Come One Come All: The Ins and Outs of Jousting and Tournaments
When one hears the word "jousting," a similar picture pops into many people's minds. Most imagine knights in shining armor propped up on horses with swords ready to battle. While that is a fair depiction of the sport, much more goes into jousting and tournaments than meets the eye.
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| Depiction of a joust (9) |
The History of Jousting
Jousting can be dated back all the way to the 10th century, 1066 to be more precise. This is the year that Godfrey de Preuilly invented the concept of jousting tournaments. Godfrey was a French man who is known to be the forefather of jousting, however, it is unlikely that he alone invented this activity, nonetheless, his name is widely credited. (1) Before the idea of tournaments, jousting was purely intended as a means of military training (2). After its creation in northern France, however, jousting exploded across Europe, making it a common event and giving it a new purpose. The act of jousting not only remained a way for knights to practice combat for battle, but it also allowed them to gain a new means of entertainment and to win over a lady's honor. Jousting was romanticized and it was utilized as a way for knights to impress ladies and display their chivalry. Ladies would often offer important possessions such as a scarf or piece of jewelry to show their favor over a knight and to also signify a promise that the knight will return safely with the item after the tournament (3).
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| Recreation of 16th-Century Armor (10) |
Jousting Attire and Weaponry
Jousting was often completed through the main use of a lance, which was typically made of ash or cypress and was 8-10 feet in length. They were also hollow to prevent major injury upon impact. Swords were also used, however, they were blunted to reduce the impact as well. These weapons were referred to as 'arms of courtesy' (4). Knights also used a quintain to practice, which was a rotating arm with a shield on one side and a weight on the other (4). Some more weaponry includes a dagger (also called a roundel), a mace, and spikes called Gadlings attached to the gauntlets' knuckles (5). Along with these weapons, Knights equipped armor in order to protect themselves. There was specific armor made for jousting that would grant more protection in areas that were likely to be hit. However, there were many different kinds of armor used that also depended on one's financial situation. Since armor was expensive, many knights only had one suit of armor (5). Initially, jousting attire was comprised of chain mail but it evolved to the use of steel plates, which is what is most commonly depicted in images of knights (6). Along with weaponry and armor to protect knights, shields were another item that was employed to protect people from serious injury. Shields were made out of wood and leather along with reinforcing parts of iron. Shields came in many different shapes and sizes from small to elongated to rectangular (4).
Fun Fact: The Meaning of Jousting
The word 'joust' comes from the old French verb 'joster,' and even further back from the Latin word 'juxtare,' which means "to approach, to meet". Additionally, another name for jousting is 'Tilting' which is derived from the old English word 'tylte' or 'tealt', which means "to totter unsteadily" (7).
No Horsing Around
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| Depiction of Jousting Horse(11) |
When it comes to jousting, it is a team effort. Knights and their respective horses must compete together to win the match. Horses are an important part of jousting and they often face the same fate as their rider if they lose a battle; death or injury. To prevent an unfavorable outcome, horses had to adapt to the evolving sport. Over time, knights had begun to use heavier armor which in turn required sturdier and heavier horses. Initially, back when chain mail was the primary form of protection, horses were lighter and smaller. However, as metal armor became heavier, so did the horses (7). As a result of the upgraded armor, horses became primary targets during matches since they were easier to attack. Aside from horses being used for jousting, they were overall important assets to knights, as they were a sign of a knight's reputation and chivalry.
The End of an Era
By the middle of the 17th century, jousting lost popularity and was soon considered a thing of the past. Jousting was discontinued for various reasons, one of them being that it no longer served the purpose of military training due to the invention of firearms and new military technology (8). Additionally, hosting tournaments was expensive, given that they were big events with various food stalls, lodging, and large spaces needed for the tournaments. Furthermore, with the emergence of the Renaissance period, the interest shifted to artistic and intellectual pursuits, rather than martial pursuits like jousting (8).
The above video clip is about a team that participates in modern-day jousting. This is an interesting and slightly different take on the jousting that was done during the medieval period.
Works Cited
(5) Alchin, Linda. “Jousting Weapons.” Middle Ages, https://www.lordsandladies.org/jousting-weapons.htm. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(2) Bevan, Richard. “History of Jousting | Sky HISTORY TV Channel.” Sky History, https://www.history.co.uk/article/history-of-jousting. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(4) Cartwright, Mark, and Unknown Artist. “Medieval Jousting.” World History Encyclopedia, 2 July 2018, https://www.worldhistory.org/Jousting/. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(1) Gibbon, Abby. “Knights Of The Round Table And Main Street: Jousting Then And Now.” The Chronicle of the Horse, 13 July 2011, https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/knights-round-table-and-main-street-jousting-then-and-now/. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(11) Gipson, Alice. “Jousting Horse In Red by Alice Gipson.” Pixels, 24 December 2015, https://pixels.com/featured/jousting-horse-in-red-alice-gipson.html. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(7) “Knights and Horses of the Middle Ages: Jousting for Glory and Death.” Horse Canada, 23 August 2012, https://horse-canada.com/horses-and-history/knights-and-horses-of-the-middle-ages/. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(10) “Late 16th c. Jousting Armor.” Darksword Armory, https://www.darksword-armory.com/medieval-weapon/medieval-armor/medieval-armors/jousting-armor-2-7/. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(3) “9 Things You Didn't Know About Jousting.” Sudeley Castle & Gardens, https://sudeleycastle.co.uk/news/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-jousting. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(6) Ridgway, Claire. “A Brief Overview of Jousting and Armour by Heather R. Darsie.” The Tudor Society, https://www.tudorsociety.com/jousting-armour-by-heather-r-darsie/#google_vignette. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(9) von Klingen, Walther. “Jousting.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jousting. Accessed 6 September 2023.
(8) “Why jousting was the blockbuster (and bloody) sport of the Middle Ages.” History Skills, https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-8/jousting/. Accessed 6 September 2023.
I also had a very shallow idea as to what jousting actually was but I learned a lot from your blog post! It is cool that jousting turned from military training to a form of entertainment to win over a lady's honor.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea jousting was a form of military training at one point, and the French origins of the sport as well. I also never really thought about how one knight's financial status could affect a joust as much as it can, as a poorer knight is more likely to lose because of only being able to afford weaker armor.
ReplyDeleteI always thought of jousting to be a sport that men would do for fun. I never thought it was used for military training. I also didn't know that there were different kinds of armor and weapons that could be used. This was very cool to learn.
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