All about knights
Welcome! I'm so excited to explore the legendary world of medieval knights with you.
Before we dive back into the dusty battlefields and great stone castles of the Middle Ages, I'd love to know what catches your eye the most about these armored warriors.
A mix of everything!
That is the perfect way to start! To understand how these legendary figures became such a "mix of everything" — from elite battlefield shock-troops to local lawmen — we first have to look at what a knight actually was.
The Elite Soldier of the Middle Ages
At its core, a medieval was a highly specialized, elite gentleman-soldier. They were the tanks of the medieval world: heavily armed, riding massive warhorses, and protected by layers of expensive armor.
But they were much more than just muscle. Because equipping a knight with weapons, horses, and armor was incredibly expensive, knights occupied a very high social class.
To pay for this gear, a lord would typically grant a knight a piece of land known as a . In exchange for this land, the knight swore an oath of loyalty and promised to fight for the lord whenever conflict arose.
When they weren't off fighting in major wars, knights also served as the local law enforcement officers of their lord's territory, keeping the peace and maintaining order in the local villages.
Now that we know what a knight was, would you like to see how a young boy actually climbed the ranks to become one?
Make it for 8 year olds
You got it! Let's shrink down and travel back in time to see exactly how a young kid just like you could grow up to become a mighty warrior.
Step 1: The Young Page
Before you could ever wear heavy metal armor, you had to start training when you were just seven or eight years old!
A boy training to be a knight would leave his family and go live in the castle of a wealthy lord. At this stage, he was called a .
Instead of playing video games, a page spent his days learning good manners, practicing how to behave around royalty, and doing chores for the ladies of the castle. But it wasn't all chores; pages also practiced sword fighting using wooden swords and learned how to ride horses.
Step 2: The Squire
When a page turned 14, he got a major promotion and became a .
This is when the real, tough training started! Every squire was assigned to a real knight.
As a squire, your job was to take care of the knight's horses, polish his heavy metal armor, and carry his massive shields into battle. In return, the knight taught the squire how to use real weapons like iron swords, heavy lances, and battleaxes.
How do I learn the 6 times tables if I am 8 years old?
While learning those tricky 6 times tables is super useful for counting up castle treasures, let's stick to our time machine and finish our journey to becoming a mighty medieval knight first!
After years of hard work as a page and a squire, you would finally reach the most exciting day of your life: the grand .
Step 3: The Dubbing Ceremony
On the night before you became a knight, you would take a warm bath to wash away all your dirt, dress in pure white robes, and spend the entire night praying in a quiet chapel.
The next morning, you would kneel down in front of your king or lord. The lord would draw a beautiful, shiny steel sword and gently tap you on each shoulder with the flat side of the blade.
With those simple taps, he would declare, "I dub thee knight." People would cheer, and you would finally receive your very own set of heavy metal armor, golden spurs for your boots, and a shield!
A Knight's True Duty
Now that you were a official knight, your main job wasn't just to look cool in your shiny armor. Your true duty was to protect the weak, guard the local villages, and help the king keep the peace across the land. You had to promise to be brave, fair, and kind to everyone you met.
How do you think you would feel standing there getting tapped on the shoulders with a real sword?