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109-513: Ailettes made brief appearances in the late 13th and early 14th century before giving way to more protective joint plates that covered the joint gap in the shoulders. 38 pairs of ailettes of leather were purchased from a currier for 8 d. for each pair for the Windsor Park Tournament in 1278, implying they were a common piece of equipment at that date in England. The purpose of ailettes is

218-422: A Frankish bihurdan "to fence; encompass with a fence or paling"). Tournaments often contained a mêlée consisting of knights fighting one another on foot or mounted, either divided into two sides or fighting as a free-for-all. The object was to capture opposing knights so that they could be ransomed, and this could be a very profitable business for such skilled knights as William Marshal . The mêlée or buhurt

327-457: A century there were more inventions developed and applied usefully than in the previous thousand years of human history all over the globe. The period saw major technological advances, including the adoption or invention of windmills , watermills , printing (though not yet with movable type), gunpowder , the astrolabe , glasses , scissors of the modern shape, a better clock , and greatly improved ships. The latter two advances made possible

436-414: A comprehensive production of alcohol. Food production also increased during this time as new ways of farming were introduced, including the use of a heavier plow, horses instead of oxen, and a three-field system that allowed the cultivation of a greater variety of crops than the earlier two-field system—notably legumes , the growth of which prevented the depletion of important nitrogen from the soil. During

545-533: A divine spark. Other notable scholastics included Muhammad Averroes , Roscelin , Abélard, Peter Lombard , and Francisco Suárez . One of the main questions during this time was the problem of universals . Prominent opponents of various aspects of the scholastic mainstream included Duns Scotus , William of Ockham , Peter Damian , Bernard of Clairvaux , and the Victorines . Christian heresies existed in Europe before

654-438: A high demand for wine and steady volume of alcohol consumption inspired a viticulture revolution of progress. The relative protection from famine during this time allowed Europe's population to increase, despite the famine in 1315 that killed 1.5 million people. This increased population contributed to the founding of new towns and an increase in industrial and economic activity during the period. They also established trade and

763-522: A key role in European trade from then on, making these cities become major financial centers. From the mid-10th to the mid-11th centuries, the Scandinavian kingdoms were unified and Christianized, resulting in an end of Viking raids, and greater involvement in European politics. King Cnut of Denmark ruled over both England and Norway. After Cnut's death in 1035, England and Norway were both lost, and with

872-402: A large amount of jewelry, including the famous Medici diamond 'Il Libro'. Royalty also held tournaments to stress the importance of certain events and their nobility's loyalty. King Henry VII of England and his queen Elizabeth of York presided over a series of tournaments when their infant son Henry became Duke of York in 1494. These tournaments were noted for their display of wealth. On

981-453: A matter of disagreement amongst scholars. Some, such as Charles ffoulkes , claim that they enhanced protection to the neck, while others, like Ewart Oakeshott , argue that they were used primarily for decorative and heraldic reasons. This medieval armour –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tournament (medieval) A tournament , or tourney (from Old French torneiement , tornei ),

1090-607: A religious experience and became a preacher. He founded the Waldensians which became a Christian sect believing that all religious practices should have strictly scriptural bases. Waldo was denied the right to preach his sermons by the Third Lateran Council in 1179, which he did not obey and continued to speak freely until he was excommunicated in 1184. Waldo was critical of the Christian clergy saying they did not live according to

1199-462: A result of the First Crusade . In the context of the crusades, monastic military orders were founded that would become the template for the late medieval chivalric orders . The Knights Templar were a Christian military order founded after the First Crusade to help protect Christian pilgrims from hostile locals and highway bandits. The order was deeply involved in banking, and in 1307 Philip

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1308-651: A single family. During the High Middle Ages Lithuania emerged as a Duchy of Lithuania in the early 13th century, then briefly becoming the Kingdom of Lithuania from 1251 to 1263. After the assassination of its first Christian king Mindaugas Lithuania was known as Grand Duchy of Lithuania . Unconquered during the Lithuanian Crusade , Lithuania itself rapidly expanded to the East due to conquests and became one of

1417-656: A successful Vlach-Bulgarian rebellion in 1185 , and henceforth the region was divided between the Byzantines in Greece, some parts of Macedonia , and Thrace , the Bulgarians in Moesia and most of Thrace and Macedonia, and the Serbs to the northwest. Eastern and Western churches had formally split in the 11th century, and despite occasional periods of co-operation during the 12th century, in 1204

