Knighthood

The most common remembered thing about feudalism is the lord and nobles and the men that protected them, the knight. How did a person become a knight? It was a long difficult process.

Not everyone could become a knight. More than likely, a nobles' son was nominated for training. Sometimes a promising common boy was sponsored. Regardless of birth right, these boys had to be very special in many areas.

Training started at age 7 when the boy was taken from his home and placed with his sponsor. The sponsor was a knight. This boy was called a page until he reached the age of 14. A page was required to learn and perfect many tasks.

Dancing: A knight is part of the noble class. War is not a constant thing. In times of peace it was common practice that a knight was welcome in any manor. Rich people had little to do, so they threw parties. A knight must be able to act accordingly.
Hunting: It is not unbelievable that a knight would be in the wilderness. Survival is necessary
Wrestling: Hand to hand combat techniques.
Exercises on horses: Knights were like special cavalry. It was required to be better than the rest.
Reading and writing: Nobles were literate.
Sword work: The sword was the most important weapon a knight had besides his horse.
Playing the harp: Knights were required to be entertaining at court
Fishing: Just like hunting
Respect for elders and lords: Feudalism was based on respect and the chain of command. At the top of this was the king. It then trickled downward.
Formal religion: The common people knew when to stand, sit, kneel, and say amen. Knights were God's soldiers. They knew their bible and theology very well.
Once a page showed a mastery of these tasks, they were made into squires. The earliest they could become a squire was 14. Besides still working the responsibilities of a page, the work load increased.
- Ride in battle with your knight: Very courageous, squires were not every armed or protected. Their job was to assist the knight when called upon.
  Help the knight off the field of battle: If a knight was taken off his horse, it was a fantastic hit. Some knights had nearly 100 pounds of armor on a horse. The sheer force needed to knock him off the horse would at worst kill the knight, at the least knock him unconscious. Unconscious was bad because they were easy kills.
- Fight if the odds were too great: When a knight was clearly outnumbered, the squire was allowed to help even the odds.
  Vault onto horses: Working with 60 to 100 pounds of armor is no easy task.
- Polish weapons: It is necessary to protect, update, and take pride in one's property.
  Fight with a mask on: When a person has a helmet, your field of vision is limited.
- Run and scale walls in armor: Working with 60 to 100 pounds of armor is still not an easy task.
- Vault over ditches: Ditto
- Pledging: More difficult than any of the other tasks, a squire was to seek out a lady of the court, pledge to do everything in her honor. He was to sing songs for her, write poetry, be at her beck and call. This did not mean they were getting married though

Now when a squire has shown his valor and expertise, the minimum age for knighthood was 21. This was a big deal, it was like receiving a sacrament.

The candidate would be told to purify his soul by not eating and drinking for a day. For this day, the squire would spend his time praying in church. In the morning, he was dressed in pure white garments and a church service was performed for him.

During the service, the squire is formally dressed in his armor, which was a gift from his sponsor for the first time. Before he was dressed he was asked a series of questions. After he was fully dressed, the priest or king if possible, he was tapped with this saying, "In the name of God, St. Michael, and St. George, I dub thee knight. Be brave and loyal."

A large banquet and tournament would then be held in his honor.