Entertainment of medieval knights. How to have fun in the Middle Ages

Variety! Conventionally, knightly entertainment can be divided into two periods:

1. From the 10th to the 14th centuries, the main entertainment of knights were tjosta tournaments and buhurt tournaments.

The first were buhurts: when two teams of knights ran around a certain territory in armor with weapons and beat the shit out of each other. The purpose of this action was not only entertainment and demonstration of strength, but also training. That is, the noble dons and sirs staged a natural war, during which they were maimed and died, and heat strokes were almost a mandatory accompaniment of this celebration of life.

A little later - somewhere in the 1170s - Tjöst appears ( Tjosten)- a canonical tournament, during which two canned goods on horses are knocked over a fence. They quickly became popular and began to replace buhurts, since knights were injured and died much less often in them, everything happened in front of the audience and looked much cooler.

Around all this a rich ceremony developed: divine services, performances by actors and acrobats, duels of squires, swearing of oaths and elections of queens of love and beauty. Then, when everyone had floated, prayed and chosen the queens, those very contests began, at the end of which there was a group duel Melee with knights divided into "nations". After the group fight, the winners took the horses and armor of the vanquished, held a church service and had a couple more days of drinking.

2. Since the beginning of the 15th century, this whole rigmarole has become much more complicated. The appearance of plate armor, the position of the Church and the fact that the knights did not want to die again, supplanted the buhurts in favor of the tjösts, which, in turn, were divided into a bunch of varieties, also adding mace fights in funny lattice helmets, equestrian exercises and a bunch of others perversions.

By the end of the 15th century, all this took on an even more intricate form and the tournament from the time of the “last knight” Maximilian included the following elements:

1. a fight on foot on pikes through a barrier (which Max himself loved, by the way), in which it was necessary to break the pike;
2. sword fighting on foot;
3. a gestecht clash with a barrier, during which it was necessary to break the spears;
4. a field tournament, in which the knights were divided into two “nations” and broke spears;
5. and a whole range of equestrian rennen duels, which had many varieties.
   A little more about the Rennes:

• Rennen itself: knights in significantly lighter armor with special saddles without high bows collide until one of them falls;
• mechanical rennen: the tarch shield was attached to a special mechanism, which fired it upon impact. Sometimes the tharchs scattered, sometimes they flew away with a special sound, sometimes all at once;
• the bunrennen version of the mechanical rennen was distinguished by the fact that the shield flew upward along the guides and the knight had to tilt his head so that the tarch did not fly away along with his nose and chin;
• accurate rennen required accuracy, since the tarch had to be hit exactly in the center for it to fly off its hinges;
• The hard rennen differed from the others in that the tarchs did not fly away or break, but were attached very rigidly, so the knights knocked each other out the first time.
  The difference between the Rennes was not so much in the armor (Google it, they are very interesting), but in the fact that here the knight was required to show his mastery of a horse, dressed in a forehead without cutouts for the eyes, to grab spears at full gallop, and so on.

In some cases, knights could be puzzled, for example, by an equestrian duel with maces, a foot duel with halberds or two-handed swords, some kind of horse riding and an offer to dance or cartwheel in full armor.

I have already introduced you to the etiquette, clothing, customs, decorations of the Middle Ages, the architecture of medieval castles is regularly covered in posts, and now it’s time for entertainment. Well, man is not fed by bread alone.... I want fireworks and emotions, tea is not king

Stare at strange animals, fight with sausages, drink from a wine fountain, attack a knight with a rake, play “Saint Cosmas”, visit a “glorious house”, gossip by the fountain and other ways to have fun available to city dwellers in the Middle Ages...

Fifty-two ordinary Sundays, a week each for the celebration of the main Christian holidays - Easter, Christmas and Pentecost, other obligatory holidays - Epiphany, Epiphany, Candlemas, Palm Sunday, Ascension, Trinity, Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Transfiguration, Exaltation Cross, Day of the Holy Family, Day of the Immaculate Conception, Saint Joseph's Day, Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Dormition of the Virgin Mary, All Saints' Day, plus the days of various saints - patrons of the city, craft shops and so on, days of their commemoration and days of various events , associated with them, as well as the arrivals of rulers, bishops and other important persons - in total, the medieval townsman spent about a third of the year in idleness.

How could you kill this time?

Go to church and listen to the preacher

Festive services were performed with great pomp with the participation of the best choir singers. Already from the 9th-10th centuries, the festive mass began to look like an allegorical performance thanks to the dramatization of the Old Testament, Gospel or hagiographic stories. Such performances lasted until about the 13th century, when city theatrical performances took their place.

