Gerri Russell's Knightly Musings

The sword was a standard fighting weapon long before the evolution of the medieval knight. Nevertheless, the medieval knight found the sword to be an effective weapon. Medieval swords usually were made from a low carbon steel. Most swords were double-edged, and featured a crossguard, hilt, and pommel. Many surviving examples of medieval swords feature some form of engraving, such as a prayer, or the sword owner’s name. How elaborate the sword was decorated depended upon its owner’s wealth, with some of the more intricate ones encrusted with jewels and fine engravings.

Apart from the sword another standard weapon of a knight was the lance. Lances were usually made of wood, with metal tips. In the early Norman period lances appear to have been little more than spears. As the Middle Ages progressed, lances developed a stouter appearance, including the addition of handguards and specialized metal tips. As a weapon, the lance enabled the knight to take advantage of his superior position on horseback as it provided the length necessary to engage opponents while still mounted. After the lance became broken or dropped the knight could rely on his sword, dismounting if necessary.

Other weapons finding use in the hands of the medieval knight were the axe, mace and war hammer. It was, however, the sword and lance that the knight more often than not depended upon as his chosen weapons.

For the knight’s opponents on the ground who had to answer his advantageous longer reach, they developed assorted long-handled bladed weapons that went by many different names (pike, halberd, etc.). Archers were always a concern for the knight as they could hit targets from a distance. Many knights believed archer’s methods to be cowardly, as they did not engage in hand-to-hand combat, but struck from afar. Nevertheless, archers became an integral part of medieval warfare, and were decisive factors in famous medieval battles, such as Crecy in 1346 and Agincourt in 1415.

The weapons of a knight still hold fascination for many people today. Weapons catalogs, Medieval and Renaissance Faires, and museums continue to draw attention to the brutal and deadly weapons of the medieval knight.

Protecting oneself in battle has always been a concern for any soldier, and medieval knights were no exception. In fact, it was their protective armor that helped define them as a military unit and social class. Armoring one’s self during the Middle Ages was a great expense that only the wealthy could afford.

Among the earliest metallic armor to be worn by medieval knights was chainmail armor, consisting of tens of thousands of interlocking rings woven painstakingly by hand to form a shirt, coif, or leggings. Because of the mild steel produced in medieval times each ring had to be riveted to keep all the rings from spreading and opening under the weight of the piece. Underneath the metal armor the knight would wear a padded garment known variously as an “aketon,” or “gambeson.” To this defensive equipment he added a shield, usually made of leather-covered wood, and a helmet. As the medieval arms race progressed and new, more powerful weapons were developed, such as the longbow and crossbow, chainmail became ineffective on its own.

Late in the Middle Ages plate armor began to appear ( late 13th and early 14th century), first as reinforcements to vital areas such as the chest and shoulders, and finally as a complete suit (early 15th century). The medieval “knight in shining armor” that most people think of is the fully plate-armored knight. Chainmail armor was now relegated to protecting smaller vital areas that could not be covered with plate armor, such as the groin and under the arms. The shield became smaller, or disappeared altogether as it became unnecessary and redundant.

Ironically, it was soon after the development of the full suit of plate armor that the medieval knight’s advantage in battle began to wane. With the effective use of gunpowder weapons (15th and 16th century) the face of combat changed. The cumbersome armor of a knight proved ineffective and impractical against new weapons and tactics.

The knight and his plate armor were now relegated to ceremonial duties and displays. These ceremonial suits of armor are usually very ornate, featuring extensive fluting, intricate engravings, and other decorative features more at home in the world of fashion than battlefield utility.

The Crusades began as a result of Jerusalem’s capture by the Seljuk Turks in 1071. The Turks were not tolerant of the pilgrims from medieval Europe who journeyed to the holy city and began arresting, imprisoning, and enslaving them. In addition, the Byzantine Empire, important to the stability and protection of medieval Europe, was losing territories to the expanding Turks and other Arab cultures and requested aid from the Church and princes of Europe.

Pope Urban II, a powerful and dynamic leader, was eager to seize the opportunity to unite lords and knights under the authority of the Church. The pope toured medieval Europe preaching that the crusades offered a sure means of salvation. Sermons were terrifying depictions of the torments of hell and churchmen spared no enthusiasm in condemning the sins of their listeners. They offered but one escape, one opportunity for certain salvation, by fighting the enemies of the Church in the Holy Land. The sermons were so moving that thousands took up the cross and dedicated themselves to the conquests to come over approximately the next 200 years.

Besides the espoused spiritual benefits of joining a crusade, there were many logical, temporal reasons for taking up the cross. While on crusade, warriors became pilgrims and thus answerable only to the Church. Crusaders were temporarily free from the burdens of taxation, worries of debt and interest, and duties of feudalism. Finally, their families and property were protected by the Church, although this proved to be difficult and in some cases impossible.

When the Europeans set off for the Holy Land in the summer of 1096, there were five distinct armies consisting of roughly 35,000 men and 3,000-4,000 knights. With them were numerous women and children swept along in the fervor. When they finally reached Jerusalem after enduring months of harsh conditions ranging from heat and thirst to disease and contaminated food and water, they captured the city and slaughtered nearly everyone in it. Their religious quest complete, most of the Crusaders left almost immediately and returned to their homes in Europe.

From 1095 to 1292 there were nine crusaded in the Middle East.