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    Medieval Knights

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    299 views49 pages

    Medieval Knights

    Uploaded by

    Mihaela Turcu
    Medieval Knights

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 49
    . Py suseeale chee Medieval Knight: Text & Color Plates by Justo Jimeno Copyright © 2006 by CONCORD PUBLICATIONS CO. 603-609 Castle Peak Road Kong Nam industrial Building 10/F B1, Tsuen Wan New Tertitories, Hong Kong www.concord-publications.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Concord Publications Co. We welcome authors who can help ‘expand our range of books. If you would like to submit material, please feel free to contact us. We are always on the look-out for new, unpublished photos for this series if you have photos or sides or information you feel may be useful to future volumes, please send them to us for possible future publication. Full photo credits will be given upon. publication. ISBN 962-361-101-3 printed in Hong Kong Gs he, nroductio) as Whe origins of knighthood are old and shrouded in mystery, The first news we have in respect to it comes from the great Roman historian, Tacitus, in the first Century A.D. In one of his narratives he describes an event in which a boy becomes a man, ready for combat in a clearing in the woods the entirety of a amanic tribe meets in a circle, Everyone has 10 see it. The chief is in the centre. From among the warriors the boy advances until he is but one step from the chief, who with great solemnity, hands the boy a shield and a double-bladed javelin, From this day forth the boy must forget about his mothers care in order 10 become a member of the warrior community, We also have an account of Charlemagne handing, his thirteen year old son, Louis, the shield which would transform him into a man, It was a great ceremony which took place in Ratisbon in 791 AD. In the 10th century these events had the Church's support to such an extent that only clergymen were able 10 name knights, Moreover, it was considered completely necessary to bless the sword of a future knight. It was an era full of superstitions and beliefs in miracles, where such things as herds, flocks, houses and fields all received a divine blessing. The sword, as an instrument put into Gods service, could receive no less. Inthe 11th century the formal, “I ordain thee knight’ ‘appeared. That is fo say, not only was he armed and named knight, but he entered into the order of knighthood. Order is from the Latin word orc, meaning division, category, or social class_in which each one supports the other. In the 12th century the first orders appeared, like that of the Templars 1123, that of Hospitallers 1118 Calatrava 1164, Santiago 1165 and Aledniara 1183. The crusades gave knightly orders their maximum splendor in the 12th and 13th centuries, In 1098 the crusading knights 100k Antioch. The year 1099 marked a milestone in the history of knights as it was the year they took Jerusalem, whose temple gave name to the Order of the Temple. The crusades extended into battles, conquests heroism, sieges, sacrifices, and—why not say it— excesses, until 1291, the year of the fall of San Juan de Arce into the hands ef Sultan A-Ashraf Jalil Afterwards, there came a crusades, ries of less important From these events the songs of heroism can be heard everywhere. Their royal achievements mix with those of legend which then excessively magnified them even further. In nearly all European countries, writien “accounts and novels of knighthood appear As some anonymous verses Say— Romance, romance, songs of France, Bravery of noble Britany, Legends of sword and lance That grew in Germany And had their splendor in olden Spain tt is at the beginning of the 15th century that decadence in knighthood begins. Archers and Crossbowmen, at the beginning unappreciated, became the masters of the battlefield (Agincourt, 1415). What definitely makes the knights disappear {from the battle was the development and use of the musket and harquebus weapons used. with tremendous efficiency by the Spanish troops in Pavia, In that battle, aside from taking French King Francis | prisoner, the best cavairy in Europe was written off. This was the epilogue of the war between France and Spain. After this, knights would only wear armor for presentations and jousting with clothsipped lances of fragile wood. 1525. To conclude this introduction, this is a> brief Decalogue of the knight 1. Believe in the Holy Church and vow to die for Christ. 2. Defend and protect the Pope and the Church: 3. Defend the weak and the helpless such as widows or orphans. 4, Become a knight of law and order. the sword without justice. Never retreat in combat. ‘Better dead than a coward’ 6. Go to the Holy Land 10 fight the infidel. The Spanish knights are exempt by the Po they have the crusade at home. Be just and fulfil your military. charitable and. feudal responsibilities. 