On the holiday, women tried to dress up: they went not only to worship, but also “to be in public” - to look at others and show themselves. Everyone in the church had their own place, which was determined by their position in society.

On Sundays and holidays it was forbidden to work, and after mass the parishioners wanted to have fun: dancing and singing often took place right in the church yard, although the clergy at least declaratively condemned such pastime.

Sometimes a preacher would come to the city, and then, if he did not speak in the courtyard of the temple, the burghers would build a platform for him, where the guest could pray with those present and then deliver a denunciatory sermon.

Watch the show

Medieval theatrical performances were mainly responsible for the spiritual entertainment of the townspeople and explained the Holy Scriptures in one form or another in the vernacular. The basis of the miracle were apocryphal gospels, hagiography, and chivalric romances.

In England, miracles were usually placed by members of craft guilds in honor of their patrons. In France, they were popular among members of the puys - urban associations for joint pious activities, music playing and poetry competitions.

The plot of the mystery, as a rule, was the passion of Christ, the expectation of the Savior, and the lives of the saints. Initially, the mysteries were part of a church service, then they began to be played in the courtyard or in the cemetery of the church, and later moved to city squares. Moreover, they were played not by professional actors, but by clergy and members of the Puy.

Moralite is a cross between religious and comic theater. In an allegorical form, they showed the struggle between good and evil in the world and in man. The outcome of this struggle was the salvation or death of the soul.

Performances were announced in advance, posters were hung on the city gates, and during the performance the city was carefully guarded “so that no unknown persons would enter the said city on that day,” as written in a document from 1390 kept in the archives of the city hall in Tours .

Despite all the conventionality of the productions, what was happening on stage for the audience completely merged with reality, and tragic events were adjacent to comic scenes. Spectators were often included in the action as participants in the events.

It was possible to have fun without moralizing. For example, look at traveling artists. Since about the 14th century, troupes of professional actors have been formed in France - “Brotherhood of Passions”, “Carefree Guys” and the like.

Traveling actors - histrions, shpilmans, jugglers - tried with all sorts of tricks to surprise and make the audience laugh. “The Instructions of the Troubadour Guiraud de Calençon to the Juggler” (he lived at the beginning of the 13th century) contains a whole list of skills necessary for an actor:

“…[He] must play different instruments; twirl balls on two knives, throwing them from one tip to another; show puppets; jump through four rings; get yourself an extra red beard and a matching suit to dress up and scare fools; teach the dog to stand on its hind legs; know the art of monkey leader; excite the laughter of the audience with an amusing depiction of human weaknesses; run and jump along a rope stretched from one tower to another, making sure that it does not give in..."

Listen to music or poetry

Miniature from “History” by Guiron le Courtois. 1380-1390.

Instrumental music was primarily the work of jugglers and minstrels, singing, dancing and performing to the sound of their instruments.

In addition to various wind instruments (trumpets, horns, flutes, Pan flutes, bagpipes), over time, the harp and varieties of bowed instruments also entered musical life - the ancestors of the future violin: crotta, rebab, viela, or fidel.

Moving from place to place, jugglers performed at festivals at courts, near castles, and in city squares. Despite persecution by the church, jugglers and minstrels managed in the 12th-13th centuries to gain the opportunity to participate in spiritual performances.

In the south of France, lyric poets were called troubadours, in the north - trouvères, in Germany - minnesingers. The lyrics of the Minnesingers were the property of the nobility, and were greatly influenced by the poetry of chivalry and the love songs of the troubadours. Later, the art of versification in German cities was adopted by the Mastersingers, for whom poetry turned into a special science.

Like artisans, city poets formed entire societies, similar to guilds. In Ypres, Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Bruges, festivals were held for the guild of the so-called rhetoricians - artisans and merchants who took charge of poetry. Each guild had its own coat of arms and motto in the form of a charade, as well as a special hierarchical structure: dean, standard-bearer, jester and other members of the “bureau of elders”.

The city authorities financed rhetorical competitions in the field of poetry and acting, based on the results of which several prizes were awarded: for literary success, for the best line of a jester, for the richest costume, for the most luxurious entry into the city.

Dance

Dance was a favorite pastime of all levels of medieval society; not a single holiday was complete without dancing. The jugglers complicated their technique by adding acrobatic elements, but the townspeople loved to move themselves, and not just watch the professionals.

The church was usually against such entertainment, and the city government did not always treat dancing well. However, later the authorities began to give permission to organize dances in the halls of city halls, and from the end of the 14th century so-called dance houses began to appear.

Usually the dance house was located next to or opposite the town hall and church. Loud music and laughter disturbed the pious mood of the parishioners and temple servants, causing their discontent and endless complaints.

