Research Paper

Isaac Martinez

Encounters 6

Mr. Skipper

April 27, 2020

Living upon the days in the Middle Ages

Introduction

Feudalism in the Middle ages was the system in which there were vassals and lords which would build the relationship of obligation. The vassals would get land as a grant from a lord because of their service. Vassals were workers of their lords since the lords were like the kings. And this system of Feudalism was the way people got their piece of land in the Middle Ages which was in exchange for the Vassal’s service. The Lords lived in Manors which consisted of 1 Manor house in which the Lords lived in. This was what the Feudal System was like in the Middle Ages back then. It was basically land in exchange for service. (Ross, David)

Feudalism

Feudalism that was in practice meant that the country was not being governed by a king, lord, or baron. Who administered their own, dispensed their own justice, minted their own money. In theory, the king was the chief feudal lord, in reality, most of the time the lords could field greater armies than the king (Ross, David).

Feudalism was built upon a relationship of obligation, and mutual service between vassals and lords. A vassal held his land, or fief, as a grant from a lord. When a vassal died, his heir was required to publicly renew his oath of faithfulness (fealty) to his lord (suzerain). This public oath was called “homeage” (Ross)

The vassal, required to attend the lord at his court, and help administer justice and contribute money if needed. He must answer a summons to battle, bringing an agreed-upon number of fighting men. As well, he must feed the house lord and his company when they traveled across his land (David)

Manors, not villages were economic and social units of life in the early Middle Ages. A manor consisted of a manor house, 1 or more villages and up to several thousands of acres of land divided into a meadow, pasture, forest, and cultivated fields. The fields were further divided into strips; ⅓ for the lord of the manor, less for the church, and the remainder for the peasants and serfs. At least, half of the workweek was spent on the land belonging to the lord and the church. Time might also be spent doing maintenance and on special projects such as clearing land, cutting firewood, and building roads and bridges (Ross ,David).

Medieval Sports In the Middle Ages

The feudal system offered chances for everybody to gain a reputation or to get a higher social rank. Knights who could prove their fighting skills while in battle would often be awarded a great wealth. Peasants, who performed better in these events used to get more land from the lords of manors. As a result, these sporting events and contests gained a huge amount of popularity among the masses and these people took part in them. ( Simon)

The tournaments and jousts were considered as big events that included dangerous sports and games. Many contestants in these tournaments were used to being killed while playing some of these dangerous games. It was necessary for the participants of such tournaments and jousts to attain Quintain and Pell training. ( Newman)

Archery was considered an important sport during the Medieval Ages and it was not only a sport, rather it became an essential skill that was to be acquired by everyone by law. ( Simon, Newman)

Apart from archery, some other Middle Ages sports included Bowls, Colf, Gameball, Hammer-Throwing, Shinty, Horseshoes, Jousting at tournaments, Skittles, Stoolball, and Wrestling. Plus all these sports were played outdoors. ( Newman)

Jousting

“Jousting was a medieval sporting contest in which 2 knights charged each other on horseback trying to knock each other off their horses with lances”. ( Roberts, Mike)

Jousting competitions took place at Medieval Tournaments known as tourneys. These events gave the opportunity to show off their skills against their opponents in competitive combat. While without the dangers of battle; winning or losing a jousting competition could make or break an entire knight’s reputation. Jousting matches also allowed knights to hone their skills, become better warriors, as in battle warriors could wear armor to create a realistic contest, to protect themselves. Knights took these jousting matches very seriously because they could get easily injured or killed in a match. ( Roberts), Medieval Chronicles

Knights Jousting Rules

Knights charged up to 4 times with lances, were only 3 lances per match were allowed
No winner - knights charged 4 more with other weapons such as maces or flail weapons
Still, no winner the knights dismounted, a ground battle ensued with alternative weapons such as maces, swords 4 more times
No decisive winner - The judges voted, giving points for skill, accuracy and making deductions for foul strokes
Heralds were Judges who kept order at jousting events

( Roberts, Mike)

The lance was the main weapon of Medieval Jousting but the lances weren’t the same ones that the knights used in their matches. The lance was made out of wood that was soft and hollow, while the ends of the lances were blunt. There were also some instances where the knight's lance was covered with a ball-like object to lessen impact from hits in battle. ( Medieval Chronicles)

The Quintain was a piece of equipment used by squires & knights to practice their jousting skills. Mounted Squires & Knights would attack the Quintain at speed aiming their lance at the shield target if they hit it correctly the shield would spin however if they misjudged it and hit the target incorrectly the sandbag on the other end of the Quintain would spin round and could possibly knock a knight of his horse. ( Roberts, Mike)

Conclusion

This was how things were in the Middle Ages sports were different and one of the more popular sports was Jousting which, one last time was riding horseback while using a Jousting stick to try to knock your opponent off their horse. Plus, there was the Feudal System for exchanging land for service. Which the Vassals gave service to their lord that they worked for and in exchange for their service the Lord would give the Vassal a piece of land. So, this is how some things were done ( The Feudal System, Sports in the Middle Ages) back then in the times of the Middle Ages. (Ross, David), ( Newman, Simon), (Roberts, Mike)

Works Cited

Newman, Simon. “Sports in the Middle Ages”. The Finer Times, www.finertimes.com/Middle-Ages/sports-in-the-middle-ages.html.

Roberts, Mike. “Knight Jousting.” Medieval Chronicles, www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-knights/medieval-jousting-2/.

Ross, David. “Feudalism and Medieval Life.” Britain Express, www.britainexpress.com/History/Feudalism_and_Medieval_life.htm.