The reality of living as a knight and fighting in jousting tournaments.
We all have our own image of a medieval knight, perhaps a courageous fighter, mysteriously hidden behind the metal visor of his helmet. Or maybe a professional soldier, who traveled the country fighting for pay. A knight is probably one of the first things people think of when asked to describe the Middle Ages.
In some ways, it must have been a lonely life, being cheered on by hundreds, and fighting for the honor of a lady way above you on the social scale. She’d go home to her castle and you were left to go back to your lodgings. No one might even recognise you as the hero of the tournament as you’d been covered by your armor during the joust.
Yes, it was probably exciting to prepare for and take part in a medieval joust, but at what cost? If you lost, you might have to give up your expensive horse and even if you won, your injuries could be bad enough to keep you away from tournaments for months. And how would you feel, preparing to ride out, knowing you could be in the last few minutes of your life? If you did survive, when you were too old to fight, how would you feel to see younger, stronger men getting all the glory?
Being a knight has been a dream for boys down the centuries. But I wonder how many of us would actually have liked the life of a knight?