In Bavarian Nordlingen, the dance house was located in a three-story building. During fairs, the ground floor was connected by passages to the nearby butcher shops and beer hall, and visitors could shuttle between establishments.

Where dance houses occupied several floors, the halls on the upper floor were usually intended for burghers of noble birth, while the lower ones were at the disposal of ordinary townspeople. In some cities, in such a house, among other things, there was a hotel, and in Munich and Regensburg, prisoners were even kept in the basement of the city “tanzhaus”.

In addition, there were dance houses intended exclusively for ordinary townspeople: a roof was built on four pillars over a wooden deck, slightly raised above the ground. Musicians sat on them, and men and women danced in a circle around them.

If the nobility preferred measured and ceremonial processional dances, and at guild holidays dances with hoops, swords and other objects symbolizing handicraft products dominated, then among the urban people there were improvised dances and round dances, which the church called rude and shameless.

Go to the fair

Every week, small city markets were available to the townspeople, but fairs were held quite rarely - once or several times a year: on Christmas, Easter or on the day of a local saint - the patron saint of the city or the patrons of trade and craft shops.

For example, the fair in Saint-Denis near the walls of Paris took place once a year, but lasted a whole month. At this time, all trade in Paris ceased and moved to Saint-Denis. Residents flocked there not only to shop, but also to look at strange things from distant countries, to see the performances of jugglers, acrobats and trained bears, and to listen to the stories told by merchants who had visited overseas countries.

The spectacle was so popular that Charlemagne gave his managers special instructions to “see that our people do the work they are legally obliged to do, and do not waste time hanging around the markets and fairs.”

Fairs attracted a lot of rabble, so there were often fights and riots. That's why for a long time they were allowed to be held only in cities where there was a bishop or ruler who could maintain order and resolve disputes that arose between participants in the fair.

In medieval England there were even special courts with a simplified judicial procedure, which ensured quick resolution of cases. They were called “courts of dusty feet” (court of piepowder, pie poudre or pepowder) - in 1471 the English parliament decided that all persons associated with fairs had the right to demand just such a court for themselves.

P take part in the carnival

Carnival is inseparable from fasting: it was the last multi-day celebration, preceding a long period of abstinence, and it was accompanied by feasts, masquerades, processions and funny fights with cheeses and sausages.

Carnival is the realm of gluttony, chaos and glorification of all things corporeal. Masks and mummers, half-beasts, half-people and jester kings, the ship of fools and the election of a donkey pope - all church and secular rituals were translated into the language of buffoonery, and symbols of power were subjected to public ridicule.

The entire church service and sacred texts were turned inside out. The main events of the carnival took place in the church, although since the 13th century there have been attempts to prohibit these obscenities by official interdicts.

A message from the theological faculty in Paris, sent to the bishops of France in 1445, describes the carnival very colorfully:

“You can see priests and clerics wearing masks and monstrous masks during services. They dance in the choir, dressed as women, pimps and minstrels. They sing obscene songs. They eat sausages in the corners of the altar while the priest celebrates mass. They also play dice there. They incense with stinking smoke coming from the soles of old shoes. They jump and run around the church without being embarrassed. And then they drive around the city in dirty carts and carts, causing the laughter of their companions and comrades, making obscene gestures and uttering shameful and dirty words.”

During the carnival, everything that was prohibited on ordinary days was possible, the hierarchy was violated, the usual norms were overturned - but as soon as the holiday ended, life returned to normal.

Greet a guest or ruler

The ceremonial entries of emperors, kings, princes, legates and other lords into the cities under their control were always burdened with a multi-level symbolic meaning: they reminded of the nature of power, celebrated victory, and asserted political dominion over remote territories.

They happened quite often: in the Middle Ages and even in modern times, royal courts were nomadic - in order to maintain power, kings had to constantly move from place to place.

The ceremony consisted of several acts, each of which was strictly regulated. It all began with a greeting from the ruler, often far outside the city; then followed the reception of the crowned person at the city walls, the transfer of keys, the opening of the city gates, deputations of the nobility and clergy.

From the gate, the cortege moved along the main streets of the city, which were sprinkled with fresh flowers and green branches. Finally, on the central

In 1490, in Vienne, during the entry of Charles VIII, a fountain of good and evil was installed, which flowed with red wine on one side and white on the other. Such treats were intended to embody the image of a fabulous land of abundance, which the sovereign had to show to his subjects at least once.

Performances were staged for the guest. In 1453, a whole performance was staged in Reggio: the patron saint of the city, Saint Prospero, soared in the air with many angels who asked him for the keys to the city, so that they could then hand them over to the Duke while singing hymns in his honor. When the procession reached the main square, Saint Peter flew down from the church and placed a wreath on the Duke's head.

