On this page
The process of becoming a medieval knight was long, formal, and demanding, and it was a defining experience of the aristocratic class of the High Middle Ages. The young man began his training as a page in the household of a lord around the age of seven, became a squire around the age of fourteen, and was finally dubbed to knighthood around the age of twenty-one. The process of becoming a knight was not merely a matter of military training; it was also a matter of social, moral, and religious formation, and it shaped the identity of the aristocratic class for centuries. The young man who successfully completed the process was admitted to the order of knighthood, and he assumed the rights, the obligations, and the dignity of the knightly class.
Maurice Keen, “Chivalry” (1984), and Jean Flori, “L’Essor de la chevalerie” (1986), are the standard English and French treatments. The page below uses the practical sources (the biographies of William Marshal, the Ordene de chevalerie, the rules of the mêlées) that a literary history on its own misses.
The Page: Childhood in the Lord’s Household
The first stage of the knight’s training was as a page in the household of a lord. The page was typically a boy of noble birth, sent to the household of another lord — usually a relative or a close ally of his father — to be trained in the skills and the manners of the aristocratic class. The page was usually around seven or eight years old, and he would remain a page for about seven years, until he was around fourteen or fifteen.
The page learned the basic skills of arms in the household of the lord. He learned how to ride a horse, how to handle a sword and a lance, how to hunt and falcon, and how to perform the various physical activities that were expected of a knight. The page also learned the manners of the court — how to behave at table, how to address his superiors, how to conduct himself in the rituals of aristocratic life, and how to speak and write in the vernacular and possibly in Latin. The page also received a religious education, with instruction in the basic prayers, the sacraments, and the moral teaching of the Church.
The page’s life in the household was regulated by a strict routine. He rose early in the morning, attended Mass, performed his duties in the household, and received his instruction in the afternoon. The page served at the lord’s table, assisted the lord’s squires in their duties, and participated in the various activities of the household. The page was expected to be obedient, diligent, and courteous, and he was subject to the discipline of the household.
The Squire: Adolescence in the Knight’s Service
The second stage of the knight’s training was as a squire in the service of a knight. The squire was typically around fourteen or fifteen years old, and he would remain a squire for about seven years, until he was around twenty-one or twenty-two. The squire was the personal attendant of a knight, and he assisted the knight in all his activities. The squire carried the knight’s shield and lance, helped the knight to dress in his armor, cared for the knight’s horse, and served the knight at table. The squire also continued his training in arms, and he was expected to be able to fight effectively in battle by the time he was dubbed to knighthood.
The squire’s life was more demanding and more dangerous than the page’s life. The squire accompanied the knight in battle, and he was expected to fight alongside his master. The squire also accompanied the knight in the chase, and he assisted in the various hunting activities of the aristocratic class. The squire was expected to be courageous, disciplined, and loyal, and he was subject to a more rigorous discipline than the page.
The squire’s training in arms was intensive and practical. The squire learned how to handle the various weapons of the knight — the sword, the lance, the mace, the dagger, the bow — and he practiced the various techniques of mounted and dismounted combat. The squire also learned the skills of the knight’s horse — how to ride, how to care for the horse, how to train the horse for battle — and the skills of the knight’s equipment — how to maintain the armor, how to repair the weapons, how to organize the knight’s equipment for battle.
The Dubbing: Admission to Knighthood
The final stage of the knight’s training was the ceremony of dubbing to knighthood, the formal admission of the young man to the order of knighthood. The ceremony could be performed in various ways: the knight-to-be might be dubbed by a lord, by a knight of renown, or by a priest in a religious ceremony. The ceremony was a major event in the life of the young man and in the life of the community, and it was typically attended by a large number of witnesses.
The ceremony of dubbing typically involved a period of preparation. The knight-to-be would fast, pray, and keep a night-long vigil in a church, often before the altar of a saint or a relic. The vigil was a spiritual preparation for the ceremony, and it symbolized the knight-to-be’s commitment to the defense of the Christian faith and the service of the lord. After the vigil, the knight-to-be would bathe, dress in clean clothing, and prepare for the ceremony.
The ceremony of dubbing typically began with Mass, at which the knight-to-be received communion and prayed for the grace of God to sustain him in his new dignity. After the Mass, the knight-to-be knelt before the lord or the knight who would dub him, and he made a solemn declaration of his intention to enter the order of knighthood and to defend the Christian faith, the Church, and the weak. The lord or the knight then struck the knight-to-be on the shoulder or the neck with the flat of a sword, and he pronounced the words of dubbing: “I dub thee knight.”
After the dubbing, the new knight received the symbols of his dignity: the spurs (the symbol of the knight’s mounted service), the sword (the symbol of the knight’s military service), the shield and lance (the symbols of the knight’s combat equipment), and the mantle (the symbol of the knight’s dignity). The new knight was then welcomed into the order of knighthood by the other knights present, and the ceremony was concluded with a feast and celebration.
The Life of the Knight
The life of the knight was governed by the rights and obligations of the knightly class. The knight was expected to be courageous in battle, loyal to his lord, courteous to his peers, devout in his religion, and generous to the poor and the weak. The knight was also expected to maintain his equipment in good condition, to train his horse and his dogs, to participate in the tournaments and the chase, and to preside over the feasts and celebrations of the aristocratic class.
The knight derived his income from his fief, and he spent a significant portion of his time managing his estate and presiding over his manor court. The knight was a landholder, and he had the responsibilities of a landholder: he collected the rents and the dues of his tenants, he presided over the manor court, and he maintained the order of his estate. The knight was also a warrior, and he had the responsibilities of a warrior: he served his lord in battle, he participated in the tournaments of the aristocratic class, and he maintained his military equipment in good condition.
The knight was also a member of the aristocratic class, and he had the responsibilities of an aristocrat: he participated in the social and ceremonial life of the class, he married within the class (usually), and he educated his children in the manners and the skills of the class. The knight was expected to maintain the standards of behavior associated with the class, and he was subject to the discipline of the class — the ridicule of his peers, the loss of honor, the public shame — if he failed to meet those standards.
Sources
Principal sources used in this article:
- Maurice Keen, Chivalry (Yale, 1984) — the standard English-language history.
Further reading:
- Jean Flori, L’Essor de la chevalerie, XIe–XIIe siècles (Droz, 1986).
For a recent single-volume synthesis with full scholarly apparatus, see the relevant chapter of Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages (University of Toronto Press, 2014).