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How Knights Work

2009-02-25 | 🔗

The knights of medieval Europe are often associated with a code of behavior known as chivalry -- but what were these knights actually like? Learn more about the reality behind the popular image of knights in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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so remember to save something for yourself with peppered farm Olano, hey guys, I'm Shane Bacon, and I want to tell you about a new part. Gas called get a grip with maximum shame vacant. One guy, too, has probably had a thread, and fifty are dry, considers himself an athlete, mostly because of his unreal. Papa shouted ilities and has in fact started to show signs of a try supporting is our own maxim of Fiji for winter. In fan, favorite online smacks of myself turn out new episode every week. To give a fanny was golf and all the comes with someone. It's been working weeks on track. We all during the plague right now with the best in the world, listen and follow, get a grip of maximum in shame. Get on the ipod, radioactive babble, podcast or every listen, Applaud guessed right now. Welcome to stuff you missed in history. Class from housetop works, dot com
Eleven off into the park asked I meditated anyone myself writer Jane around again, I think chivalry is alive and well, and we have the knights of middle way, and medieval Europe. To thank for that. And I guess when were young, we think about exile or girls at least thing about meeting knights and shining armor, and we don't really know why it except for you know the little. Are we getting history class about what actual nights in the middle ages were like and whether or not their armour was in fact shiny? After doing a little bit of research, I am inclined to think it is Then you know bath and polish, but because that's China, India, Brazil and busy in battle and and get the cleaner that often like I'm gonna, get they gather squires sure, but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. The out nights, it's not just the stuff literature. They were real medieval warriors and they began their military training very young,
The word night actually comes from the anglo Saxon term for boy and nights The system of becoming a night actually began under the feudal system, which was established by Charlemagne and century is right and needs especially early on belated and not necessarily they they had land that they held from. Died that lords would sort of least to them, and they were responsible for in order to get denying, usually you are the sign of a night or a Lord, as though they were thoroughly, nobility Per se, but they were pretty respected, especially when we talk about the kurdish ivory that we will in a second just the idea They were respected. People, and you know, if you ever read, can vary tales, like most people do and in high school. The prologue actually list the night first, because he was so respected right and part of the reason for it was that it was not a position that you inherited. It was something that you had to work
for young, and just to give you a little bit of background on knighthood and the reason that nights for some important during israeli means rain. Essentially, there was a bunch of land and after the Roman Empire Foul Western Europe essentially had no country. Is no real organization. Just a huge parcels of land- and there is a lot of fighting over- territories, but there was nothing really productive in place to control them in and to really right, without in to give order and to create agricultural mainstays the Charlemagne I instituted futile when he had this patch of land. That sort of went from northern pain to ITALY and France and Germany and Poland, and would go out portions of land to nobles and exchange, they would agree. Bewailed Hammond offer him protection or he'll. Give land tonight in exchange for their military service and night He lived on. Land really had a good
going, whether they lived on the unknown by the king or by a noble in exchange for food. Ring and shelter they would inner provide military service was necessary and they also protected the serfs who are underneath them, as well as the men who were over that answers for polemics. These are the people who were growing the food that fact, Pierre. So in lieu of having an actual centralized government, this was pretty good system and everyone is taking care of, so knighthood was important and you really did Philip. You are part of a bigger structure and that you were important to your Europe. Are your face. The trade in those actually made a pretty well, I guess we're here and talk about that later, the terms in terms of the night Templar, but actually one thing that I struck me was that, even though NATO known as professional warriors, there was a thing school age aware on nice could actually send out others to do their fighting for them. I guess they were just too happy. I can in Europe with their lands that they are running and making a pretty good living at. But if you wanna go
to where boys how boys became nights. It actually started about the age of seven beforehand. They would be raised by their moms and in the household bye bye. Seventy officially became a page. There were learn. Horsemen Reading, writing gin even falconry, which is popular the time. Yes, if we their hunting skills that girl schooling skulls down- and there is a shit, I'm sure wasn't exactly keep back them. It escapes me to read about it. They raise wooden swords and lands to practise combat. There is kind of a durable. Little pays little cute little page boy here. Whether this wouldn't sore extra night one day it's late anyway, whence they turn fourteen the page became an esquire or squire and in or to mark this passage. There is a village ceremony and he would take a consecrated sword and he would promise to use it for honourable purposes, and this is all very soon turned to me. You know I'm sure I can see this happening and little warts untying his sword from
and the squire is actually I'm such a literary geek by squares, actually those I one I believe listed in the can retails for a log, and she says, goes to show how, on this, This system of the page, the squire the night is, it is very respected, yeah and very much instilled and yeah common mentality and how people conceived of the order of their lands. So the squire had a couple of different types of positions that he could fill during. Training and in addition to these positions, he was learning the social attitudes and behaviour as well as martial arts. And on their I've, got to tell you guys about these positions because they stay tickle me a couple, particular there's a squire of body who was a personal servant tuna, its or a lady, the squire, the chamber. So the chamberlain was another name for that. He attended to the rooms at a castle. This is where my fate at the table or car.