In the German lands, the sovereign often entered the city surrounded by criminals sentenced to exile, and they did not just move in the retinue, but held on to the edge of the patron’s clothing, harness, saddle or stirrup of his horse - so they could return to the city.

So, in 1442, King Frederick III ordered 11 people to be taken with him to Zurich, and in 1473 to Basel - 37. True, the city authorities could expel the criminal again as soon as the ruler left the city.

View the jousting tournament

The tournament was a real celebration of the demonstration of military valor and knightly honor. Anyone wanted, if not to take part in it, then at least to see how noble youth gained fame and booty for themselves.

Initially, the whole action resembled a mixture of a fair and a real battle: the participants met side by side, some received serious injuries or even died, and a motley crowd gathered around, which, in addition to knights, their squires, foot soldiers and servants, also consisted of blacksmiths, sellers, changed and onlookers.

Under the influence of knightly novels, tournaments gradually became more organized, participants began to use special weapons, knights met for one-on-one combat, and the lists were surrounded by a fence. Tribunes were built for spectators, and each of them had its own “queen,” and the prize for the best tournament fighter was traditionally awarded to women.

In 1364, Francesco Petrarch describes the atmosphere that reigned during the Venetian giostra (from the Italian word giostre - “duel”): “There is no free place below... a huge square, the very temple [of St. Mark], towers, roofs, porticos, windows, not only full, but overcrowded and packed: an incredible multitude of people hides the face of the earth, and the joyful, numerous population of the city, spilling around the streets, further increases the fun.”

Eventually, tournaments became an expensive and elaborate court entertainment, accompanying various kinds of festivities on the occasion of a ruler's wedding, coronation, peace or alliance - along with festive masses, processions, dinners and balls, for the most part not intended for ordinary citizens.

The townspeople responded to this with a parody of a “knightly tournament” (often held during the big Maslenitsa carnival), in which the entire knightly ritual was turned upside down. A man imitating a knight rode out into a duel with a basket-helmet on his head, sitting on an old nag or barrel, and threatened the enemy with a rake or something kitchen utensils instead of a spear.

After the end of the event, everyone immediately went to celebrate it with a cheerful feast.

Take part in sports competitions

The burghers had every opportunity to practice and compete in the possession of real weapons. For training, archery societies and fencing schools were organized, which existed in Flemish, Northern Italian, English, French and German cities, as well as in Krakow, Kyiv and Novgorod.

Associations of archers and fencers had their own charters and resembled guilds. Preparation was carried out in different directions, but a certain type of martial arts was chosen for competitions in each city.

For example, in Spanish cities preference was given to fights with bladed weapons and horse bullfighting, in Southern England and Novgorod - to fist fighting, in German and Flemish cities - to fencing and wrestling.

In Italy, games and competitions for residents of city-republics resembled exercises. In Pavia, for example, townspeople were divided into two groups, given wooden weapons, and protective helmets were put on their heads. The winners were awarded prizes.

In river towns, fights could take place for the symbolic capture of the bridge. The image of a seething crowd fighting on such a bridge is a favorite subject of engravings of that era: in the foreground, gondoliers pick up those who have fallen into the water, and numerous fans crowd in the windows and on the roofs of the surrounding houses.

In England, a popular recreational activity for young men was playing ball. Everyone was welcome to participate, but there were almost no rules. The ball, filled with bran or straw, could be kicked and driven, rolled and carried in the hands. The goal of the competition was to deliver the ball over a certain line.

In cities, such crowded fights were fraught with great dangers, and it is no coincidence that restrictions were introduced quite early in London, Nuremberg, Paris and other places, with the help of which the authorities sought to moderate the ardor of the players.

Play

For those who did not like street fun, there was home entertainment. For example, blind man's buff and "Frog in the Middle". The rules of the last game are as follows: a person sat in the center, and the rest teased and beat him. The task was to catch one of the players without leaving the circle, and then he became a “frog”.

There were also quiet games: according to the rules of some, it was necessary to answer the question of the presenters without concealment, others - to tell a story. In addition, they played “Saint Cosmas”: one of the participants took on the role of a saint, and the others took turns kneeling in front of him. The presenter had to make the kneeling player laugh in any way, and then he would perform some task.

Already in the Middle Ages, checkers, chess, dice and even cards were popular. Chess was a pastime of the nobility, and chessboards made of wood or metal were considered a luxury item and were often a real work of art.

The rules for playing cards were different: for example, one of the participants took a card from the deck, everyone present bet money on it. If after this three or four cards of the same suit were drawn from the deck in a row, then the player who took out the first card received the entire amount bet on it.