1526-562: A tower which was moved onto the battlefield, dressed like a pilgrim. He only took off his pilgrim's clothes after the queen had given him permission to participate. In 1559, King Henry II of France died during a tournament when a sliver from the shattered lance of Gabriel Montgomery , captain of the Scottish Guard at the French Court, pierced his eye and entered his brain. The death of Henry II caused his 15-year-old son Francis II to take

1635-522: Is hardly exact, for the centre was at Toulouse and in the neighbouring districts. The Albigensians were strong in southern France, northern Italy, and the southwestern Holy Roman Empire . The Bogomils were strong in the Southeastern Europe , and became the official religion supported by the Bosnian kings . Peter Waldo of Lyon was a wealthy merchant who gave up his riches around 1175 after

1744-546: Is the tournament in 1468 that Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy organised to celebrate his marriage with Margaret of York . The tournament was supposedly at the bidding of the 'Lady of the Hidden Ile'. A golden tree had been erected with all the coats of arms of the participating knights. They were dressed like famous figures from legend and history, while their squires were dressed as harlequins. A notable example of an elaborate costume

1853-944: The Codex Manesse . The word tournament evolved from the Middle English tornement which entered the English lexicon from the Old French torneiement around the 12th century. That noun and its associated verb, tornoier , ultimately derive from the Latin tornare ("to turn") which also gave rise to the Italian torneo , the modern French tournoi , and modern English's tourney . Tournament and its derivates had been adopted in English (via Anglo-Norman ) by 1300. The Old French tornoier originally meant "to joust and tilt", but came to refer to

1962-402: The mêlée , a general fight where the knights were divided into two sides and charged at each other, fighting with blunted weapons. Jousting , a single combat of two knights riding at each other, was a component of the tournament but was never its main feature. The standard form of a tournament is evident in sources as early as the 1160s and 1170s, notably The History of William Marshal and

2071-544: The Carolingian Empire had been divided and replaced by separate successor kingdoms called France and Germany, although not with their modern boundaries. Germany was significantly more eastern. Germany was under the banner of the Holy Roman Empire , which reached its high-water mark of unity and political power under Kaiser Frederick Barbarossa . During the successful reign of King David IV of Georgia (1089–1125),

2180-685: The Crusader States in the Levant . Other wars led to the Northern Crusades . The Christian kingdoms took much of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim control, and the Normans conquered southern Italy, all part of the major population increases and the resettlement patterns of the era. The High Middle Ages produced many different forms of intellectual, spiritual and artistic works . The age also saw

2289-662: The Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages , which ended around AD 1500 (by historiographical convention). Key historical trends of the High Middle Ages include the rapidly increasing population of Europe, which brought about great social and political change from the preceding era, and the Renaissance of the 12th century , including the first developments of rural exodus and urbanization . By 1350,

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2398-608: The Early Middle Ages was based upon few copies and commentaries of ancient Greek texts that remained in Western Europe after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire . Most of them were studied only in Latin as knowledge of Greek was very limited. This scenario changed during the Renaissance of the 12th century . The intellectual revitalization of Europe started with the birth of medieval universities . The increased contact with

2507-664: The Fourth Crusade treacherously captured Constantinople . This severely damaged the Byzantines, and their power was ultimately weakened by the Seljuks and the rising Ottoman Empire in the 14–15th century. The power of the Latin Empire , however, was short-lived after the Crusader army was routed by Bulgarian Emperor Kaloyan in the Battle of Adrianople (1205) . The Medieval Warm Period ,

2616-593: The Hanseatic League , a federation of free cities to advance trade by sea, was founded in the 12th century, with the foundation of the city of Lübeck , which would later dominate the League, in 1158–1159. Many northern cities of the Holy Roman Empire became Hanseatic cities, including Amsterdam , Cologne , Bremen , Hanover and Berlin. Hanseatic cities outside the Holy Roman Empire were, for instance, Bruges and

2725-647: The Kingdom of Georgia grew in strength and expelled the Seljuk Empire from its lands. David's decisive victory in the Battle of Didgori (1121) against the Seljuk Turks, as a result of which Georgia recaptured its lost capital Tbilisi , marked the beginning of the Georgian Golden Age . David's granddaughter Queen Tamar continued the upward rise, successfully neutralizing internal opposition and embarking on an energetic foreign policy aided by further decline of

