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The History of the Medieval Tournament
How tournaments grew from rowdy mock battles in the 1100s into staged courtly events, with the rules, rewards, risks and church objections along the way.
Power and Work
Tournaments and Chivalry
Mock battles, jousts, knightly orders and the ideals behind them.
The History of the Medieval Joust
How the joust worked: the lance, specialized armor, the tilt barrier, the lists and the scoring that rewarded broken lances and clean hits.
The History of the Order of the Garter: A Study of Chivalry and Honor
The Order of the Garter, founded by Edward III around 1348: its aims, membership, St George's Chapel, and the famous garter story that is probably legend.
The Life and Times of Geoffrey de Charny
Geoffrey de Charny, French knight and author killed at Poitiers in 1356, and his writings on what makes a good man-at-arms in the Hundred Years War.
The Tournament: A Medieval Sport
The tournament as spectacle and sport: the crowds, ladies, heralds, prizes and risks of events that were as much festival as training for war.
Related topics
More in power and work
Feudalism and Knighthood How feudal ties and the knightly code organized medieval rule. Farming and Trade Fields, guilds, markets and the hardship of famine. Heraldry and Coats of Arms Shields, symbols and the heralds who kept track of them. Knights and Warfare The knightly code, honor and how medieval battles were fought. Kingship and Law How kings ruled and how law and justice worked. Battles and Campaigns Famous battles and what they changed. Sieges and Weapons How castles and towns were attacked and defended, and the arms used. Kings and Rulers Profiles of medieval monarchs and nobles and the politics around them. Norman and Angevin Kings Rulers from William the Conqueror to the Angevin kings. Late Medieval Monarchs English and French kings of the later Middle Ages. Magna Carta The charter of 1215, its clauses and its legacy. Chivalry and Honor The ideals of knightly conduct, honor and loyalty, and how they changed. Feudal Society and Estates Feudalism, the manor and the three estates of medieval society. Economy and Commerce Trade, guilds, money and the movement of news and goods. Justice, Trials and Punishments How medieval courts judged crimes, from ordeals and duels to fines and executions. Manor, Serfdom and Tithes The rural system of manors, unfree peasants and church dues. Peasants Revolts Rural risings and what they demanded, with the real dates and places. Ireland, Scotland and Wales Medieval life and politics on the Celtic fringe of Britain and Ireland. Crafts and Workshops The trades that made cloth, metal, bread and books in medieval towns.