Squire urges carving, meets and wearing a banquet table there really sort of ad aware yes, what it sounds like tiny color among these were the fraternity hazing, so The jury. Ccs Stuart about that later, Helga Squire of wine to manage the wine cellar, not about position, was made lay scarf pantry. You start the pantry managed supplies for the home. Squire arms he maintained armor and weapons and the squire of Honor who helped and ceremonies and feasts. And if you like, you're thinking at some sound a little bit more prestigious than others, so I'm one honestly. If there was some sort of ranking system are depending on how well they performed his pages that determines whether they to be a squire of body or or a neat squire Sure, though, I think no matter what our position you, wherever you are kind of Kant Window, you turned twenty one and at the time wasn't about alcohol, but about being dubbed denied. This was about the time that you would sometimes
Surely, if squires, if there was a war going on, they went to go fight, they they would they're on their night in battle and if they did so, particularly heroic, they could be actually done on on the battlefield, but usually eyed, wonder, and I turned twenty one back at home, they will die. They would be dubbed officially in service elaborate ceremony it. Oh it often accompanied another. Ceremony like a wedding. Even I think Thus, our eastern Europe FEAST Day, yeah and so on. It would be a major part of it and you can tell by the fact that they had these this ritual. They went through the night before, de the boy would go have a ritual bath. They were having all night prayer vigil and then stay when they went to go, get jobs. They would have to swear this oath where they were devoted to the church. They were loyal to their Lord. They defended away a lady and said
Cetera, and so these are, there had set her eyes the iron- I guess it's just their fun. Reading about night history know whether you are meet Squire whore ever part of his own really humorous, or at least to me today they had to send to defending Ladys and meanwhile their words into the church. They had brave they had problems. They were gonna, take off their armour only when they were sleeping and with vow, never to avoid danger because they were afraid they had to be on time, which has just good son to really another one is that when the night returned home. He would have to share and talk about his escapades, and having a literary geek. They got them in my mind. Turning like huh, why wonderful is either. You know oral tradition of of night stories is still alive and There has been a lot of night stories going around if you are required to tell them about it, yeah and another one I found interesting actually in the wool details was that if a night was taken prisoner, he would
to surrender peaceably after he was really taken, and you wouldn't be allowed to fight his captors again until he got their permission unreal interesting, you would expect you know if you were taken prisoner, that you would try your best to fight that you're way out. There is an interesting code that this oh this oath, they had to take, and you can imagine if everything all night is gonna have to uphold. The code then thinks Mr Van interpretation around their unpeopled initiative in Urban really proper and inclined when in one another about its like every now and then there's there's a bad apple that gets through an and bad needs must have come along and done things like stolen armor or sure chow into a dual unobserved two on one, instead of being a one on one, as the action was supposed to be here now, yeah and is interesting. I mean most people associate this whole oath with what is now known as chivalry I mean if you dont, sort of just talk health of opening up a corridors surest it, but actually the term originally. Originally I came back to just meaning good horsemanship.
