After the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire and the 6th century after the European Middle Ages, we still use the term “knight” to describe others.
Just those two words
It symbolizes loyalty, etiquette, humility, and wordless protection, and can even give birth to a tragic sense of picture,
This is the “chivalry” left of that era.
In “Knight’s Fantasy Night”, we follow Lin Zero to witness the legendary Arthurian dynasty, although this mythical figure still cannot be confirmed whether it really exists, but created in the context of that era, whether it is wild history, legends, or literary works, we can feel the “knightly way” that the knights of the Round Table have their own.
Original: Vivibear | Lead author: Jusaka
Therefore, let’s take a look at the real way of knighthood in the European medieval background!
01. The gradual evolution of the knighthood system
The European Middle Ages spanned a long period, beginning with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and ending with the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453 AD, lasting nearly a thousand years, during which the system of knighthood was born.
However, the knight has not always been a positive image throughout this millennium.
Knights originally referred to cavalry with formal military training in the Middle Ages.
In the early Middle Ages, knights were an open class,
Anyone who could afford to buy weapons and horses could be knighted after performing the ritual of submission
Even all knights have the right to make others knights, and do not require the approval of the fifth lord (prince and son) or the king.
* It is a small mention here that the five lords of Europe are not the same as the five lords of the ancient Xia Shang period in China, but because they are similar aristocratic systems, they use this term in language translation, which is essentially unrelated
But the “knight” at this stage is actually still equivalent to the “feudal lord”, and after receiving the title of the superior lord, he did everything he burned and plundered based on his own privileges, which is simply a brutal and terrifying soldier.
It was not until the 10th and 11th centuries that the development of Christianization began to constrain the knights. The church proposed the “peace movement” and found a model Paul for knights to emulate in the Bible, and the knights slowly transformed into the image of “chivalry” as we know it.
St. Paul, also known as Paul, an early Christian missionary in the ancient Roman Empire
However, at the same time, the status of knight also began to gradually merge with the nobility, becoming a hereditary system of nobility.
Knight was originally the only title of nobility that commoners could obtain, but in an era when blood and origin were extremely important, commoners canonized knighthood and became a privilege only for kings. And how can a commoner who may have never seen a king in his life allow the king to exercise such privileges for himself? You can imagine how remote this is to chance.
02. The path to becoming a knight
However, although knights and nobles are integrated, they are still at the bottom of the aristocracy, and even if their origin meets the criteria, it is still not easy to become a knight.
The little nobleman who wanted to become a knight probably had to go to the lord’s territory for training at the age of 7, and his basic daily life was no different from that of a handyman. In addition to this they have to carry out systematic learning, which
It includes not only combat with lords or masters under the lord, military teaching, but also cultural and etiquette teaching with the lord’s wife.
From the film and television “Game of Thrones”
Around the age of 14, small nobles are promoted to “subordinates”, and a few special people are promoted to “trainee knights”, such as the children of lords.
“Servants” are mainly responsible for taking care of the master’s armor and weapons; “Trainee knights” are lined up behind regular knights to accumulate combat experience, marked by the swallowtail of the tail of the flag;
Both can go into battle, but the “trainee knight” has some of the privileges of the “knight”, while the “subordinate” does not.
Nengwen Nengwu, Qinqi calligraphy and painting, proficient in the “seven skills of knights”: horseback riding, chess, fencing, hunting, shooting, swimming, chanting, after more than ten years of training, the 21-year-old nobleman is qualified to become a real knight.
After accumulating a certain amount of merit, the “trainee knight” can apply in advance to cut off the swallowtail of the flag and become a regular knight; And “subordination” is not so easy. Because of the gap in wealth, the “subordinate” may not be able to put together his own set of knightly equipment, and the kind lord may give him a set, but in case of disregard, the “subordinate” can only choose to go to the battlefield to fight “scavenging”, digging for second-hand goods, or always working as a “subordinate” until he earns enough money.
Finally, after everything has reached the standard, the most sacred consecration ceremony is coming.
In the early Middle Ages, knights were knighted relatively simple, with candidates kneeling on one knee in front of an army leader or prestigious knight, and the officiant touching his shoulder three times with the back of his sword, presenting a proverb and the whole ceremony was completed. This was mostly because it was a wartime stage and needed a large number of knights, so the simpler form was more common and accepted by the public.
However, after Christianization, the knighthood ceremony procedure became more and more complicated, generally divided into three types:
Secular type, the officiants are kings and nobles, and the locations are mostly in royal palaces and castles;
Religious type, the officiating is the pope, bishop or clergy, and the venue is generally in the church;
Secular and religious mixed, the officiants are usually kings or secular nobles, and the clergy are responsible for religious activities such as prayer masses, either in the palace castle or in the church.
On the eve of the canonization, the canonized person bathes, cleanses himself, and then wears a white dress, a red robe, and black shoes, symbolizing purity, life, and death, respectively. After that, fast and pray all night in church.
It is not until the next day that the giver comes to him and vows that the giver will lay his sword flat and press it on his right shoulder, sometimes with a sword of mercy without a sword, to perform this ritual and bless.
Of course, the canonization ceremony in each period actually has some subtle differences, some are relatively simple, some are more solemn, and there are large celebrations after the ceremony, etc., but the knights after the canonization must follow the eight virtues of knighthood
“Humility, honor, sacrifice, valor, mercy, honesty, spirit, justice”.
Comic book “Knight Fantasy Night” Arthur’s knighthood process
In the 12th century, the meaning of chivalry was transformed into the overall norm of life. The code of chivalry is basically four:
Protect the old and weak, women and children, fight for justice against injustice and evil, love their homeland, and risk death to defend the church.
But unfortunately, after the 14th century, knights have been reduced to honorary titles that can be bought and sold, and the consecration ceremony has become more and more casual, losing the connotation of knighthood, and with the collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire, knights have fallen into history.
Fortunately, this “chivalry” has still been passed down and has become a symbol of bravery and loyalty, even if it only exists in various literary works, it can be remembered forever as an iconic mark of that era~