Another popular medieval game was backgammon, literally: a game of tablets. Backgammon was perhaps more famous and accessible than chess. You don’t need a lot of intelligence, and you don’t need to spend much money either. They played with the help of the tablets and dice themselves. Today this game is known as backgammon, and its roots must be sought in the East.

It is believed that this game was spread to Europe by the Crusaders returning from Palestine. Separately, playing dice - cubes with numerical options on the sides - is the most favorite pastime of male warriors. And of course, there was money at stake. Otherwise, it’s just not interesting to play like that. There were several ways to play dice.

Every self-respecting knight and even a simple soldier had dice to play and was ready to play at any time of the day or night. The authorities were already fighting gambling back then. The clergy threatened with curses, King Louis the Saint took extreme measures - he banned gambling under pain of severe punishment. During the journey from the Holy Land, where Louis went with his army in crusade, sick, and therefore not in the best mood, the king even threw the game board, on which his brother and another nobleman were playing, overboard. The nobleman, however, managed to pocket the money that was at stake while the king and his brother were bickering.

However, it is in vain to prohibit gambling in our days - in this regard, little has changed. They have played and will continue to play. At first, cards were not a game in the Middle Ages. They depicted different pictures on the cards... for children, for educational and developmental purposes. Of course, for the children of nobles. The first such cards - naibis - appeared in Italy. Over time, they came up with the idea of ​​adapting cards for gambling, ordering the value of the cards, suits and quantity. There were decks of both 52 cards and 48.

But the most popular game was dice. Representatives of all social categories indulged in this game - in huts, castles, taverns and even monasteries - and lost money, clothes, horses and homes. Many complained that they lost everything they owned in this game.

In addition, there were often cases of fraud, especially due to fake bones: some had a magnetized surface, in others the same face was reproduced twice, in others one side was made heavier due to the admixture of lead. As a result, numerous disputes arose, sometimes even developing into private wars.

Along with mind games medieval man loved and moved. The game “hunters and hares” was quite famous in Europe. The game "hit the pot" was also very popular. For this entertainment you need a pot or jug ​​and a stick. A blindfolded player tried to find a pot and hit it with a stick. The fans helped him with tips, such as “hot and cold”, “close and far”.

Ordinary tags and blind man's buff brought joy and fun to medieval adults almost as much as they did to children. In the Middle Ages, common people had fun like this, as well as tug-of-war - very popular game in medieval England. But the English nobility loved to play “balls”. King Henry VIII Tudor loved to play this game. It remains to add a regular ball game, with constantly changing rules: everything depended on the number and desire of the players. Even the clergy played ball. It's funny to imagine a clergyman in a cassock, chasing a ball across the field.

Hunting is a real passion of the nobility, an undisputed favorite among active entertainment. In addition, hunting also had a practical aspect: there is no such thing as excess food supplies and any game is always welcome. They kept a special kennel for hunting and trained falcons to catch birds. A gyrfalcon trained to hunt was a great gift during the Middle Ages, even for women who loved to hunt as much as men.

Go to the bathhouse and have a good drink

Most medieval cities had public baths. In Paris at the end of the 13th century there were 26 baths, half a century later in Nuremberg - 12, in Erfurt - 10, in Vienna - 29, in Wroclaw - 12.

A visit to the bathhouse was not limited solely to hygienic procedures; rather, it was a place for entertainment, pleasure and social interaction. After swimming, visitors took part in receptions and dinners, played ball, chess, dice, drank and danced. In German cities, wine merchants rolled out wine barrels onto the streets near the bathhouses, placed stools around them, brought out mugs and gave everyone a taste of wine. A drinking party immediately broke out on the street, so the city councils were forced to ban this custom. An exception was made only for a few days a year, such as St. Martin's Day, when it was customary to open new wine. But these days people stood, sat and lay in the streets - and drank wine.

Despite prohibitions from the authorities and clergy, some of the baths and adjacent taverns acquired the character of a brothel: not only food and drink were available to the townspeople, but also massage and the services of prostitutes, who were often called “bathhouse attendants.”

In general, prostitution, although condemned by the church, was considered an inevitable phenomenon. "Houses for women", or "glorious houses", belonged to noble families, merchants, royal officials and even bishops and abbots, and the most prestigious of them were often located near the magistrate or courthouse. In the High Middle Ages, visiting a brothel by unmarried men was not considered shameful - this was seen rather as a sign of health and well-being.

Not all townspeople could afford to have a separate garden or pond built behind the house: many lived in rented rooms, closets and outbuildings.

