Next, he was given his horse, and then his shield and banner, which might bear his family coat of arms. The squire was then knighted by a simple tap on the shoulders or neck with the hand or sword, or even a heavy blow ( colée or ‘accolade’) – meant to be the last one he should ever take without retaliating and to remind him of his obligations and moral duty not to disgrace the man who dealt the blow. The knight awarding the honour then might attach a spur or put the sword and belt on the squire, and give him a kiss on the cheek. The blade had two cutting edges – one to represent justice, the other loyalty and chivalry. He was given his sword back, now blessed by a priest with the proviso he always protect the poor and weak. On the day of the ceremony the squire was dressed by two knights with a white tunic and white belt to symbolise purity, black or brown stockings to represent the earth to which he will one day return, and a scarlet cloak for the blood he is now ready to spill for his baron, sovereign, and church. If all went well, the youth, by then around 18 years old, was made a knight in a ceremony known as a dubbing.įor a dubbing, a soon-to-be knight had a good bath and kept a church vigil overnight. Squires assisted knights in peace and war, holding their extra lances or shield, cleaning their armour, and looking after the several horses each knight owned. From age 14, the next step was to become a squire (or esquire), who had more responsibility than a page, learned to use real weapons, and started an education, especially the study of chivalry. The typical starting point for a young lad of 7 to 10 years old was to become a page when he learned to handle horses, hunt, and use mock weapons while serving a knight proper. The process of becoming a knight started from early childhood. The suits you see in museums and on tombs were special sunday-best sets for show.A re-enactor in the armour and costume of a medieval knight / Photo by pxhere, Creative Commons I don't know how long working armour lasted - presumably it depended on how much fighting it's owner did and how scrupulous his squire was. Where do you get barrels of sand on a march? Presumably the supply train contained forges, tools, spare parts, and barrels for rent.Īt least late medieval armour steel was 'blued' - you quench the finished steel in oil which coats the surface and protects it.
chain mail was cleaned by rolling it in a barrel of sand. Squires spent a lot of time cleaning armour, which if you had been fighting in the mud alongside a lot of scared men and scared horses wouldn't have been a pleasant job! If you get the metal clean quickly it won't rust. You keep the armour clean with lots of elbow-grease.
Henry V did order his troops to be in armour for the march from Honfluer to Calais because he did expect an attack at any time from the French and didn't have enough spare scouts or local help to spot an attacking force. Harald Hadrada famously was killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 because he had left his favourite chain mail (called emma!) on the ship for safety. So generally you would have a couple of days notice to get your armour on, sharpen your sword and say mass (all equally important to a knight)
#When did medieval europe knights start wearing chainmail full#
Generally the knights and foot soldiers wouldn't march in anything like full armour, medieval battles were fought on agreed sites when the armies were visible to each other - not ambushes or blitzkreig. "armour" is a bit general, from the fancy gleaming best tournement suit to the few bits of salvaged chain mail stitched onto an archers leather jacket.
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