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During the Middle Ages, it was technically possible for any free man to become a knight. However, the process of training and equipping a knight with a horse and appropriate weapons was very expensive. Knights would therefore generally come from a noble, or wealthy, family. Therefore a would-be-knight would need to have the right family connections. The origin of the term “Knight” derives from Anglo-Saxon word “Cniht” meaning “boy” or “page boy”. The steps to knighthood started as a boy. The honor of being a knight eventually passed from a knight to his sons.
Steps to Becoming a Knight • The normal course of action for the son of a noble: When a boy was seven or eight years old, he was sent to the neighboring castle where he was trained as a page. • The boy was usually the son of a knight or of a member of the aristocracy. He spent most of his time strengthening his body, wrestling and riding horses. He also learned how to fight with a spear and a sword. He practiced against a wooden dummy called a quintain.
The young man was also taught more civilized topics. He would be taught to read and write by a schoolmaster. He could also be taught some Latin and French. The lady of the castle taught the page to sing and dance and how to behave in the king’s court.
At the age of fifteen or sixteen, a boy became a squire in service to a knight. His duties included dressing the knight in the morning, serving all of the knight’s meals, caring for the knight’s horse, and cleaning the knight’s armor and weapons. He followed the knight to tournaments and assisted his lord on the battlefield. A squire also prepared himself by learning how to handle a sword and lance while wearing forty pounds of armor and riding a horse.
The “dubbing” ceremony • When he was about twenty, a squire could become a knight after proving himself worthy. A lord would agree to knight him in a dubbing ceremony. The night before the ceremony, the squire would dress in a white tunic and red robes. He would then fast and pray all night for the purification of his soul. The chaplain would bless the future knight's sword and then lay it on the chapel or church's altar. Before dawn, he took a bath to show that he was pure, and he dressed in his best clothes.
When dawn came, the priest would hear the young man's confession(a Catholic contrition rite). The outdoor ceremony took place in front of family, friends, and nobility. The squire knelt in front of the lord, who tapped the squire lightly on each shoulder with his sword and proclaimed him a knight, with the words “Arise, sir knight!”. After the dubbing, a great feast followed with music and dancing.
Chivalry • Knights believed in the code of chivalry. They promised to defend the weak, be courteous to all women, be loyal to their king, and serve God at all times. Knights were expected to be humble before others, especially their superiors. They were also expected to not "talk too much". In other words, they shouldn't boast. The code of chivalry demanded that a knight give mercy to a vanquished enemy. However, the very fact that knights were trained as men of war contradicted this code.
Even though they came from rich families, many knights were not their families' firstborn. They did not receive an inheritance. Thus they were little more than mercenaries. They plundered villages or cities that they captured, often defiling and destroying churches and other property. Also the code of chivalry did not extend to the peasants. The "weak" was widely interpreted as "noble women and children". They were often brutal to common folk. They could sometimes even rape young peasant women without fear of punishment, all because they were part of the upper class.
The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry: 1. Thou shall believe all that the church teaches, and shall observe all its directions. 2. Thou shall defend the Church. 3. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shall constitute thyself the defender of them. 4. Thou shall love the country in which thou was born.
5. Thou shall not recoil before thine enemy. 6. Thou shall make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy. 7. Thou shall perform scrupulously they feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God. 8. Thou shall never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
9. Thou shall be generous, and give largesse (gifts, monies, wealth, etc.) to everyone. 10. Thou shall be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