2834-558: The Macedonian and Komnenos dynasties gradually gave way to the resurrected Serbia and Bulgaria and to a successor crusader state (1204 to 1261), who continually fought each other until the end of the Latin Empire. The Byzantine Empire was reestablished in 1261 with the recapture of Constantinople from the Latins, though it was no longer a major power and would continue to falter through

2943-622: The Matter of France (stories about Charlemagne and his court), the Acritic songs dealing with the chivalry of Byzantium's frontiersmen, and perhaps the best known cycle, the Matter of Britain , which featured tales about King Arthur , his court, and related stories from Brittany , Cornwall , Wales and Ireland. An anonymous German poet tried to bring the Germanic myths from the Migration Period to

3052-592: The Prose Lancelot (c. 1220). In the 1252 jousting at Walden, the lances used had sokets , curved ring-like punches instead of points. Edward I of England 's Statute of Arms of 1292 says that blunted knives and swords should be used in tournaments. The tournament had a resurgence of popularity in England in the reign of the martial and crusading king, Edward I ( r.  1272–1307 ), and under his grandson, Edward III ( r.  1327–1377 ), yet nonetheless

3161-452: The Romanesque style by combining flying buttresses , gothic (or pointed) arches and ribbed vaults . It was influenced by the spiritual background of the time, being religious in essence: thin horizontal lines and grates made the building strive towards the sky. Architecture was made to appear light and weightless, as opposed to the dark and bulky forms of the previous Romanesque style . It

3270-596: The Silk Road to China. Westerners became more aware of the Far East when Polo documented his travels in Il Milione . He was followed by numerous Christian missionaries to the East, such as William of Rubruck , Giovanni da Pian del Carpine , André de Longjumeau , Odoric of Pordenone , Giovanni de' Marignolli , Giovanni di Monte Corvino , and other travellers such as Niccolò de' Conti . Philosophical and scientific teaching of

3379-516: The intensive agriculture -prevalent model in Muslim-ruled lands did not require territorial expansion. While Muslim lands enjoyed a certain demographic and financial edge , Almoravids and Almohads from northern Africa featured volatile state structures; barring (unsuccessful) attempts to take Toledo, they did not stand out for carrying out an expansionist policy. In Italy, with the Norman conquest,

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3488-401: The 1160s and 1240s) which attracted hundreds of foreign knights from all over Europe for the 'lonc sejor' (the tournament season). Knights arrived individually or in companies to stay at one or other of the two settlements designated as their lodgings. The tournament began on a field outside the principal settlement, where stands were erected for spectators. On the day of the tournament one side

3597-530: The 11th century but only in small numbers and of local character: in most cases, a rogue priest, or a village returning to pagan traditions. However, beginning in the 11th century, mass-movement heresies appeared. The roots of this can be partially sought in the rise of urban cities, free merchants, and a new money-based economy. The rural values of monasticism held little appeal to urban people who began to form sects more in tune with urban culture. The first large-scale heretical movements in Western Europe originated in

3706-516: The 12th century, the Cluny monks promoted ethical warfare and inspired the formation of orders of chivalry , such as the Templar Knights . Inherited titles of nobility were established during this period. In 13th-century Germany, knighthood became another inheritable title, although one of the less prestigious, and the trend spread to other countries. The East–West Schism of 1054 formally separated

3815-529: The 13th century had a great impact on the east of Europe , as many countries of the region were invaded, pillaged, conquered or vassalized. During the first half of this period ( c.  1025 —1185), Byzantine Empire dominated the Southeast Europe , and under the Komnenian emperors there was a revival of prosperity and urbanization; however, their domination of Southeast Europe was coming to an end with

3924-481: The 14th century, with remnants lasting until the mid 15th century. In the 11th century, populations north of the Alps began a more intensive settlement, targeting "new" lands, some areas of which had reverted to wilderness after the end of the Western Roman Empire . In what historian Charles Higounet called the "great clearances", Europeans cleared and cultivated some of the vast forests and marshes that lay across much of

