He was often very wealthy.
Knights were dubbed by another knight or a king.
Most knights were the sons of knights.
But an ordinary soldier could be made a knight for bravery in battle.
A knight had to carry a sword and shield while riding his horse.
Thus, he had to guide his horse using only his knees and feet!
This knight has a sword, shield, and spear!
They also had to wear heavy armour.
And of course, they had to fight.
Being a knight was not easy.
It took years of training.
Boys had to begin from a young age.
They had to learn many skills.
The first step was to become a PAGE.
A boy could become a page at the age of 7.
He would go to live with a royal court.
He would do the following tasks:
- serve at table
- work as a stable hand
- perform menial tasks
- learn basic fighting with mock weapons
- learn basic riding skills
- learn to hunt
- learn to read
- learn about music (or how to play music)
A page would train until the age of 14 or 15.
Then he could start his training as a SQUIRE.
A squire would learn the following:
- how to use weapons of war
- how to use and care for armour
- the code of chivalry (what is considered good behaviour for knights)
- more Latin, music, dance, and games such as chess
- hunting
- falconry
The squire would also serve his knight (along with other squires).
Some of his jobs would be:
- cleaning his weapons
- polishing his armour
- looking after the horses
- helping the knight dress for battle
- holding his shield until the knight needed it
The name squire derives from the French ecuyer, meaning shield bearer (someone who carries a shield).
What tasks are pictured below?
When finally fully trained, a squire would be knighted or dubbed a knight somewhere between the ages of 18 and 21.
The squire would prepare by praying.
The knight or king would touch his shoulder with his sword.
The words used would be simple:
"Be thou a knight".