Book of Hours by Etienne Chevalier

Water for the household was taken from a public well or fountain located in the square, usually not far from the church. In the Late Middle Ages, such fountains served not only as decoration and a source of drinking water, but also as meeting places and walks for townspeople.

View the execution

The execution site could be located in front of the city, on the other side of the fortress moat, it could be in the square or even in front of the victim’s house, but the execution was invariably a public event. The place and time of execution, as well as the route of the criminal, were known in advance to all townspeople.

Book of Hours by Etienne Chevalier

The spectators were summoned by heralds. The optimal time was considered to be noon; often the authorities carried out executions on market day in order to achieve the maximum crowd of people, although not on religious holidays.

The crowd gathered around the criminal gradually as the procession moved through the city. The entire ritual of punishing the offender was designed for spectators; the slow theatrical performance presupposed the participation of others in the ceremony. In some cases, the criminal was given the right to duel with the executioner and people could contribute to his release. This happened in Saint-Quentin in 1403, when during a fight the executioner fell to the ground and a crowd of townspeople demanded that the royal provost release the winner. Spectators watched the exact execution of the ritual and could demand a review of the case if something went wrong. The bodies of criminals were forbidden to be buried in the cemetery, and their corpses remained on the gallows for many years until they completely decomposed, serving as an edification for the public walking around.

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institution kindergarten № 4

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Shcherbinovsky district

Yeiskoe Fortification village

Attributes: 2 horses, 2 pillows, 2 mattresses, 1 bench, 2 scarves, skittles, 2 ropes (benches), 2 sticks (poles), rope, 4 hoops, 2 tunnels, flowers, knight's flags.

Progress of entertainment.

Leading. Good afternoon, dear guys. I am glad to see you in this room. Today there will be an unusual competition here - Knight Tournament.

Do you know who the knights are? (children's answers).

Yes. In the Middle Ages, knights were called brave, brave warriors who wore heavy armor and were armed with a spear and sword. But to become a knight you need to undergo special training. Boys had to learn fencing, horse riding, archery, fist fighting, and knightly manners.

Who wants to participate in the jousting tournament? (children leave).

Leading. Before the tournament, the knights take an oath. They will repeat the words after me.

“We swear to win the knightly tournament. We swear to be brave and courageous. Don't hide behind shields, don't be afraid of a sharp sword. Be faithful to your lady and achieve the title of knight. We swear to be knights!”

Our tour will be judged by ladies (girls in beautiful dresses).

Poetry.

First lady. Sometime in the Middle Ages

Knights lived everywhere

And their life was not easy

In iron ammunition.

Second lady. The knights were proud of themselves

With swords and armor

Knights played with fate

And they went to tournaments.

Third lady. But now, half a thousand years ago

They are no longer in the world

But that's just what they say

I don't agree with this.

1st competition. "Pillow fight"

Participants stand on a gymnastic bench facing each other. There is a pillow in the right hand, the left one is on the back. Whoever stays on the bench wins.

2nd competition. "Horseback riding"

The “knights” ride like a snake on a horse to the lady, take her handkerchief, kiss her on the cheek and return back.

3rd competition. "Dictionary of Polite Words"

Even a block of ice will melt from a warm word... (thank you)

The old stump will turn green when it hears... (good afternoon)

If you can’t eat anymore, let’s tell mom… (thank you)

A polite and developed knight speaks when meeting... (hello)

When we are scolded for pranks, we say... (sorry, please)

In both France and Denmark they say goodbye... (goodbye)

Leading. Well done knights.

4th competition. "Across the Bridge"

Participants walk across a bridge (a rope with a stick in hand). Hit the target with a spear.

5th competition. "Tug of War"

6th competition. "Lady of the Heart"

Participants cross the swamp (from hoop to hoop), crawl into the tunnel, take a flower and place it at the feet of their lady.

Leading. The moment of knighting has arrived.

“Knights,” get down on one knee and repeat after me.

“I swear to be courageous, brave, honest, generous, hospitable, noble. I swear to stand up for the weak, the younger, to help in trouble.”

Leading. We wish you forever

So that you don’t be timid in life,

May it be with you forever,

Boyish courage

And all the obstacles on the way

You can overcome it together

But first, grow up

And you need to grow up.

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Chapter IV. Feudal lords and peasants

Power in society belonged to landowners-feudal lords, secular and ecclesiastical. The vast majority of the population were dependent peasants. It was headed by a monarch (sole ruler): a king, in a smaller state - a count or duke.

The privileges and responsibilities of masters and peasants were formalized by certain customs, written laws and regulations. Peasants and townspeople were not included in the feudal ladder, but were also connected with the masters through contractual relations. Such personal relationships in the form of contracts and oaths of obligation are a remarkable feature of the Western Middle Ages.

