making a living at the tournaments - Journey to France to participate in tournaments since Kings would ban them in certain places - by 1179 he became a knight- banneret, able to raise his own banner - Last years of his life he became Regent of England
How the feudal system started
- From the 7th to 10th centuries CE Europe was very unstable - Vikings - King required professional fighting men, offered land for service for Vassals - Feudalism is a defensive system, not a system of year-round service
The first tournaments
- Games of hoursemanship to celebrate political alliances as early as 842 CE (simple demonstrations of their knightly skills) - Tournament, as a distinct martial event, emerged at the end of the 11th century - Paralleled development of the lance charge which required unit training
Melee tournament
- Hand to hand fighting in close quarters, on foot or horseback - gave way to joust by 14th century CE - Tournaments were initially melees, essentially mock (sometimes real) combat - Knights were led by the feudal lord, few rules to distinguish form an actual battle - Object was to capture a knight and ransom them, taking their horse and equipment
The social role of a knight
- Have manners, courtly edict, protection of others. - Changed from being the target of war and central to economy and power, to entertainment and ceremonial
William Marshal and Henry
- His success in tourneys and chivalry attracted the attention of king Henry 2nd who engaged him to tutor his son - Together with Henry, Marshal continued his success at tournaments - Chivalry (fame and glory) and fortune were the prime motivators for joining the tourney
Knighthood and war
- Knights bound to serve their lord for 40 days a year, very brief conflicts - Knights were well protected, only foot soldiers (poor peasants) were supposed to die - Mounted warriors were key to battle success, the cavalry was an important tactic
Who were the laypeople and Why was there limited evidence about peasent recreation?
- People who were not part of the church or nobility, working class peasants 1) lack of education - illiterate 2) Were considered less important
England - the ages we are focused
- Pre-feudal/ dark ages (300s to 700s CE) - Feudal/ early middle ages (800s to 1000s CE) - High Middle Ages (1100s - 1300s CE)
Baker Reading "medieval people at play" Why were football and hockey games unique forms tied to local communities?
- Represent rituals (Examples: pins were the devil, knocking down the devil) - Important activities around the holidays - folk games popular with peasants, played according to local traditions rather than written rules. - Local foot ball games with their own rules
The practical values of a knights physical abilities
- Ride a horse - It is hard to move in armer and their bodies had to adapt to it like second nature. Really athletic to be able to get on and off the horse with this armer. - If they were valued they could secure land and work - A tournament was a bit like a sporting activity but it is also much more central - a ability to demonstrate their worth
Reasons for holing tournaments
- Seiges - End of campaign - Coronations (young knights were knighted) - Diplomatic meetings - Weddings - Holidays (easter, christmas) - Outance (normal war conditions) or Plaisance (dulled swards and limited armer)
Baker Reading "medieval people at play" Why were ball games important?
- Some from the church - The Romans (use tha ball to warm up going into baths) - blow off steam because their lives were full of hard work
Knightly tournaments
- Tournaments were central to knighthood, but they were also politically risky, pose a threat to the king because of power. - They were like war except for safe areas, and the goal is ransom. useful when no real war was taking place - they were popular among knight-errants and young landledd knights
Transition into becoming a knight
- Very hard life - Began as a page: gave service to the lord and the knights - Then Squire: learns primary skills - Then a knight at age 20 or 21. knighting was a coming of age ritual, later adopted by the church
Church prohibitions
- Were enacted too late, the tournaments was too entrenched and the church's authority too weak - Despite this lack of effective control, the church did not change its stance - Tournament remained central to the knights life and medieval masculinity and chivalry
Tournaments
- in the 12th century some knights served an apprenticeship on the northern France circuit - 1170s and 1180s young knights fought melee style tournaments fortnightly (every two weeks) - A way to enhance social and economic status, victory was the prime concern
Training for knighthood at a young age
- to be a knight, one had to be a nobleman - boys were raised to be tough and groomed to be warriors - be raised away from their family at age 6 or 7, sent to live in the household of their father's overlord - First born sons become warriors as they inherited the fife (land)
Progress of the knights armer (only study if you have time)
-1100 steal armer chain mail armer relatively easier to get on horse -1200 more plate armer, more flashy armer (still chain mail underneath -1300 almost all plate armer, small shield for horse back, long sward. Difficult to get back on horse -1400 - jousting tournaments, largely ceremonial in nature, almost all plate, ornate
Carter "Sports, Recreations, and War in Feudal Europe" how were peasants diversion related to war?
-they were the foot soldiers, archery, and support for the knights. - The war had an impact on the medieval peasant's life and sports, play as pastimes diversions were related to the war. Mocking combat became play. This was evident in a lot of the media, Archery contests, wrestling matches, mall games typically got out of hand and participants became engaged in brawls.
