Post by balian on Jun 6, 2008 17:42:01 GMT -6
Becoming a Knight
The journey through knighthood begins in the early 12th century. Here sons of nobles or wealthy men would begin their trials into the order. Boys at the age of seven were sent to the homes of Knights to act more as servants to the Lady of the house and her ladies in waiting. The boy took the title of Page and spent his days serving the Lady of the house, in return she taught him manners and courtesy. In some cases the Page was taught to read and write if he had not learned already but this was rare as it was believed to be less necessary then other skills. The Page was also often taught to sing or dance or play an instrument to entertain the Lord of the house and his guests. When the page reached the age of ten, so began his training of playbattle with blunted weapons and light armor. Usually they were first taught small arms such as knife and throwing daggers but weaponry varied per Lord.
By the age of twelve, (In most cases) The Page was made a Squire to the Lord of the house. His role shifts from servant to the lady to apprentice of the Knight. He often took care of his knights armor, weaponry and cared for his horse. This taught generosity, courtesy, compassion , loyalty and most importantly humility. The Knight taught the squire all he needed to become a Knight himself. By day he was taught how to be an elite fighter. He was taught the ways of the horse and some traditions left the Squire to sleep in the stable house with the horse for a period of two years. This was believed by some to make the boy part horse himself. By the age of sixteen (Again in most cases) the Squire was a master horsemen, a skilled fighter and a practitioner of the code of chivalry in everything way of his life. He would follow his Knight into battle and tended to him if he fell. Some Squires were even dubbed knights by showing performing a deed of valor on the battlefield. Most were dubbed by their knight when it was believed their training was complete.
Being a Knight is of high prestige. The title is honored by the many and often Knights are looked to for leadership, guidance, wisdom and protection. Most Knights would make the training of young Squires grueling and near impossible to surpass. Many Squires submit and broke and gave up the long journey to become knights but there were few who succeeded to become the honored and respected Knights.
The Coat of Arms
Heraldry played a big role in keeping the Coat of Arms sacred and unique to one person and they were strictly regulated, if another claimed a coat of arms for their own the penalty could be as serious as death. Coat of Arms are the individual property of one family and are used to help identify one another not just on the battlefield but also with personal seals used in legal documents and even tournaments. Heralds played their role here to ensure that each was unique and often when the Coat of Arms was passed to the next generation there was a minor alteration usually in color to identify them as a prominent member of the family and still remain unique and identifiable beyond the father before them. Coat of Arms were a symbol of pride to the bearer much like we look on our nations flags today. When a Squire became a Knight he was then given his Coat of Arms.
Colors of the Orders
There were many orders of Knights, especially during such times as the crusades. Each order had chosen their own colors and each Knight of the order wore those colors with pride. Individuality became less important during times of war unless the Knight was the commanding officer of the order.
During times of tournament or peace, each knight wore his own color and crest to identify him from the next. Fame quickly spread to the Knights best renown for victory and honor this way much like a jersey of an athelete today.
Justice
Seek always the path of 'right', unencumbered by bias or personal interest. Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered by humanity and mercy. If the 'right' you see agrees with others, and you seek it out without bending to the temptation for expediency, then you will earn renown beyond measure. Justice must be served quick and never for personal opinion or gain, justice is not an excuse for revenge but a balance brought to right a wrong.
Courage
Being a knight often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive one. Be prepared to make personal sacrifices in service of the precepts and people you value. At the same time, a knight should seek wisdom to see that stupidity and courage are cousins. Courage also means taking the side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedient lie. Seek the truth always, but remember to temper justice with mercy, or the pure truth can bring grief. A knight will never back from a fight when the safe keeping of others lay in the balance, Courage sometimes means self sacrafice and self sacrafice is the greatest gift one can give.
Defense
The ideal knight was sworn by oath to defend his liege lord and those who depended upon him. Seek always to defend your nation, your family, and those to whom you believe worthy of loyalty. A Knight defends the innocent, those that cannot defend themselves or those who havent the courage or skill to fight or stand up to the greater forces of evil and unjustice. He accepts that each time he draws his arms it may be his last but in doing so others will live and live free to tell of how he lived
Prowess
To seek excellence in all endeavors expected of a knight, martial and otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal gain. Fortitude of the spirit and heart to stand ones ground in defense of his beliefs but never to boast of his own success or skills. A Knight is ever the disciplined man and must often remind himself that there is no room for selfness in service.