§ 11. In the knight's castle

At first, castles were built from wood, later from stone. Powerful walls with crenellated towers served reliable protection. The castle was often built on a hill or high rock, surrounded by a wide moat with water. Sometimes it was built on an island in the middle of a river or lake. A drawbridge was thrown across a ditch or channel, and it was raised on chains at night and during an enemy attack. From the tower above the gate, the guard constantly surveyed the surrounding area and, noticing an enemy in the distance, sounded an alarm. Then the warriors hurried to take their places on the walls and towers.

To get into the castle, it was necessary to overcome many obstacles. The enemies had to fill up the ditch, overcome the hill in the open space, approach the walls, climb them using the assault ladders provided, or smash the oak, iron-clad gates with a battering ram.

The castle defenders dropped stones and logs on the heads of the enemies, poured boiling water and hot tar, threw spears, and showered them with arrows. Often the attackers had to storm a second, even higher wall.

The main tower, the donjon, rose above all the buildings. In it, the feudal lord with his warriors and servants could withstand a long siege if other fortifications had already been captured. Inside the tower there were halls located one above the other. A well was made in the basement and food supplies were stored. Nearby, prisoners languished in a damp and dark dungeon. A secret underground passage was usually dug from the basement, which led to a river or forest.

The only iron door leading into the tower was located high above the ground. If you managed to break it, you had to fight for each floor. It was necessary to climb along ladders and through hatches that were closed with heavy stone slabs. In case the tower was captured, a spiral staircase was made in the thickness of the wall; along it, the owner of the castle, along with his family and soldiers, could descend into the saving underground passage.

2. Knight equipment. Military affairs became the occupation almost exclusively of feudal lords, and this was so for many centuries. The feudal lord often fought all his life. The knight was armed with a large sword and a long spear; Often he also used a battle ax and a club - a heavy club with a thickened metal end. A knight could cover himself from head to toe with a large shield. The knight's body was protected by chain mail - a shirt woven from iron rings (sometimes in 2-3 layers) and reaching to the knees. Later, chain mail was replaced by armor - armor made of steel plates. The knight put a helmet on his head, and in a moment of danger he lowered a visor over his face - a metal plate with slits for the eyes. Knights fought on strong, hardy horses, which were also protected by armor. The knight was accompanied by a squire and several armed warriors, mounted and on foot - a whole “combat unit”.

War horses, knight's equipment and travelers' equipment were very expensive. Therefore, a landowner who was provided with everything necessary by dependent peasants could perform knightly service.

The feudal lords were preparing for military service since childhood. They constantly practiced fencing, horse riding, wrestling, swimming and javelin throwing, and learned fighting techniques and tactics.

3. Entertainment of knights. Gentlemen rarely took care of household chores themselves. To do this, they kept managers in each estate. The feudal lords devoted most of their time to wars and military exercises, hunting and feasts. The knight's favorite pastimes - hunting and tournaments - were related to military affairs.

Hunting not only served as entertainment, but also helped replenish food supplies. During the hunt, one could show courage and dexterity: fighting an angry wild boar or a wounded bear was just as dangerous as fighting an enemy warrior, and chasing deer trained in horse riding.

Tournaments - military competitions of knights in strength and dexterity - were organized by kings and noble feudal lords. Many spectators gathered there, sometimes from several countries. Noble gentlemen, judges and ladies sat in the stands, while ordinary people crowded behind the wooden barrier around the arena.

Special heralds - heralds - announced the names and mottos of the knights entering the battle. The tournament participants, dressed in combat armor, went to opposite ends of the arena. At a sign from the judge, they raced on horses towards each other. With a blunt tournament spear, the knight tried to knock the enemy out of the saddle. Sometimes the competition ended in serious injury or even death to the participants. The winner received as a reward the horse and armor of the defeated enemy. Occasionally, a battle broke out between two knightly detachments, which lined up in a chain. Usually the tournament ended with a feast. Conversely, ceremonial feasts on the occasion of victories, coronations, weddings and other important events for the nobility often included not only feasts and dances, but also tournament competitions. During such celebrations, knighting often took place, honors and awards were given out. In the evenings, the inhabitants of the castle gathered in the common room, where a huge fireplace was burning, played dice and chess, drank wine and beer, and resolved their family affairs. The monotonous life was interrupted by the arrival of guests and holidays. At feasts in castles, wine flowed like a river, tables were bursting under the weight of snacks. Animal carcasses were roasted whole in the hearths, on huge spits. The inhabitants of the castles and their guests were amused by jesters and dwarfs, invited artists and, of course, poets from among the retinue.