Reading by baker examines some of these activities, what does he say about them
-very local in nature, one site would have one version of the game you wouldn't see anywhere else (different styles of the game) sports for the masses were often sights where people could demonstrated frustrations for those in power (damage property during game and authorities cant pinpoint one person because it was by a lot of people)
Noblemen spend time? What was war to them?
1) Fighting 2) Practicing 3) Hunting - War was their business to gain financially, economically and socially. It brought profit, and knights were paid booty that was won during battle
Social structure was defined by those who
1) fought 2) prayed 3) worked
First Lateran Council of 1123
14th Canon of the first council of 1123, condemned tournaments and deprive those killed of a christian burial
Bateux Tapestry
70 m long - Williams conquest of England and slaughtered - made by people shortly after with wool and linin
Council of Claremont 1130
9th Decree of the council of Claremont laid an interdict on all tournaments, excommunicated participants and forbade burial to those wounded in them - Believed the sins of homicide could be committed, even unintentionally - (at the time there were 2 popes for 2 different groups so separate power and who had control over the christian world)
Behourds
A form of practice combat or joust, impromptu events popular in the 1200s - Fought between squired or knights in training often as part of a celebration - Weapons were dulled, no armer, only used shields
Lateran Council
Any of 5 christian unity councils held between 1123 and 1512 (st. John lateran)
Carter "Sports, Recreations, and War in Feudal Europe" How were clergy involved in the tournaments, what was the role of the tournaments?
Clergy would make money by capturing other knights and taking them ransom for money - role of the tournament was practice for war
Second Lateran Council 1139
Held by pope Innocent II in 1139 to heal schism caused by previous pope - Reinforced previous canons against dangerous tournaments - (pope was the most powerful here, laws against priest marriage also begun)
Magna Carta of 1215
In England, when tournaments became part of political life. - The Barons were concerned by royal control - Following king John's death, tournaments were largely prohibited - Wars also reduced interest in/need for tourneys
Papal ban of 1312
Last formal ban imposed by Pope Clement V, Called for Crusade to the Holy Land and prohibited tournaments - anyone involved in a tournament would be excommunicated, pope had final say - This ban led to an outcry in England and France where tourneys were still central to knightly life - Pope John XXII rescinded the ban in 1316 "ban of all bans"
The feudal system consistence of what relationship
Lord - Vassal - Fief (land) relationship - lord granted land (fief) to the Vassal and became a bond between them - Vassal swears homage to the Lord, they are needed for protection and warriors - Service for pay wasn't an option
Why was feudalism needed?
People needed protection since there was no real central government, stable form of governance on - life became more dangerous, protect themselves from outward and inward threats.
Baker Reading "medieval people at play" How did the feudal system influence physical activity?
People rarely left their communities, so when they played games it was very much applied to that community or space. - Mass games, no distinction between spectating and playing - display of nobles power, show celebration, entertainment. - Hunting was a noble activity, if a non-noble went hunting they would be executed
Fourth Lateran Council 1215 - Canon 15
Pope innocent III, summons to the Crusade in 1215 - Canon 15 reinforced the banning of tournaments, but this time was based on their impeding of the Crusades - Kings could be excommunicated - power of church begun to decline
Royal Decrees of 1194
Richard I licensed tourneys to make money (if a knight wanted to enter he needed to pay a fee) - He know soldiers needed to train, so he placed controls on them - Excluded foreign knights to decrease political rivalries, also limited sites (b/c king had more control in certain places) - Church agreed with decrees as a way to extend control over the activity - Legitimized and monopolized state control of tournaments (control or ban)
Feudalism
Social, economic, political foundation of Medieval World - system of political organization in Europe (9th to 15th CE) based on the lord/vassal relationship where tenants served on the land
The changing face of war at this time
Started at the early middle aged where war was focused on the knight an their service to the lord. - By 1300s the innovation of gunpowder and cannons altered warfare - Castles were no longer secure, which changed how lords fought and lives - long bows allowed commoners to kill knights - influence of knights and feudal system declined, kings began to employ standing professional armies
The churches view of the tournaments
The feuds and vandettas that were apart of the tournament were viewed as unjust wars by the church, they promoted the deadly sins - they weren't wars but they seemed that way - In reality, the church has little power to limit or control the tournament - 12th and 13th centuries tournys were forbidden by ecclesiastical law
Fall of Feudalism - what tournaments became
Transformation of warfare - 1333 archers make knights obsolete: became primary weapon force and a knight became less important - Tournaments lose importance by 1450 became purely a social diversion from the war between England and France - Tourneys became pageants for the very wealthy because they were so expensive
William Fitzstephen
Wrote "description of London" 1173-1175 and dealt with peasant activities - Activities he described induced: football, equestrian, gambling, cockfighting, archery, wrestling, stone throwing, skating, fighting with bucklers, bear and bull baits, water jousting - often emulating higher classes
Decay of Feudalism - the church
power of the catholic church began to decline while the power of monarchs increased
Quintain
practice tournament device that tested lance accuracy (target practice without having to go against another player) - Used before Melee tournaments