4033-468: The 16th century - forced by the prominent place that tourneying occupied in popular Arthurian romance literature. High Middle Ages Central Europe Guelf , Hohenstaufen , and Ascanian domains in Germany about 1176 The High Middle Ages , or High Medieval Period , was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by

4142-658: The Arthurian romances of Chrétien de Troyes . Tournaments might be held at all times of the year except the penitential season of Lent (the forty days preceding the Triduum of Easter ). The general custom was to hold them on Mondays and Tuesdays, though any day but Friday and Sunday might be used. The site of the tournament was customarily announced a fortnight before it was to be held. The most famous tournament fields were in northeastern France (including between Ressons-sur-Matz and Gournay-sur-Aronde near Compiègne , in use between

4251-534: The Black Prince . The tournament, held at the expense of the citizens of Norwich, cost £37.4s.6d.; approximately 5 years' wages for a skilled craftsman. The tournament survived little longer in France or Burgundy . The last known tournament at Bruges took place in 1379. That same year the citizens of Ghent rioted when the count of Flanders announced a tournament to be held at their city. The cause of their discontent

4360-633: The British Isles, France and elsewhere, and Norse Christian kingdoms started developing in their Scandinavian homelands. The Magyars ceased their expansion in the 10th century, and by the year 1000, a Christian Kingdom of Hungary had become a recognized state in Central Europe that was forming alliances with regional powers. With the brief exception of the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, major nomadic incursions ceased. The powerful Byzantine Empire of

4469-486: The Christian church into two parts: Roman Catholicism in Western Europe and Eastern Orthodoxy in the east. It occurred when Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I excommunicated each other, mainly over disagreement over the filioque , an addition to the creed concerning the origin of the Holy Spirit, as well as disputes as to the existence of papal authority over the four Eastern patriarchs , use of unleavened bread in

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4578-490: The Empire. The chronicle of Lauterberg indicates that by 1175 the enthusiasm had reached the borders of Poland . Despite this huge interest and wide distribution, royal and ecclesiastical authority was deployed to prohibit the event. In 1130, Pope Innocent II at a church council at Clermont denounced the tournament and forbade Christian burial for those killed in them. The usual ecclesiastical justification for prohibiting them

4687-606: The Fair (Philippine le Bel) had the entire order arrested in France and dismantled on charges of alleged heresy. The Knights Hospitaller were originally a Christian organization founded in Jerusalem in 1080 to provide care for poor, sick, or injured pilgrims to the Holy Land . After Jerusalem was taken in the First Crusade, it became a religious / military order that was charged with

4796-559: The High Middle Ages, the idea of a Christian warrior started to change as Christianity grew more prominent in Medieval Europe. The Codes of Chivalry promoted the ideal knight to be selfless, faithful, and fierce against those who threaten the weak. Household heavy cavalry ( knights ) became common in the 11th century across Europe, and tournaments were invented. Tournaments allowed knights to establish their family name while being able to gather vast wealth and renown through victories. In

4905-572: The Holy Lands, the order moved to Transylvania in 1211 and later, after being expelled, invaded pagan Prussia with the intention of Christianizing the Baltic region . Yet, both before and after the Order's main pagan opponent, Lithuania , converted to Christianity, the Order had already attacked other Christian nations such as Novgorod and Poland . The Teutonic Knights' power hold, which became considerable,

5014-692: The Islamic world in Spain and Sicily during the Reconquista , and the Byzantine world and Muslim Levant during the Crusades , allowed Europeans access to scientific Arabic and Greek texts, including the works of Aristotle , Alhazen , and Averroes . The European universities aided materially in the translation and propagation of these texts and started a new infrastructure which was needed for scientific communities. At

5123-456: The Platonist-Augustinian belief that the mind is an immaterial substance. The most famous of the scholastics was Thomas Aquinas (later declared a " Doctor of the Church "), who led the move away from the Platonic and Augustinian and towards Aristotelianism. Aquinas developed a philosophy of mind by writing that the mind was at birth a tabula rasa ("blank slate") that was given the ability to think and recognize forms or ideas through

5232-421: The Polish city of Gdańsk (Danzig), as well as Königsberg, capital of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. In Bergen , Norway and Veliky Novgorod , Russia the league had factories and middlemen. In this period the Germans started colonising Europe beyond the Empire, into Prussia and Silesia . In the late 13th century, a Venetian explorer named Marco Polo became one of the first Europeans to travel