Faith
A knight must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the despair that human failings create. Without faith there is no meaning to his life, without love for his beliefs there is emptiness and with emptiness their is misery to spread not just for the Knight but for those that depend and look to him for guidance and wisdom.
Nobility
Seek great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the heavens. Nobility also has the tendency to influence others, offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of rightness. Nobility means responsibility to a great many and each decision or action made can influence the lives of many more then ones self for better or for worse. Take care in each decision, exhibit patience and understanding and more importantly serve the people with nobility and not yourself. True nobility is shown from the heart.
Humility
Value first the contributions of others; do not boast of your own accomplishments, let others do this for you. Tell the deeds of others before your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds. In this way the office of knighthood is well done and glorified, helping not only the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves knights. Remember your place. You bleed red just as any other man and should give each man the right to be equal. Being a Knight sometimes means swallowing your pride for the greater good and to never let your emotions or station get the better of clear minded decisions.
Largesse
Be generous in so far as your resources allow; largesse used in this way counters gluttony. It also makes the path of mercy easier to discern when a difficult decision of justice is required. Give freely to those in need of a kind hand or gentle word from someone so many look to for positive influence and wisdom. Love openly to those deserving of your care and still respect all walks of life without judgement or measure, friend or foe.
Loyalty
Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst them. Loyalty should never be a thought of compromise for survival. Loyalty sometimes means making difficult decisions that could be the personally expensive one. Loyalty is unconditional to a Knight.
Franchise
Seek to emulate everything I have spoken of as sincerely as possible, not for the reason of personal gain but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with these qualities. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure then you will be well remembered for your quality and virtue in all things. Remember to remain disciplined and unwavered to your comittment to your virtues and oaths and your mark will be felt among the many for the greater good.
The journey through knighthood begins in the early 12th century. Here sons of nobles or wealthy men would begin their trials into the order. Boys at the age of seven were sent to the homes of Knights to act more as servants to the Lady of the house and her ladies in waiting. The boy took the title of Page and spent his days serving the Lady of the house, in return she taught him manners and courtesy. In some cases the Page was taught to read and write if he had not learned already but this was rare as it was believed to be less necessary then other skills. The Page was also often taught to sing or dance or play an instrument to entertain the Lord of the house and his guests. When the page reached the age of ten, so began his training of playbattle with blunted weapons and light armor. Usually they were first taught small arms such as knife and throwing daggers but weaponry varied per Lord.
By the age of twelve, (In most cases) The Page was made a Squire to the Lord of the house. His role shifts from servant to the lady to apprentice of the Knight. He often took care of his knights armor, weaponry and cared for his horse. This taught generosity, courtesy, compassion , loyalty and most importantly humility. The Knight taught the squire all he needed to become a Knight himself. By day he was taught how to be an elite fighter. He was taught the ways of the horse and some traditions left the Squire to sleep in the stable house with the horse for a period of two years. This was believed by some to make the boy part horse himself. By the age of sixteen (Again in most cases) the Squire was a master horsemen, a skilled fighter and a practitioner of the code of chivalry in everything way of his life. He would follow his Knight into battle and tended to him if he fell. Some Squires were even dubbed knights by showing performing a deed of valor on the battlefield. Most were dubbed by their knight when it was believed their training was complete.
Being a Knight is of high prestige. The title is honored by the many and often Knights are looked to for leadership, guidance, wisdom and protection. Most Knights would make the training of young Squires grueling and near impossible to surpass. Many Squires submit and broke and gave up the long journey to become knights but there were few who succeeded to become the honored and respected Knights.
