Argumentative Essay On Knights

The process to attain knight hood is a long process composed of 5 simple steps. The first step is to know the right people or have good connections. The second step in becoming a knight is to practice and have good manners. The third step is to figure out how to properly mount and ride a horse. The forth step is to learn the rules of Heraldry, chivalry, practice with weapons and horseback riding. The final step is to become a knight at a ceremony.

With nobody to govern, lords began raising their own armies of knights to gain control of Europe. During these times, samurai and knights, who were highly skilled warriors, grew very important in society. Even though samurai and knights had significant distinctions,

Knights were usually vassals who decided to fight for higher lords in exchange for protection. They were considered to be in the nobility class. They were usually just military officers. Knights were noblemen who rode on horseback and they followed the strict military code of chivalry, the code demanded that a knight was to obey his lord, to help people, be brave, show respect to women, and honor the church. Many of the good manners today come from the code of Chivalry.

The knights were the warriors of the time period in between the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance, also known as the Middle Ages. Knights had to undergo years of training starting as a young boy. Though they were well trained, knights still needed protection. To protect themselves, knights would wear complex armor that usually took over an hour to put on, and often needed the help of his squire. In order to fight well, weapons were essential. A knight’s weapons were sharp and durable. Horses were also crucial to the survival of a knight. France, England, and Germany yielded many famous knights throughout history.

The word knight got this name from the Old English word cniht. The Knight’s duty were very similar to the samurai's. They were hired to protect land and the people that owned the land. They also had a code like the samurai. This code stuck them to their duties and made sure that they kept their morals. Knights controlled land and the land was managed by the peasants of the kingdom. It was the peasants who mostly fought the battles instead of the knights. The knights led the peasants into the battle they fought.

At first knights and soldiers in the armies were of little social status. “Many knights in fact possessed little more than peasants” (Spielvogel 244). War was looked as kind of a barbaric act in the beginning and many knights could be found fighting each other. While some of this was tolerated, as they were seen as “defenders of society”, the Catholic Church decided that there should be some ground rules. At the start of the eleventh century, the church urged knights to take an oath to protect churches, and to not harm noncombatants. These rules allowed for battles to follow a civil path and to be carried out in a noble way.

Many people wonder what purpose knights in the Medieval period had during this famous time in history. Knights were the soldiers in the military and with the military, they helped the economy. Culture played a role in the way that knights fought in the military, as Chivalry was their code of conduct. With the knights helping both the military and the economy, they were able to help keep the political form of government, called feudalism, functioning. By providing protection to the kingdom, knights supported feudalism and kept it alive during the Middle Ages.

Knights were essential for providing security and a sense of safety during the Middle Ages. Knights took a rigorous training process to learn every aspect of medieval warfare and to acquire skills needed for knighthood. After training was complete, the knights would have to abide by the Code of Chivalry which they learned about during their training. An ordinary Knight’s life involved forty days of service a year to their lord, as well as frequent practice to hone their skills. Although knights were skillful and brave in battle, as Europe crawled out of the Middle Ages, their services were no longer needed.

Knights were part of the biggest social system in medieval Europe, Feudalism. Knights were a key part in the feudal society, because they made up the whole military and they also gave Serfs an incentive to be part of a manor. There were many aspects of Feudalism, that made it run “smoothly” throughout the years. Feudalism allowed the military to function many reasons such as, the payment of their equipment. There are many attributes of feudalism that allow it to work, such as feudal oaths and ties, knights also contribute to feudalism by making up the military that protects the manor.

It was not easy to become a knight. They started off by becoming a page. A noble's son could start training to be a knight when he was seven years old. Nobles' sons had to train with weapons of course, but they also had to learn how to ride a horse, how to behave towards their liege lords and ladies, and even about music and the other arts. It was just like going to school, only their teachers were the squires. Once they reached a certain point in their training, they would be appointed as a squire. A squire, who was generally a teenager, had a different set of duties. They had to teach the pages of course, but they also had to wait on the knights. They continued their training in battle, but also were assigned to a specific knight who completed their training. As a squire you went into battle with the knight and fought at his side. This

In ancient times there was a hierarchy and as a knight, everything was done to serve the lord of the realm. To be a knight is to have honor and uphold oneself in a manner that's respectable. A knight is a representative of his kingdom and his lord, and he must conduct himself in a manner that is pleasing to his king. A knight must also seek out glory for his kingdom. So to obtain riches, land, or conquer

Before they could wield swords and fight battles they must start their training early in boyhood. First starting to care for horses and play the harp. Next they became a Paige. They learn archery skills and improve on other skills. Then a Squire who finally practice sword play and improve on horse riding. Last after being dubbed a knight by their king or queen they become a knight. They can now lead armies into battle and joust for the king, queen, lords, ladies, and rich nobles. They had many weapons including a battle ax, a lance, a crossbow, a longbow, a shield a sword and many more interesting weapons. There were also many pieces that made up their armor, but the biggest thing was chain mail. It was a brilliant invention that stopped warriors from getting stabbed but they could still feel the momentum of the blow. A few knights belonged to the king, but mostly the knights and armies belonged to the lords and ladies. Once they find out the king is out numbered by thousands they decide to rebuttal throwing the whole feudal system

And so, it formed into a specially designed sport during the Late Middle Ages, and stayed popular with the nobility both in England and Germany during the course of the whole of the 16th century. In this early period, a joust was still a "meeting". Combatants would begin riding toward one another with the lance, but might continue with shorter range weapons after the distance was closed or after one or both parties had been unhorsed. Tournaments in the High Medieval period were much rougher and less "gentlemanly" undertaking. The rival parties would fight in groups, with the aim of incapacitating their adversaries for the sake of gaining their horses, arms and ransoms. From the 15th century on, jousting became more of a sport without direct significance to passage of arms.

Knights owed military service to their lord or upper class leader. A vassal in the Middle Ages was any person who commended themselves to someone of a higher social class ranking and was given land or use of land in a feudal relationship (Jovinelly and Netelkos 7). Once a man became a knight, he was bound to set obligations to his lord (which included military service in wartime and peacetime) (Nardo 32). In peacetime, the knights usually lived in the castles they guarded (Nardo 32).

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.