5341-463: The Pope so as not to be confused with actual heretical movements such as the Waldensians . Catharism was a movement with Gnostic elements that originated around the middle of the 10th century, branded by the contemporary Roman Catholic Church as heretical . It existed throughout much of Western Europe , but its origination was in Languedoc and surrounding areas in southern France. The name Cathar stems from Greek katharos , "pure". One of

5450-409: The aristocracy and eroded the popularity of the events. In France, Louis IX prohibited tourneying within his domains in 1260, and his successors for the most part maintained the ban. It is a debated issue as to what extent specialized arms and armor were used in mêlée tournaments, and to what extent the military equipment of knights and their horses in the 12th and 13th centuries was devised to meet

5559-449: The beginning of the 13th century there were reasonably accurate Latin translations of the main works of almost all the intellectually crucial ancient authors, allowing a sound transfer of scientific ideas via both the universities and the monasteries. By then, the natural science contained in these texts began to be extended by notable scholastics such as Robert Grosseteste , Roger Bacon , Albertus Magnus and Duns Scotus . Precursors of

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5668-410: The best knight on either side and awarded during the meals. Melee ( / ˈ m eɪ l eɪ / or /ˈmeleɪ/, French: mêlée [mɛle] ; in English frequently spelled as mêlée, melée, or simply melee ) is a term for a type of mock combat in medieval tournaments. The "mêlée" was the "mass tournament" where two teams, either on foot or horse, clashed in formation. The aim was to smash into

5777-420: The borderlands in the southern meseta . Agricultural models in areas with Mediterranean climate were generally based on biennial crop rotation . Despite population growth, agricultural output remained relatively rigid throughout the period; between the 10th and 13th centuries, migration southwards to exposed areas was incentivized by the possibility of enjoying privileges and acquiring properties. Conversely,

5886-408: The care and defence of the Crusader states . After the Holy Lands were eventually taken by Muslim forces, it moved its operations to Rhodes , and later Malta . The Teutonic Knights were a German religious order formed in 1190, in the city of Acre , to aid Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Lands and to operate hospitals for the sick and injured in Outremer . After Muslim forces captured

5995-421: The century, and by the 14th century the joust was poised to take over the vacancy in aristocratic amusement caused by the decline of the tournament. The first English mention of tourneying is in a charter of Osbert of Arden, Lord of Kingsbury of Warwickshire, which reveals that he travelled to both Northampton and London, but also crossed the English Channel to join in events in France. The charter dates to

6104-418: The continent. At the same time, settlers moved beyond the traditional boundaries of the Frankish Empire to new frontiers beyond the Elbe River , which tripled the size of Germany in the process. The Catholic Church , which reached the peak of its political power around then, called armies from across Europe to a series of Crusades against the Seljuk Turks . The crusaders occupied the Holy Land and founded

6213-402: The dawn of the Age of Discovery . These inventions were influenced by foreign culture and society. Alfred W. Crosby described some of this technological revolution in The Measure of Reality: Quantification in Western Europe, 1250-1600 and other major historians of technology have also noted it. Art in the High Middle Ages includes these important movements: Gothic architecture superseded

6322-448: The defeat of Valdemar II in 1227, Danish predominance in the region came to an end. Meanwhile, Norway extended its Atlantic possessions, ranging from Greenland to the Isle of Man , while Sweden, under Birger Jarl , built up a power-base in the Baltic Sea . However, the Norwegian influence started to decline already in the same period, marked by the Treaty of Perth of 1266. Also, civil wars raged in Norway between 1130 and 1240. By

6431-492: The disruption during the reign of King Stephen (1135–1154). He did not prohibit tournaments in his continental domains, and indeed three of his sons were avid pursuers of the sport. Tournaments were allowed in England once again after 1192, when Richard I identified six sites where they would be permitted and gave a scale of fees by which patrons could pay for a license. But both King John and his son, Henry III , introduced fitful and capricious prohibitions which much annoyed

6540-574: The early 13th century, and in the 1220s it began to have its own exclusive events outside the tournament. The biographer of William Marshal observed c.1224 that in his day noblemen were more interested in jousting than tourneying. In 1223, we have the first mention of an exclusively jousting event, the Round Table held in Cyprus by John d'Ibelin, lord of Beirut . Round Tables were a 13th-century enthusiasm and can be reconstructed to have been an elimination jousting event. They were held for knights and squires alike. Other forms of jousting also arose during