In childhood, teachers were invited to the future knights, who taught them singing, dancing, dressing skills, social behavior, but not always reading, writing, and arithmetic.

4. “Shame and disgrace are scary to me - not death.” Noble knights considered themselves “noble” people and were proud of the antiquity of their families and the number of famous ancestors. The knight had his own coat of arms - a distinctive sign of the family and a motto - a short saying that usually explained the meaning of the coat of arms.

The knights did not hesitate to rob the vanquished, their own peasants, and even those passing on the highways. At the same time, the knight was supposed to despise prudence and frugality, but show generosity. Income received from peasants and military spoils were most often spent on gifts, feasts and treats for friends, hunting, expensive clothing, and the maintenance of servants and soldiers.

Another important quality of a knight was considered loyalty to the king and lord. It was his main responsibility. And treason imposed a stigma of shame on the entire family of the traitor. “Whoever betrays his lord must suffer punishment by right,” says one of the poems. Tales about knights glorified courage, daring, contempt for death, and nobility.

This developed code (laws) of knightly honor included other special rules: a knight must seek exploits, fight enemies of the Christian faith, defend the honor of ladies, as well as the weak and offended, especially widows and orphans, be fair and gallant.

But these rules of knightly honor were applied mainly in relations between feudal lords. The knights despised everyone who was considered “ignoble” and behaved arrogantly and cruelly towards them.

However, even in relations between “noble” people, the rules of knightly honor were not always observed. In everyday life, in the family, with vassals and equals, many feudal lords were rude, cruel and unrestrained, greedy and stingy, and could dishonor a woman.

Variety! Conventionally, knightly entertainment can be divided into two periods:

1. From the 10th to the 14th centuries, the main entertainment of knights were tjosta tournaments and buhurt tournaments.

The first were buhurts: when two teams of knights ran around a certain territory in armor with weapons and beat the shit out of each other. The purpose of this action was not only entertainment and demonstration of strength, but also training. That is, the noble dons and sirs staged a natural war, during which they were maimed and died, and heat strokes were almost a mandatory accompaniment of this celebration of life.

A little later - somewhere in the 1170s - Tjöst appears ( Tjosten)- a canonical tournament, during which two canned goods on horses are knocked over a fence. They quickly became popular and began to replace buhurts, since knights were injured and died much less often in them, everything happened in front of the audience and looked much cooler.

Around all this a rich ceremony developed: divine services, performances by actors and acrobats, duels of squires, swearing of oaths and elections of queens of love and beauty. Then, when everyone had floated, prayed and chosen the queens, those very contests began, at the end of which there was a group duel Melee with knights divided into "nations". After the group fight, the winners took the horses and armor of the vanquished, held a church service and had a couple more days of drinking.

2. Since the beginning of the 15th century, this whole rigmarole has become much more complicated. The appearance of plate armor, the position of the Church and the fact that the knights did not want to die again, supplanted the buhurts in favor of the tjösts, which, in turn, were divided into a bunch of varieties, also adding mace fights in funny lattice helmets, equestrian exercises and a bunch of others perversions.

By the end of the 15th century, all this took on an even more intricate form and the tournament from the time of the “last knight” Maximilian included the following elements:

1. a fight on foot on pikes through a barrier (which Max himself loved, by the way), in which it was necessary to break the pike;
2. sword fighting on foot;
3. a gestecht clash with a barrier, during which it was necessary to break the spears;
4. a field tournament, in which the knights were divided into two “nations” and broke spears;
5. and a whole range of equestrian rennen duels, which had many varieties.
   A little more about the Rennes:

• Rennen itself: knights in significantly lighter armor with special saddles without high bows collide until one of them falls;
• mechanical rennen: the tarch shield was attached to a special mechanism, which fired it upon impact. Sometimes the tharchs scattered, sometimes they flew away with a special sound, sometimes all at once;
• the bunrennen version of the mechanical rennen was distinguished by the fact that the shield flew upward along the guides and the knight had to tilt his head so that the tarch did not fly away along with his nose and chin;
• accurate rennen required accuracy, since the tarch had to be hit exactly in the center for it to fly off its hinges;
• The hard rennen differed from the others in that the tarchs did not fly away or break, but were attached very rigidly, so the knights knocked each other out the first time.
  The difference between the Rennes was not so much in the armor (Google it, they are very interesting), but in the fact that here the knight was required to show his mastery of a horse, dressed in a forehead without cutouts for the eyes, to grab spears at full gallop, and so on.

In some cases, knights could be puzzled, for example, by an equestrian duel with maces, a foot duel with halberds or two-handed swords, some kind of horse riding and an offer to dance or cartwheel in full armor.