8, Never lie. Be true fo your word. 9. Be generous, especially to the Church. 10, Love your king. Respect and defend him. ver use ee {trey of Bouton (born In Bay, rabant 1060; dled in Jerusalem 1100) wos pousby the most important knight of the Fist Crusade. He was isealzed by many as tha “perect Crisian Knight ofthe Cruzadee™.Aeady by the 12th century Gosttey of Bouilon nad become tne he inthe songs of the troubadour wa #4 tha he blood that fowedin i vers was he very seane os Charlemagne's. Hs presence was Imposing - he wos fal. wth long ‘blond ha ond a beard. He was known forhs Bravery and (not alway) fx Ns ‘benevelence and great relgousness So much 20 that he sometimes "soemed ‘move tke a monk than o knight”. He cordered he founder ofthe Kingdom He wos reworced withthe Duchy of Lower Loraine by the German Emperor Henry IV. for helong him fight apart Rudolph of Swabia (who Ht said Goatey ated with nis own hands) ana against Pope Gregory Vi Hs religious Botson. his het for adventure, ond the mediocre management of hs lands made Godtey respond fo the fst call Pope Urban II made in 1088 to Ccisionty to Hoerate the “Holy Lands” of the "Inigo". Godtey sold oF pledged mary of hit estates i order fo france hk army and expedition nthe Fast Crusade, Most of Goatey's troops were Velons and Fermi, Thay rede trrough Hungary to Constantinople. piloging the countnide. The ory re suppied at Constantinople an mace peace wih the Byzantine Emperor. ti Deleved that more than 5,000 knights ond over 25.00 foot solders were ‘reent in Constantinople. On the way 10 Jerse the cy won Brake at the bates of Nicaea, Dervlaeum and Antoch (1098). Neo Berut the ay entered the lands ofthe Calphate of Fatimid of Cato, ho os Shite Muss, were enemies of he Sells, Sunnis and the Catphate of Baghdad. Pogtess was made in forced marches dung the net thee rmenths. covering total of 1400 miles (an average of over 15 mos per doy). There were many casvaties ding the tek. By June of 109%, some 1500 lnights ond tome 10.000 soksers comped cround Jerusalem. uit one year eter ne Fatmids nad cccupled tne cy, and thus the Fist Crusade was fought agan# the Fatimid and not the Sells. The governor of the ety wa Certain that hey could noid out the siege unl renfrcements come in tom Egypt The this hat he panties were ful. os opposedto he beseges who edited upole.An ottock was sorted with oxoul towers agains the iy \wals which had ihe frm of « somewhat euler pentagon. By sunset on Jy 11, Goat's soksos, th the oid f ladders, no token the ciy wats ang (Plate 1) wore obie fo open the Gate of Flowers and the Gote of Damascus Led by Tancted and Raymond he whole crusade army were aba to enter the cy The formes ence wos hen The Tower of Dovid, ter which the chet of the Muslm defense were escorted out of the cy. Then there was @ great rmasioere of al nor-Chisions, wth no exceptions. Tncted. the Was! rocco, wanted fo avoid ths masocre, but he was not succes in stopping # The tng sit debcted, and recent facts question atleast part of the lng. AApporenty ome paid handsome forsoms forthe lve, ome became saves fond some converted fo Crsionty At ny rte, the objective o aking Jerusalem was accomplined thes years ater the crusaders lat Europe. Many wars may have been st thst for ‘odventure and hes 0 the point of ensng i the Crusades to gan weath cand noncr. Ieonly fa fo 2ay that without the relgous ferar, the goa! ‘would not have been accomplsed, Godtey of Boullon was cwarded he te of King of Jerusalem, but he had changed to “Defender of the Holy Sepulcie”,clalming, "I wil not wear a gold ciown whete Jens wore crown ‘of thos" (Almough hi brother Baldwin cid woar o crown of gold year ater cfter Gattey’s death) .The biggest probiem was keeping the occupied lands ‘colcnted ond stocked wih sulci! suppes. In Jerusiom the Chisons a ‘et accomplth this that te erin any of he folowing Crates Promoting {2 poly of repopuaton war citical in eer 1o Quarantee the succes ofthe Ccampoign A contemporary example the Spon “reconqutta of Spain ‘fom the Musirs, This took almost eight centuries (ram 717 to 1492), But \w0Ud nave been imposible without Me support ond selement by peoDle ond oops of he conquered nd The istoton presents one of he momentsin the bat to take Jerciom by the so-caled troops of Chis. Godtey’s men, imbued wih Chrsion fanatcten, aout the masive ws wih utter diregard forthe own hives, Mot! of them oleve that Jesus hos come back and i among ther, protecting them. Al ther resources re applied to try fo break nto the keep, We can see hem as Mey clmb the ladders, contonng the defences wih ety res. In the Background hand of knights foray out of an assault tower dttacting the solders whe ate defending the walls where they were oaty needed. sce o& we can 46, the Chishone ore forcing @ breach, A ‘he top tight we sean archer ring fo sop those coming out ofthe tower. 