6649-510: The enemy in massed formation, with the aim of throwing them back or breaking their ranks. Following a successful maneuver of this kind, the rank would attempt to turn around without breaking formation ( widerkere or tornei ); this action was so central that it would become eponymous of the entire tradition of the tourney or tournament by the mid-12th century. Weapons were often blunted before fights in order to prevent serious injury. The Middle High German term for this type of contest

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6758-419: The first day, the participants showed their loyalty by wearing the King's colors on their bodies and the Queen's colors on their helmets. They further honored the royal family by wearing the colors of the King's mother, Margaret Beaufort , on the next day. In 1511, at the court of King Henry VIII of England , a tournament was held in honor of the king's wife Catherine of Aragon . Charles Brandon came out of

6867-421: The first great and powerful state was formed, the Kingdom of Sicily with hereditary monarchy. Subsequently joined to the Holy Roman Empire, it had its moment of maximum splendor with the emperor Frederick II . In the rest of Italy, independent city states grew affluent on Eastern Mediterranean maritime trade. These were in particular the thalassocracies of Pisa , Amalfi , Genoa and Venice , which played

6976-448: The first recorded uses is Eckbert von Schönau who wrote on heretics from Cologne in 1181: "Hos nostra Germania catharos appellat." ([In] our Germany [one] calls these [people] "Cathars".) The Cathars are also called Albigensians . This name originates from the end of the 12th century, and was used by the chronicler Geoffroy du Breuil of Vigeois in 1181. The name refers to the southern town of Albi (the ancient Albiga). The designation

7085-440: The hostile Seljuk Turks . Relying on a powerful military élite, Tamar was able to build on the successes of her predecessors to consolidate an empire which dominated vast lands spanning from present-day southern Russia on the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea . Georgia remained a leading regional power until its collapse under the Mongol attacks within two decades after Tamar's death. In the High Middle Ages, Hungary became one of

7194-443: The ideals of Courtly Love became more influential, women played a more important role in the events. Events often took place in honor of a lady, and ladies participated in the playacting and symbolism. Edward III of England regularly held tournaments, during which people often dressed up, sometimes as the Knights of the Round Table . In 1331, the participants of one tournament all wore green cloaks decorated with golden arrows. In

7303-410: The keepers of the peace in the town leaving it "for the purpose of frequenting javelin sports, tournaments and such like." A pattern of regular tournament meetings across northern France is evident in sources for the life of Charles, Count of Flanders (1119–27). The sources of the 1160s and 1170s portray the event in the developed form it maintained into the 14th century. Tournaments centered on

7412-399: The knight's spirit of hostility ( nullo interveniente odio ), but solely for practice and the display of prowess ( pro solo exercitio, atque ostentatione virium )." Medieval equestrian warfare and equestrian practices hark back to Roman antiquity, just as the notion of chivalry goes back to the rank of equites in Roman times. There may be an element of continuity connecting

7521-444: The knightly tournament more generally while joster , meaning "approach, meet" (also adopted before 1300), came to refer to jousting specifically. By the end of the 12th century, tornement and Latinized torneamentum had become the generic term for all kinds of knightly hastiludes or martial displays. Roger of Hoveden writing in the late 12th century defined torneamentum as "military exercises carried out, not in

7630-413: The largest states in Europe. In the mid-10th century Poland emerged as a duchy after Mieszko I , the ruler of the Polans , conquered the surrounding Lechitic tribes in the region. Then in 1025 under the rule of Bolesław I the Brave , Poland became a kingdom. The High Middle Ages saw the height and decline of the Slavic state of Kievan Rus' and emergence of Cumania . Later, the Mongol invasion in

7739-468: The late 1120s. The great tournaments of northern France attracted many hundreds of knights from Germany , England, Scotland, Occitania , and Iberia . There is evidence that 3000 knights attended the tournament at Lagny-sur-Marne in November 1179 promoted by Louis VII in honour of his son's coronation. The state tournaments at Senlis and Compiègne held by Philip III in 1279 can be calculated to have been even larger events. Aristocratic enthusiasm for

