When thinking
of the Middle Ages and chivalry, many people would be excused for picturing a knight in shining
armor, jousting atop his horse to win the hand of a beautiful maiden. But how accurate would that
picture be? Today, we will be exploring what those jousts were really about. How they worked, their
rules and variations, their evolution throughout the centuries, as well as their often-overlooked
social and cultural contexts. Welcome to our video on medieval jousting, tourneys and tournaments.
Once you’re done learning all this, we’d also like to invite you to use this knowledge, because this
video is sponsored by Paradox, makers of the new Tours and Tournaments DLC for Crusaders Kings 3.
This is a new expansion that gives you great options for iterating with your
domain. Firstly you can tour around with a chosen retinue and get up to no good,
inspect your vassals, solve issues that are usually far from a ruler’s reach,
and generally have a cool, customisable adventure in your realm!
Secondly of course they’re adding tournaments,
in which either your own character or your chosen knights can compete for glory, money,
or romance. And the prestige of hosting a grand tournament is half the reward on its own.
The expansion also features new wedding options,
including the ability to dazzle the world with grand ceremonies,
and a load of new art and character outfits that evolve based on the time period.
All this will be released on May 11th, but it’s also worth knowing is that Tours and Tournaments
is included in the Chapter 2 DLC bundle, which is only five dollars more and comes with another DLC
up front and two more in the future, making a cheap way to get them all as soon as possible.
You can order or pre-order Tours and Tournaments
and the Chapter 2 Bundle via our link in the description.
In order to understand jousting, we first need a basic grasp of the world in which
it was developed. Throughout the Middle Ages, warfare was a constant reality that affected all
aspects of life and all layers of society. But one group shouldered the burdens of battle more than
the others. In Europe, all nobility, from the tiniest feudal lords to the mightiest princes,
covered a growingly exclusive role in the military, in no small part thanks
to the predominance of mounted combat. This power brought with it its responsibilities,
such as leading risky attacks or holding wavering frontlines. In any given battle, the actions of
the knightly class were directly accountable for most military outcomes, and the bar was set high.
Not every boy of noble birth was fit for a knight’s duties, and any aspirant had to be
thoroughly tested before he could be accepted as one. It is no wonder then that eventually,
a system was developed to contain and harness the violent energies of both enthusiastic aspirants
and hardened veterans, whose entire lives revolved around the art of war.
In early 12th century France, the tournament was officially born. Also called tourney,
it was a way to establish one's worth in times of peace when doing so on the battlefield was
not feasible, and to gain glory and prestige in the process. These early events played out much
like real-life pitched battles, with two squadrons of knights facing off in a war game played in the
countryside. Not too many details have survived to us of this early from of proto-jousting,
but we know that this “game” sometimes involved the storming and capture of small fortresses
that acted as objectives and that some scoring systems were used to determine the winning team.
Proper battlefield tactics were employed in the frequent melees, and while the intent was usually
to submit or capture opponents, casualties were not uncommon in the frenzy of the fight, which was
often carried out in full gear. Indeed, aside from training for upcoming campaigns and proving their
worth, knights could also use the tournaments as an excuse to settle scores, right wrongs,
and feed fuel to raging family feuds. This was neither shocking nor unjustified at the time,
but the Church began to strongly condemn tournaments due to these bloody side effects,
openly advocating for their abolition and even going so far as to forbid the
burial of tournament casualties on consecrated soil, basically excommunicating them in death.
Nonetheless, these war games not only persisted, but evolved, together with knightly culture.
While knights’ unmatched value as military assets was confirmed,
their role within society transcended. As the 12th century progressed, chivalry,
seen as a conglomerate of primarily military values up to that point, began to encompass
more courtly preoccupations. A vital component of this process was the introduction of romance.
Arthurian legend, at the time insanely popular among European princely and royal courts,
served as one of the main propellents for this new reality. Its tales of courteous love, mixed
with bravery, permeated the courtly aristocratic culture and catalyzed a new component of tourneys:
competing for love. Typically this is depicted in modern media as the hand of the lady being
the actual prize of the competition. In reality, a maiden’s hand was less
the official reward and more so an unspoken consequence of any knight’s good performance.
