by Anne Penny

Created on: June 14, 2009

The knight in armor of the middle ages was a heavily fortified and fearsome warrior, creating fear in his enemies on the battlefield. His preparation for this prestigious position in society would have begun when he was seven years of age, and became a page. At the age of fourteen he could advance and become a squire; from this time he would be assigned to serve a knight. He would learn all he could from his knight and emulate him in all things, even following him into battle.

If he did well as page and squire, at the age of twenty-one he would become a knight with great ceremony and religious ritual, with special clothing for the position he was to occupy. The day before the knighting ceremony the young man would have a purification bathing and then, with his sword and shield for the next day placed on the altar, he would spend the night in prayer. His clothing at this time would be a white tunic to symbolize his purity with a red robe over that to show his nobility. His black shoes and long black hose acknowledged death.

In the morning, the solemn ceremony would continue with a Mass and then the squire would make his vows and take the Oath of Knighthood, the breaking of which would lead to eternal damnation. Next the young man would be "dubbed" [lightly struck] by the officiating noble and the young squire thus became a knight, with his own sword and shield. There would follow a merry celebration with a feast and music; the following day would often be given over to a tournament with games such as jousting, where the young men could display their prowess.

The knight's armor, so essential in medieval battle, was made specifically for him, to fit him perfectly and was extremely costly. It had to be strong enough to keep him safe in battle, protecting vulnerable areas of his body yet flexible to enable him to move swiftly. Underclothing was designed to make the armor comfortable to wear and reduce chafing from the rigid metal parts. The knight would first put on a linen shirt and long pants and then over these would go a well padded garment, the Aketon; this could be further padded and stuffed with linen, or even grass. Once the armor was put on, the knight would add a surcoat, belted at the waist and emblazoned with his coat of arms, to identify him on the battlefield.

Early armor of the knight in the 13th century was mainly chain mail with the padded garments beneath it, with helmet and shield. The development of more effective weapons such as the

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