7848-652: The liturgy, and fasting days. The Catholic Crusades occurred between the 11th and 13th centuries. They were conducted under papal authority, initially with the intent of reestablishing Christian rule in The Holy Land by taking the area from the Muslim Fatimid Caliphate . The Fatimids had captured Palestine in AD 970, lost it to the Seljuk Turks in 1073 and recaptured it in 1098, just before they lost it again in 1099 as

7957-476: The medieval tournament to the hippika gymnasia of the Roman cavalry , but due to the sparsity of written records during the 5th to 8th centuries this is difficult to establish. It is known that such cavalry games were central to military training in the Carolingian Empire , with records of Louis and Charles' military games at Worms in 843. At this event which was recorded by Nithard , the initial chasing and fleeing

8066-466: The modern scientific method can be seen already in Grosseteste's emphasis on mathematics as a way to understand nature, and in the empirical approach admired by Bacon, particularly in his Opus Majus . During the 12th and 13th century in Europe there was a radical change in the rate of new inventions, innovations in the ways of managing traditional means of production, and economic growth. In less than

8175-423: The most famous sacral building of the time: Notre Dame de Paris . A variety of cultures influenced the literature of the High Middle Ages, one of the strongest among them being Christianity. The connection to Christianity was greatest in Latin literature , which influenced the vernacular languages in the literary cycle of the Matter of Rome . Other literary cycles, or interrelated groups of stories, included

8284-497: The most powerful medieval states in Europe. The Christian Kingdom of Hungary was established in 1000 under King Saint Stephen I of Hungary , and ruled by the Árpád dynasty for the following centuries. King Saint Ladislaus completed the work of King Saint Stephen . He consolidated the Hungarian state power and strengthened the influence of Christianity . His charismatic personality, strategic leadership and military talents resulted

8393-639: The newly urbanized areas such as southern France and northern Italy and were probably influenced by the Bogomils and other dualist movements . These heresies were on a scale the Catholic Church had never seen before and as such the response was one of elimination for some (such as the Cathars ). Some Catholic monastic leaders, such as Francis of Assisi , the founder of the Franciscans , had to be recognized directly by

8502-432: The perils and demands of tournaments, rather than warfare. It is, however, clear from the sources that the weapons used in tournaments were initially the same as those used in war. It is not by any means certain that swords were blunted for most of the history of the tournament. This must have changed by the mid 13th century, at least in jousting encounters. There is a passing reference to a special spear for use in jousting in

8611-526: The period from the 10th century to about the 14th century in Europe, was a relatively warm and gentle interval ended by the generally colder Little Ice Age which would continue until the Middle of the 19th century. Farmers grew wheat well north into Scandinavia, and wine grapes in northern England, although the maximum expansion of vineyards appeared to occur within the Little Ice Age period. During this time,

8720-470: The period to expand Scholasticism , a combination of Judeo-Islamic and Catholic ideologies with the ancient philosophy. For much of this period, Constantinople remained Europe's most populous city, and Byzantine art reached a peak in the 12th century . In architecture, many of the most notable Gothic cathedrals were built or completed around this period. The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages began at

8829-469: The rise of ethnocentrism , which evolved later into modern national identities in most of Europe, the ascent of the great Italian city-states and the rise and fall of the Islamic civilization of Al-Andalus . The rediscovery of the works of Aristotle , at first indirectly through medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy , led Maimonides , Ibn Sina , Ibn Rushd , Thomas Aquinas and other thinkers of

8938-859: The robust population increase had greatly benefited the European economy, which had reached levels that would not be seen again in some areas until the 19th century. That trend faltered during the Late Middle Ages because of a series of calamities , most notably the Black Death , but also numerous wars as well as economic stagnation. From around 780, Europe saw the last of the barbarian invasions and became more socially and politically organized. The Carolingian Renaissance stimulated scientific and philosophical activity in Northern Europe. The first universities started operating in Bologna , Oxford , Paris , Salamanca , Cambridge and Modena . The Vikings settled in

9047-571: The rule of independent native princes until the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1282. The Exchequer was founded in the 12th century under King Henry I , and the first parliaments were convened. In 1215, after the loss of Normandy , King John signed the Magna Carta into law, limiting the power of English monarchs . A key geo-strategic development in the Iberian Peninsula was the Christian conquest of Toledo in 1085. Dominated by war,