Tournaments became the privileged place of courtly love and often resulted in scandalous
instances of adultery. Accounts of the highly erotic atmosphere of such events are common,
and a strong symbolic meaning accompanies the romantic one. One famous version of a lady
wearing only her chosen knight’s blood-soaked shirt after the day’s fighting showcases this
perfectly. These relationships were not just a way to entertain Arthurian rhetoric but also to breed
the following generations of knights and maidens. In other terms, the next generation of elites.
Now, tourneys weren't only a means of demonstrating a knight's skill in fighting;
they were also a chance for him to mate with, or even wed a prominent noblewoman
and therefore pass on to his offspring enormous riches, status, and hopefully nobiliary titles.
A completely new kind of tournament was developed in the 13th century to give ambitious knights a
chance to shine. The classic tournament was a team game. A team's success could bring individuals
great distinction, but winning required efficient cooperation. The new joust emerged
as an additional venue for knights to flaunt their prowess and increase their individual renown when
tournaments and courtly etiquette came together. The fundamentals of jousting were nothing new.
Before the main tournament, practice rounds had always been held. Young
or unknown knights looking for recognition rode out to engage in single combat. The new,
better-planned joust was hardly any more complex. Two warriors rode toward one other, protecting
themselves with shields and aiming with spears as they attempted to dismount their opponent.
The jousters frequently agreed to complete a set number of courses before stopping.
The typical goal or criteria for winning in early jousting was to unseat the opponent.
The winner could have received the loser's horse, which was typically his most precious possession.
Most frequently, neither fighter achieved a clear victory, and the matchup ended with the two men
taking home just the deserved amount of glory. We can easily imagine how this rather informal
competition would have gradually evolved into a preferred replacement for the initial tourney.
Jousts were simpler to organize and made for a great spectator sport.
Indeed, these new tournaments became of ever greater social importance to not only the active
participants. As the joust grew relevant, so did the pool of people it attracted. Since not just
anybody could participate, those who followed the spectacle as spectators displayed their status
just by attending. This could allow them to prove they were worthy of whatever position they held or
to find access to new, better ones, such as in the retinue of some lord. The figure of the herald,
which is often depicted as an official and formal one in modern media, also had its role to play.
These often rowdy “entrepreneurs” were usually of lower birth and desperately attempted to
make a name and a living by ingratiating themselves with wealthy participants.
They did so by attracting the most attention possible to themselves and their knights,
screaming and blowing trumpets, and could get quite heated when challenged in their
field of work. Urban centers, which became increasingly wealthy and politically active
starting in the 1100s, took the lead by holding their own military contests.
The wealthiest citizens of many of these cities would engage in jousting to celebrate private
milestones like their daughters' weddings or their marriages, following in the footsteps
of the nobility. The war-like Italian communes were the best example of this,
as they held various types of competitions, from horse racing to bridge battles.
Together with this enhanced social importance came more structure. By the late 13th and early
14th century, jousts were incredibly popular across Western Europe. Great sums of money were
invested in setting up and sponsoring them by the higher classes, who extended their
influence by hosting these fashionable events. More standardized rules emerged, such as the
ones framed by King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1330. Here is one of them as an example:
“If one knight knocks down both his opponent and his horse, and the other knocks down the knight
but not his horse, we declare that the knight whose horse fell with him shall be the winner,
because the fault, in this case, was the horse’s and not the rider’s. And in the case of the knight
who fell but whose horse did not, the fault rests with the knight and not with the horse.”
This is only one of the many regulations that were introduced, as they differed from region to region
and from period to period. Unsurprisingly and justifiably, no unified, universal set of rules
ever existed in jousting, and each aristocratic host could likely impose their own variations.
As the practice grew, so did the facilities for it. Jousting arenas grew in size and complexity,
with proper dedicated tiltyards and enough seats to house many thousands of spectators.
Musical performances and other forms of entertainment also grew in usage and elaboration.
The prizes for the winners changed from the losers’ horses to fine jewelry like
ruby rings and silver belts or fine armour sets. Full-on markets filled with goods would
be set up around the designated place to profit from high-rolling visitors.