The Coat of Arms
Heraldry played a big role in keeping the Coat of Arms sacred and unique to one person and they were strictly regulated, if another claimed a coat of arms for their own the penalty could be as serious as death. Coat of Arms are the individual property of one family and are used to help identify one another not just on the battlefield but also with personal seals used in legal documents and even tournaments. Heralds played their role here to ensure that each was unique and often when the Coat of Arms was passed to the next generation there was a minor alteration usually in color to identify them as a prominent member of the family and still remain unique and identifiable beyond the father before them. Coat of Arms were a symbol of pride to the bearer much like we look on our nations flags today. When a Squire became a Knight he was then given his Coat of Arms.
Colors of the Orders
There were many orders of Knights, especially during such times as the crusades. Each order had chosen their own colors and each Knight of the order wore those colors with pride. Individuality became less important during times of war unless the Knight was the commanding officer of the order.
During times of tournament or peace, each knight wore his own color and crest to identify him from the next. Fame quickly spread to the Knights best renown for victory and honor this way much like a jersey of an athelete today.
Ten Virtues of the Knight
Justice
Seek always the path of 'right', unencumbered by bias or personal interest. Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered by humanity and mercy. If the 'right' you see agrees with others, and you seek it out without bending to the temptation for expediency, then you will earn renown beyond measure. Justice must be served quick and never for personal opinion or gain, justice is not an excuse for revenge but a balance brought to right a wrong.
Courage
Being a knight often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive one. Be prepared to make personal sacrifices in service of the precepts and people you value. At the same time, a knight should seek wisdom to see that stupidity and courage are cousins. Courage also means taking the side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedient lie. Seek the truth always, but remember to temper justice with mercy, or the pure truth can bring grief. A knight will never back from a fight when the safe keeping of others lay in the balance, Courage sometimes means self sacrafice and self sacrafice is the greatest gift one can give.
Defense
The ideal knight was sworn by oath to defend his liege lord and those who depended upon him. Seek always to defend your nation, your family, and those to whom you believe worthy of loyalty. A Knight defends the innocent, those that cannot defend themselves or those who havent the courage or skill to fight or stand up to the greater forces of evil and unjustice. He accepts that each time he draws his arms it may be his last but in doing so others will live and live free to tell of how he lived
Prowess
To seek excellence in all endeavors expected of a knight, martial and otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal gain. Fortitude of the spirit and heart to stand ones ground in defense of his beliefs but never to boast of his own success or skills. A Knight is ever the disciplined man and must often remind himself that there is no room for selfness in service.
Faith
A knight must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the despair that human failings create. Without faith there is no meaning to his life, without love for his beliefs there is emptiness and with emptiness their is misery to spread not just for the Knight but for those that depend and look to him for guidance and wisdom.
Nobility
Seek great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the heavens. Nobility also has the tendency to influence others, offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of rightness. Nobility means responsibility to a great many and each decision or action made can influence the lives of many more then ones self for better or for worse. Take care in each decision, exhibit patience and understanding and more importantly serve the people with nobility and not yourself. True nobility is shown from the heart.
Humility
Value first the contributions of others; do not boast of your own accomplishments, let others do this for you. Tell the deeds of others before your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds. In this way the office of knighthood is well done and glorified, helping not only the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves knights. Remember your place. You bleed red just as any other man and should give each man the right to be equal. Being a Knight sometimes means swallowing your pride for the greater good and to never let your emotions or station get the better of clear minded decisions.
Largesse
Be generous in so far as your resources allow; largesse used in this way counters gluttony. It also makes the path of mercy easier to discern when a difficult decision of justice is required. Give freely to those in need of a kind hand or gentle word from someone so many look to for positive influence and wisdom. Love openly to those deserving of your care and still respect all walks of life without judgement or measure, friend or foe.
Loyalty
Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst them. Loyalty should never be a thought of compromise for survival. Loyalty sometimes means making difficult decisions that could be the personally expensive one. Loyalty is unconditional to a Knight.
Franchise
Seek to emulate everything I have spoken of as sincerely as possible, not for the reason of personal gain but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with these qualities. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure then you will be well remembered for your quality and virtue in all things. Remember to remain disciplined and unwavered to your comittment to your virtues and oaths and your mark will be felt among the many for the greater good.