Work cited

Works Cited
Chandler, Fiona. Usborne World History Medieval World. London: Usborne, 1999. Print.
English, Edward D. "Knights and Knighthood during the Midieval Ages." Ancient and Medieval History Online. Encyclopedia of the Medieval World Vol. 1, 2001. Web. 2011.
English, Edward D. "Knights Templar." Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File News Services. Web.
Gravett, Christopher. The World of the Medieval Knights. Chicago: Peter Bedrick, 1996. Print.
Harpur, James. Warriors All the Truth,tactics,triumphs of History. New York: Simon and Schuster Childrens Division, 2007. Print.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

When did the knights first appear?

The knights appeared long after the Roman Empire fell. Foreign raids usually happened a lot, such as the famous vikings from Normandy, hungarian magyars, and buvarian warriors. After a while people got frustrated and would turn to the local noblemen for protection. Nobles then started recruiting men who were wealthy enough to afford thier own equiptment. But in the beginning, most knights didn't look like that knight in shining armor that you expected. The armor was enfluenced years later by churches and women wanting to create well mannered men.

First off, how did a person become a knight?

Well, the only way that you could become a knight is if you were from a noble family. The first step in becoming a knight would be a "page", you would learn the basics on how to fight with a variety of weapons and learn how to ride a horse. You can become a page at the age of 7, then after 7 more years you can become a "squire" at the age of 14. Squires were young men that assisted the knights, they took care of thier horses, equiptment, and of course the soldiers that wore the armor. Squires also had to have a great deal of bravery and strength to become a knight. When squires proved they were worthy, they would be pronounced a knight by a noble or a king.

What did knights wear to battle?

The knights wore heavy  armor almost everywhere on thier bodies. The armor covered thier head, torso, back, arms, legs, and feet. Even the knights horses had armor on thier head, neck,  and partly torso. The knights wore chainmeal which was a linked pattern of metal rings, they used a helmet to protect thier head, and used a shield that had the coat of arms showing on the outside. The images also included a crest (for example, a wild animal) that represented a family or lord. There were rules for designs too. The only colors that were allowed to be used were: blue, green, red, black, purple, silver, and gold. Also, to provide visibility, metals must never be placed on metals and colors must never be placed on colors.

How was a knights armor made?

It took about 4 months for a blacksmith to make a knights armor, busy shops could get six suits out per day. At first they would have to put it in fire to make it easier to work with. Then they would hammer it over an anvil to make it different sizes and shapes until they were satisfied with the piece. After that, they would stick the piece of metal into water to strengthen the armor. And finally before selling the armor, they would add designs to it making the final and coolest touches.

What type of technology did the knights have access to?

The knights were the most feared figures on the battlefield. They had many weapons that they could use to attack castles, guard castles, or just to fight close range or long range combat. My weapons of choice would probably be the halberd, battle ax or the cross bow. The cross bow was a bow that was mounted on a rifle shaped figure, it was able to be cranked up to load the arrow and shot with the pull of a trigger. Secondly is the halberd, the halberd was a spear and an ax mixed together. It was mostly 6 feet long or more to keep enemies at a distance, it was usually used by foot soldiers. Finally the battle ax, the battle ax was very effective, it of course had an ax on one end but a hammer or a pick on the other side. It sometimes had a sharp point on the handle for closer combat. Knights used heavy armor that protected thier whole body from head to toe. They used ballistas, battering rams, and catapults to envade a castles.