Jousting equipment changed as well. Whereas in the early days of the tourney,
combatants would wear their actual military gear, specialized versions soon emerged.
In the times of full plate, dedicated jousting armour was made thicker, heavier,
and less flexible to absorb hits better and more safely and reduce the risk of physical trauma. The
level of mobility needed on the real battlefield could be sacrificed in favour of more protection.
Specialized helmets like the rigid Frogmouth were introduced for similar reasons and to prevent
splinters from entering the jouster’s eyes. The introduction of the lance rest and the grapper
also made jousting a little safer, though fatal incidents were still fairly frequent. Apart from
armour itself, fashion was also very important. While flashy colours and decorations were always
a thing on virtually all medieval battlefields, jousts were an occasion for a knight to look as
stylish as possible, an occasion to flex his wealth as well as his skills. As a result,
elaborate, colourful crests, plumes, icons, and much more were used to embellish jousting armour;
this should serve as a reminder of how important fashion and status were in the medieval period.
Two different kinds of jousts could be held: the “joust of peace,” for which safer,
modified lances were used, and the “joust of war,” which featured full-on pointed ones.
The latter was seen as more honourable, and competing in it would be undeniable proof of
a knight’s prowess and courage, as he earned prestige by putting himself through serious,
potentially lethal danger. We need to remember that, despite the marked refinement of late
medieval jousting compared to its original version, it was still far less a sport than it was
a chance to display martial qualities. It was a direct manifestation of Medieval mounted military
tradition and, consequently, of the knightly class’ need to prove they could do their job.
Still, jousting tournaments eventually took on new functions.
Firstly, these huge events were often used for political aims by the powerful.
They could serve as symbolic celebrations to negotiate cooperation between different powers,
like the one of St. Inglevert or at Lille in 1453, which was used as a meeting ground to plan
a multinational crusade to save Constantinople from the Ottomans. These warrior practices,
which had almost become sacraments, were commonly used to draw attention to serious commitments.
Under Lorenzo de Medici, jousting tournaments were encouraged to promote his ideal government,
which was supposedly fueled by chivalric values. This was done to win the people over and make them
favourable to installing a dynastic regime inside the Republican city of Florence.
The new practice of the Pas d'armes created a fictional scenario where a combatant held a
"pass" or position against any opponents, who might be supernatural or allegorical beings.
For example, in the setting narrative at Bruges in 1463, a knight was taken prisoner by a dwarf.
Even if this particular one had to be put off, Burgundy sponsored many other events
as part of its grandiose diplomatic plan during the fifteenth century.
It became one of the foremost centers of jousting and chivalric culture, together with Ferrara.
In the age of the mercenary, tournaments also doubled as literal military markets,
where bands of knights errant would try their best to attract the attention of noblemen through
their military skill in the hopes of earning a place among their ranks and a stable wage.
Of course, the more renowned and able a man-at-arms confirmed to be, the higher the
pay any lord would have been willing to grant him for his services. Jousting arguably reached its
all-time peak during the 1400s. In that period, the practice was incredibly popular. While it
still retained the original military functions of the High Middle Ages, it also took on several
other purposes, covering many aspects of medieval life. It played a huge social role for various
classes and served as a versatile political tool. It was an opportunity to prove one’s worth, widen
one’s social net, assert one’s influence, express one’s artistic vein even, and much much more.
But as with all things, jousting, too, eventually fell off. While it remained a favourite for nobles
looking to settle disputes through mounted duels, its wider military relevance gradually
whittled away. While it is a misconception that heavy cavalry became obsolete in the
face of mass gunfire and artillery, it did have to adapt in the 16th century.
Likewise, the knightly chivalric values didn’t really go away,
but they slowly evolved into something else, together with jousting itself.
In the Baroque age, things like the Carousel or the Quintana slowly took the joust’s place as
the new form of equestrian games and events, and by the 17th century, proper jousting was no more.
Indeed, jousts were one of the highest expressions of medieval culture in all its many aspects.
Attending one of these breathtaking events would be a priceless window
into the multi-faceted reality of our past. Studying this far-reaching phenomenon can
really open our eyes to the often bloody yet vibrant, rich history of the Middle Ages.
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