I'm really interesting. Another source. I found said that it meant just playing tennis, land at all I sort of made sense to me in terms of the word, gentlemen, which you knows has a similar evolution in how we think a bit o is think of it today. You know, gentlemen, are people open doors for Ladys, but then a gentleman was just sort of someone who owned lander property. So just interesting. Look at the evolution. What these terms mean today, what they meant back. Then. Definitely, I think that the analogy of of the words definitely sheds light on what the ninth dead and how the tradition can you stay even though there aren't exactly medieval warriors prancing around modern Day England. But at this point the night was officially called sir, and he could on land and higher his own soldiers and you wondering well, what a night dear, when there weren't any battles to fight and and the answers pretty simple, they participated and tournaments said that their skill didn't go to waste. The true end on one of my favorite. I think it's jousts, oh yeah. The only
from Maryland, because you know and jousting is actually our official sport. I don't know how it happened, but its very bizarre, but I'm gonna love it and joy. Saying if you ve ever seen something like a night sale, obviously with he fled, it was sort of always it was a one on one thing where nights would go up against each other mounted on horses and they would basically rush at each other with long, though headed glances and so they would keep them out in front of them today they would try to hit the other person as they went by and you win about through of about three lances, and you get points based on. If you broke your land on the other person, where it here etc, and after three land they would get off and start fighting if they want to do with swords actually and the church. I guess ways: okay with jousting, because it was not quite as dangerous as another popular Chinamen, and that was the melee a free for all battle. Imagine a really big grip of knights and you're. In this big huddle of Night
and you I bought a competitor, you choose one other person, you start fighting once you two feet: tat person he's down either he's down dad he's down passed out. You move on to the next person, so it's a one on one fight but in the context larger group and the premises last man standing winds and the church really did not like this one makes a lot of people really did die and for the sake of entertainment, another controversial so and also for my part, am perspective. It doesnt seem very shovel rest to perform. Like this in front of a lady, you were trying to impress by killing other people, and that's, alas, I haven't an anachronistic point of years. The package you, although one advantage to fighting these games, is that you could make a lot of money. That was one motivation that they had who, in addition to getting honour and in practice, in your skills, but they could. Get money by the fact that at least in jousting, when someone laws, they had to turn over their horse in their armour to the winner, and they could
I back those things from the winner, and so they you, if you were a common when are you, are good jousting could make a good little money and I was getting years because of your nightly. Accoutrements rather expensive, particularly armor and when armor originated it weighs on back in ancient Rome, and they actually used. Leather and leather was very expensive to using those a full body active covering. But it was valuables. There was really cool because you get shape at any new boil it and water, oil and hardens in place, and you ve got something this very resistant to all sorts of point in tips and piercings coming out yet, and so the middle aged nights use others armor. And then I continue to evolve into a chain, male friends That is another Rehman idea, originally in these first small Interwove, seal rings and there were two predominant types. One was, but it may well be. The rings were really really cool together and the other was riveted male, where the rings are actually connected with rivets and this cheaper than armor. But unlike
her and leather armour was really vulnerable to piercings and it was pretty heavy too, and it's funny slipped back. Put the training for becoming a night was that you would profit walking around wearing chain. Melchior Lahti get used to the way sort of like today. I think that there are some military personnel who train with their backpacks on in their gear or you you're gonna hike, their appalache and trail deprives walk around with your get used to the weights. Yellow, makes sense and is interesting to see how armor changes as a weapon changed as they advance because good weather, sorry, leather and dumb and Chain Melick, you're, saying Candice They are you. They do protect against cousin scrapes, but when you know people started, I've been crossbows, for instance. This would not protect them and so on. They had to start turning to more solid metal pieces of armor. And so you know these solid melt, metal pieces there so difficult sometimes is I heard that they weighed up to sixty pounds. There are super hot ass. They would offer
take an hour to put on need help to do that on top of it as weapons Vince in further the introduction of gunpowder they finally made his way from from Asia to Europe and I was introduced. It was like was appointed in farmers in the point. I am that the funny thing about armor, too, is that it really is important Your entire bodies are you hardware gmail, especially in places like you're under arms and where your joints came together, like your knees of you had some protection. They are because on the plates didn't fit that tightly and contrary to pocket believe it wasn't too hard to move around and, like you weren't stuff, it was just really happy that the challenge. I can see that, and so nights continue to serve you now throughout the middle ages and throw medieval european under the feudal system, and then they actually serves a more. I guess national or international relations. Europe at this time is breaking part in two different nations purpose and that waste