1 Krghts Tomar belonged tothe Order of Poot Knights of Chit anc ot the Temple of Solomon. The Order wos founded inthe fst vars of the Xergcom of Jrusclom when the foods o Jerusalem where sino! under tla Cron cont ond the pigs who bravely went tothe Holy Lan found ‘many Musim bandits cn he rood Towards he yecr 1115 there wore groups of CChition knights hat went tothe rescue ant helped he pigs 2.1 would not be unt 1119,nat mn ode to help the Crs pigs. gue Payers de Burgundy and Goctey de Saint Adhemar decided 1 dedicate thet sous ond bodies fo protect these plats in he Hly Lang They formed, Co relgious community with that purpote, recrltng © smal grou of knights whe came trom the noth of The knights etcorted caravans of CCeisione that want tothe nal places such as the road tom Jeruciorn to Joticho oc 10 the ver Jordon. Sch were the vows of poverty of the monks hat they rode two fo @ hare, hence thal orginal name “The Poor Krights of Chis" They only wore clothes donated to them and thelr only posesons \wote tor weapons Seeing ther potential King Boiawin I alowed the wing of the royal palace in the area ot the old Hebrew Temple of Solomon, ‘has a name changes to me Kniohs of he Temn® o he Templar knights The Temper Knighs ad en octive role n the Holy Land and thelr numbers cloned ropa A more precke and offal organzation was nacassary to contol het Chtion anc mitary actives In 1124 Payens travel to Europe to cele couruaing as to how to best make these changes. he Counc ot the Church of Troyes France), ond Berrcxd, the abbot of the Cetercion monattry of Clavaus, wote up ihe fist statutes which made the Order cic Thus the fst mitry-elgiout oder of wariormonks was born. The {2bbot wos fundamental acter forthe church to give permison foro meni ‘ol (cbvousy ony niet, Bernard stated hot of knights should folow thet ‘2xarp. nis wing On the Prato of the new Knighthood aye ‘here & dscibine ond unquailed obedence. Everybody comes ond goat ‘2ccorcing tothe wil ofthe commande Everybody wears the cress glen fe him, ond no one goes about searching for food oF garments aceerdng 10 Fs whims. In 000 ond vestments, one content with the most necesary. ‘eiding anyting supertucus. They Ive n a community soberly and in joy \wrnout wife and chicten. And to teach evangelcal perfection hey Wve in the same howe, in the some manner without callng anything the own, 6 (Plate 2) ‘olictous to preserve the unity of pit the bonde of peace Impudent words, Sensoless occupations, mmoderate ought whispering oF even supposed Gloaing oe unknown. They have a hon of chees ond dice: they hate hunting: they dont even erjoy the fight cf the falcon They despise mies, Juggle. sorta, oy songs, perormances of butoons - al thees they regard 0s vanes and inane flies. hey cut ther hal short because they ‘mow that te somata for 2 man to wear long, Never evercested. they Dane rely anal re ay and heute. tanned by hel coats af mal and the The Tempirs vided themselves int four types knights, sergeants, chaplains ‘nd servants OF eee, only te iris wore the Nypica white tune with the er wos governed by the Grand Master ond each temple by «@ commonder who owed allegiance to the Grand Mast Tentoraly the Creer was divided inte provinces, each one with © commander. ond then turer info owes of precepts with a Beutenart in charge. This system of ranking wor mantainad Mw The rules ofthe Templar Knights were smlar to those o he Citrcion monks Any fout considered major was couse for expution fom the Order. Some molec coutos could be eter, eaton, oF reveaing Intema! secrets DDepencing on the seiouenets cf te fut he punishment could range fom o cut n pvieges to eventual pxWotlon of Ibery Being wth @ woman wo! Considered @ mine faut Al he Templo swore ncvduaty the ows of poverty chasty and obedience. Besides datencing Chisionty, hey swore to ght unt deat regordies of how ditcut the bate and to not atk fr oF ‘2ccep ony ransom. The fear the Mums hoa of the Knights Templo & now Detter undenstood. he poseaon of hones wat kited fo teee plus cna far the shots beorer.but ll materia goose longed fo the Order The husroton represents the moment when the Templar Knights break the ‘ot Solodi' fomous omy Once again they gain a decisive victory over o them to make thas rental attacks n the begining. the Templar Krighs owed abegiance to thelr paiorch in Leruclem,.but upon seeng the worth of ete nigh. the Pope soon sought ‘hol services. n 1139 Pope Innacent placed the Temlors under his dct ces. exempting them ftom reporing tothe bishop of the dioceses thot wned thelr property. The Templars toon started recelving generout

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