medieval night the medieval Knights
originates back to the Frankish ruler
Charlemagne in the 8th century he
required soldiers mounted on horseback
to fight across his vast empire in
exchange for their service they were
awarded land called benefices soon the
practice of loyalty serving the king in
exchange for land and property known as
fiefs spread across europe by the 11th
century knights were recognized as a
prestigious warrior class and the
Knights role in the Crusades against
Muslim control of the Holy Land further
developed their purpose and role in to
defenders of the Christian faith and
Church training to become a knight the
path to knighthood started at the age of
7 a boy born of nobility was sent to a
castle as a page and at age 14 he became
a squire he would train in combat with a
sword and Lance how to ride a horse
hunting taking care of armor chivalry
tournaments and warfare as a squire he
could go into battle as an assistance to
a knight and at age 21 they could be
knighted during an elaborate ceremony
called the accolade therefore becoming a
full night's themselves chivalry Knights
followed a code of behavior called
chivalry modeled on Christian virtues
such principles included a vow to
protect the weak and poor honor women
never lie show bravery and to defend the
church and King the chivalric code also
ensured respects between fellow Knights
if an opposing knight surrendered during
warfare he could expect to be treated
well as a prisoner for ransom some
Knights would go on to join elite
religious military orders such as the
Templars
hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights
while others motivated by money became
mercenaries
weapons and armor the invention of the
stirrup had made it possible for mounted
warriors to charge at the enemy
effectively Knights wore expensive
tailor-made metal armor early armor was
a coat of chainmail called the haulback
which later developed into sections of
plate armor added to it protecting arms
shoulders and the legs until eventually
full plate armor came about protecting
the entire body the Knights could also
carry a shield made of wood or metal to
block attacks the Knights helmets
protected the head and could feature a
liftable hinged visor which protected
the face and offered good air flow while
plate armor protected the Knights from
enemies swords and hammers it was heavy
and limited mobility Knights used a
variety of close combat weapons
including swords Lance's maces axes and
war hammers combat to keep their combat
skills sharp when there was no Wars to
be fought Knights took part in
tournaments these tournaments were more
like a sports events rather than
military training featuring mock battles
and jousting in front of large crowds
which a knight could seek fame and
fortune in so that Knights could
distinguish each other they used
personal emblems known as their coats of
arms displayed on their surcoats shields
and standards because of the competitive
nature of the tournaments injuries and
death were frequent to the extent that
blunted weapons weren't forced by the
14th century on the real battlefield
siege warfare would be more common
because of the development of fortified
towns and castles to the frustration of
the Knights and their fighting style
discipline and battle was often lacking
as nights sometimes broke ranks to show
their bravery after the siege they would
pillage and slaughter the enemy
population becoming rich from the
looting that followed
in a pitched battle the night's was
deadly charging on horseback or on foot
against one another clashing in brutal
close combat end of the night from the
end of the 15th century new weapons such
as the crossbow and gunpowder firearms
and the rise of standing armies
eventually made the role of the knight
more obsolete subscribe for more history
videos
[Music]
thank you guys for all your support on
the simple history YouTube channel if
you enjoy it please consider visiting
our patreon page there you can show us
your support for the channel by donating
and make a huge difference in what we're
able to create for you plus you can get
early access on upcoming videos so let's
keep it growing and thank you for being
part of this amazing community