getting pilgrims who are travelling to the holy land during the Crusades and caring for sick pilgrim, and on, These are our groups, like the knights imploring the Knights hospital errors teutonic nights, these still exist today, as charitable societies. Yeah it's interesting, one of the most beloved orders of knights was actually the Templars Kansas mentioned. Wine, unlike the others. It doesn't exist today in news and really interesting story because they were beloved at the time. Give you some ground I they were founded about the eleven hundreds like you said, to protect pilgrims going to the holy land at the time and if you listen to our Crusades Pike Ass, you know more about why they're doing that What was interesting about deep disorder, in other words like it, was that it was both a military sort of her and they were religious man who was basically religious order where they were monks and they We still have a modest life and they didn't always do that. The data other orders got proud and greedy, and so there's lots of controversy around them all the time, but this particular
order got accused in the early fourteenth century. I believe of lots of abuses in terms of both budgetary abuses like their mishandling charity, that they got it set her up. If people were also have said that they were heretics said they weren't, holding mass directly, they were actually worshipping idols and there was homosexual behaviour going on between them as well, which the She would not have liked issue at this time. It was actually the king, king, Philip, the fourth of France, who really hand arm hadn't his eye on them and wanted them to be taken. And dumb. Recent documents released by the Vatican actually couple years ago is very interesting. Show that the Pope, at the time actually absolve them of their charges and didn't he didn't believe that their heretics, but the king, Philip of of France, is supposedly owed them. Money and that really why they wanted him. They wanted. He wanted clear if you think about all the hard work
tried, they were tortured in there eventually burned at the stake is really sad, mysterious story, yeah, that is its really haunting, especially if you think about all the hard work that goes into becoming a night. You know how you do thou to uphold this out with that. I'm sure that, once you is develop into your own separate order of night. You had an entirely different code of ethics that you're also holdings as though it seems like you would have to be really committed to uphold all of these principles, and I'm sure it must have been very hard on the group when they were. They were taken, a pardon, you know even harder than they were executed. Yet that's enough So today, you're, not a member of one of the charity groups that originated in these different orders of nights. You might be able to it. Night hide by two different means, one of which is a martial arts achievement and almost like. If you were to practice, I cried Another form of martial arts that originated in Asia you'd be given different colors of offence for the level of martial arts. That
you attain, and the same is true in different schools around English. Where on and around other parts of Europe to where you can earn recognition, for installations and you may be asked to perform indifferent fares and festivals, to show your prowess and The other way you can become a night is a member royalty, those at honour upon you and it's so fun. I to see the different people who come up I'd be day, I'm oh gosh, someone who's made a country to the business world when the political world or the music world like threw out. I think he's my favorite nine. If I can slow, I got out of their country alone really ever at the guys, I'm sick of four out of it now going a little kinky sunglasses hang gosh. I just love him. Yes, thou in their member of the order of the garter, which I found really interesting, that this was one of the original orders that was established in a recent thirteen. Forty six, you might be wondering whether called the order of the garter. It is an interesting name and ones.
Found said that the theory is that Edward, the third who started the order was really interested me. Arthur's were round table and then we'll legend you wanted to revive it and he chosen name because of embarrassing is incident where Edward was at a party and he was dancing with a girl in the girl actually lost her garter and fell on the floor, and in order to quell the sort of embarrassment, he put it on his leg and he said shame to him evil of it. So this sort of idea in I dont think either mother is arm. He was really proud of in that's why he named the order of the gardener. How about that? That's the streets! I like that.
Clearly there are a lot of different tales and lead didn't surrounding the order of knights and many more night, specifically for you to learn about self, be sure to read all about night and castles, and maybe even article on Dragon announced a cornerstone for more on this and thousands of other topics that house up we're stuck com. What is no, what you think send an email to podcast at Helstone works dot com. This is Danny Shapiro Post of the hit outcast family secrets, hope. You join us for some incredible conversations about family identity and what happens to both when the secrets that had been kept from us and the secrets we keep finally come to light
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Transcript generated on 2020-02-07.