Medieval Society

Tournaments

Two knights sit atop their chargers at either end of the lists, fully armored. At a signal, they lower their lances and charge at one another. This is the usual view of a tournament, but it is actually only one aspect, called the joust, and rather a late- comer at that.

Tournaments are almost as old as knighthood itself, but early examples were nothing like the formal encounters of the later Middle Ages. The earliest tournaments consisted of nothing more than the melée.

The Melée

In a melée, two groups of knights assemble across an open field. At a signal, both parties ride at each other and fight anyone who comes within range. The principal goals were to exercise one's fighting skills, to knock the other fellow around, to capture somebody and hold them for ransom, and to have a generally jolly time.

There were roped-off areas for repairing armor and resting. The melée could last for hours, and there needed to be a place for the tired and injured to retire. A similar area existed for prisoners captured in the battles.

A melée was, in fact, rehearsal for war. Within the context of the overall combat, individuals and small groups operated for specific goals. Great deeds would be remembered. And, perhaps most importantly, a doughty knight stood a reasonable chance of gaining some ransom.

A typical ransom might be the payment of a suit of armor or a horse. If the captured knight could not raise his ransom on the spot, he might be released on his word (parole) to return to his estates and raise the money.

The melée was immensely popular and the dangers were quite real. In the heat of combat, tempers flared; and an open field was an ideal place to settle old scores. Knights were injured and even killed in these encounters: but of course: only in real combat could glory be won.

A melée was a great opportunity for winning a reputation, and the encounters were often heavily attended by young knights. The event itself would be sponsored by a great lord, who might also host festivities before and after.

A melée had its social disadvantages, however. It could be embarassing for a powerful duke to be unhorsed by some foreigner upstart, and unduly dangerous as well. Some of the nobles began arranging smaller engagements and even individual combat. By the later 11th century we see this develop into the joust.

Jousting

A joust was combat between two nobles. They rode at each other with lances or other weapon of choice. Early on, this was no more than a prelude to the general event, fought on the same field as the melée, but by the 13th century it had developed its own set of rules and traditions and its own place within the overall tourney.

The joust was held in the morning, with the melée in the afternoon. Some of these events were quite ambitious, so the jousting might occur on one day with the melée on the following day. They usually managed to work the melée in as the grand finale.

The various nobles set up their tents and arranged the individual combats among themselves. A special jousting area, called the lists, was built and here the combatants met. The goal was usually simply to unhorse the opponent, though combat on foot might also follow. The joust became the premier event of a tourney, for it was a chance for everyone's attention to be focused on a handful of heroes.

Tournaments were great favorites among the knights, especially among younger sons and landless knights. By the thirteen century tournaments were widespread and regular, and some knights went from one to the next almost like a rodeo circuit. It was possible to make a living at these affairs.

Decline of Tournaments

The Church condemned the whole tournament business, of course, and from quite early. Bishops were to forbid them and to punish those who ignored the sanctions. But the proclamations had little effect.

Practical considerations weighed more heavily; most prominent of these was the risk of injury. By the late 13th century, blunted lances begin to appear. The melée played an shrinking role while at the same time social functions such as entertainment and feasting played a greater role. Ladies were first allowed to attend and then expected to attend.

By the fourteenth century, tournaments had acquired most of the elements you see in a Hollywood movie: the tents, the viewing stands, the lists where the jousting could be contained and easily viewed, the prizes offered by the ladies. The tournament of the late Middle Ages was a social event more than a martial event. There were even tournaments in cities!

Tournaments continued to be popular all through the Middle Ages and even beyond. King Henry of France was killed in a joust in 1652—the tourney was still combat and still a risky affair.

Reading a picture

You should be able to tell a variety of things from this picture.

The setting, dress, and the type of armor should give you the general time period. A little knowledge of heraldry might even identify the nationality.

Why do you suppose there is a wall between the combatants, and why is it so high?

Finally, note the level of artistic skill. The artist has managed some rudiments of perspective, but the horse is still rendered in a stylized manner--that is not the stride of a charging horse.