Growing Up Knightly in the Middle Ages Knighthood, Chivalry, and Heraldry

Overview of the Class Chivalrous Qualities of Today Power Point Slides Quick Break (if there’s time) Reading Activity Coat of Arms Activity Exit Slip

Qualities of Chivalry Individually, come up with as many qualities you consider to be chivalrous After a few minutes we will talk about what we’ve written Silent, individual work for 2 minutes After 2 minutes, talk to your partner.

Knighthood and Chivalry Late Middle Ages reached the high point of knighthood popularity, before a sharp decline This decline was due to the invention of the longbow, and later firearms Monarchs used archers to rule instead of knights, they were less costly and easier to train

Knighthood Popularity Before this, however, knights were super popular Rode on armored horses, serving your liege lord, dedicating your life to your lady, super appealing Also had a strict code of honor to uphold

Chivalry Code of Chivalry was the rules knights lived by They were to be brave, generous, truthful, devout, and protect women and children and peasants In reality though, knights often stopped doing all of these things upon being knighted (too much work, easier being bad) Protecting women and children only applied to upper-class, serfs were out of luck Serfs were so regularly mistreated that laws had to be passed to protect them from knights

Chivalry Part Two Fighting skills were greatly valued Jousting and hunting in particular The better you were as a fighter, the better reputation you would have Reputation would help you impress your lord and keep your social standing.

Knighthood Education Would take years, usually starting around 7 Nobles son would become a ward at another nobles’ home Was a sign of honor for the son, but it was often meant as a way to keep alliances together (ward = hostage) At the noble’s house the women would teach literacy, music, and courtesy to the young men, whereas the master at arms would train them in combat skills and riding

Education Part 2 Around the age of 14 or 15 they would squire to a lord Bodyguard, attendant, battle buddy Would learn more from the knight as well Around 21 they could be knighted, however they had to afford the armor to do so (like 60,000$) If they couldn’t afford the armor, they would stay a squire until they could, or for life

Heraldry Defined as the science behind representation of the family history Today we usually represent our father’s lineage by our last name, but differs culture to culture One specific indigenous example is the Haida, who have two main lineages, the Raven and the Eagle Knights would do the same thing using their shields and banners Would identify themselves and their family, using a coat of arms Needed to be simple and identifiable, as in one case someone mistook his ally’s symbol for an enemy and attacked Symbols would change only if an heiress (the wife) were to bring a large estate into the marriage, such as lands etc.

Quick Example

Reading Activity Individually, or in pairs, each of you must read the Knights and Knighthood handout While you are reading, take notes on the life of a knight from childhood into adulthood Answer the question: What milestones or rights of passage do you have in your life that come with age? For example “drivers license” We will discuss answers afterward

Coat of Arms Activity Either using the template, or designing your own, come up with a family coat of arms You will need to choose colours that represent your family or yourself You will need to choose an animal, an object, or something similar that represents your family or yourself. Using the shapes and colours you’ve chosen, design and create your own Coat of Arms

Some examples of Coats of Arms

Conclusion On a spare piece of paper, write down your answer to the following What are three things about knighthood that we discussed today. Please hand it in when you are done, and wait for the bell. For homework, please finish the Coat of Arms you’ve designed.