9156-503: The same year at a tournament at Cheapside , the king and other participants dressed as Tartars and led the ladies, who were in the colors of Saint George , in a procession at the start of the event. Edward III's grandson, Richard II ( r.  1377–1399 ), would first distribute his livery badges with the White Hart at a tournament at Smithfield . Mythology and storytelling were popular aspects of tournaments. An example of this

9265-516: The setting down of the first tournament laws is attributed to Henry the Fowler (r. 919–936); this tradition is cited by Georg Rüxner in his Thurnierbuch of c. 1530 as well as by Paulus Hector Mair in his De Arte Athletica (c. 1544/5). The earliest known use of the word "tournament" comes from peace legislation by Count Baldwin III of Hainaut for the town of Valenciennes , dated to 1114. It refers to

9374-448: The societal structures and relations in the northern Christian kingdoms were subordinated to the demands of omnipresent military conflict. The territorial expansion of the northern Christian kingdoms to the south brought the creation of border societies, where military demands on knights and foot soldiers and the promotion of settlement were prioritized over potential seigneurial income; military orders also played an important role in

9483-532: The start of the 14th century and marked the end of the period. In England, the Norman Conquest of 1066 resulted in a kingdom ruled by a Francophone nobility. The Normans invaded Ireland in 1169 and soon established themselves in most of the country, although their stronghold was the southeast. Likewise, Scotland and Wales were subdued into vassal states at about the same time, though Scotland later asserted its independence and Wales remained largely under

9592-517: The termination of internal power struggles and foreign military threats. The Kingdom of Hungary expanded to the Adriatic coast and entered a personal union with Croatia in 1102, by establish other vassal states , Hungary became a small empire that extended its control over the Southeast Europe and the Carpathian region. The Hungarian royal Árpád dynasty gave the world the most saints and blessed from

9701-492: The throne, beginning a period of political instability that ultimately led to the French Wars of Religion . Spanish knights in the 16th century also practised a team fight known as the "cane game". In Spanish Italy , tournaments could include an equivalent gioco de canne . The decline of the true tournament, as opposed to the joust, was not a straightforward process, although the word continued to be used for jousts until

9810-453: The time of the High Middle Ages, the Carolingian Empire had been divided and replaced by separate successor kingdoms called France and Germany, although not with their modern boundaries. France pushed to the west. The Angevin Empire controlled much of France in the 12th century and early 13th century until the French retook much of their previous territory. By the time of the High Middle Ages,

9919-404: The tournament area. Most tournaments continued until both sides were exhausted, or until the light faded. A few ended earlier, if one side broke in the charge, panicked and ran for its home base looking to get behind its lists and the shelter of the armed infantry which protected them. Following the tournament the patron of the day would offer lavish banquets and entertainment. Prizes were offered to

10028-483: The tournament died out in the latter's reign. Edward III encouraged the move towards pageantry and a predominance of jousting in his sponsored events. In one of the last true tournaments held in England (in 1342 at Dunstable ), the mêlée was postponed so long by jousting that the sun was sinking by the time the lines charged. A tournament took place in Norwich in 1350 which was attended by Edward III's son, commonly known as

10137-424: The tournament its name) and single out knights to attack. There is evidence that squires were present at the lists (the staked and embanked line in front of the stands) to offer their masters up to three replacement lances. The mêlée would tend then to degenerate into running battles between parties of knights seeking to take ransoms, and would spread over several square miles between the two settlements which defined

10246-528: The tournament meant that it had travelled outside its northern French heartland before the 1120s. The first evidence for it in England and the Rhineland is found in the 1120s. References in the Marshal biography indicate that in the 1160s tournaments were being held in central France and Great Britain. The contemporary works of Bertran de Born talk of a tourneying world that also embraced northern Iberia , Scotland and

10355-419: The verb mesler "to mix" (ultimately from Vulgar Latin misculāta "mixed", from Latin miscēre "to mix"; compare mélange ; meddle, medley ). The modern French form mêlée was borrowed into English in the 17th century and is not the historical term used for tournament mock battles. The term buhurt may be related to hurter "to push, collide with" (cognate with English to hurt ) or alternatively from

10464-707: The word. He rejected the practice of selling indulgences ( simony ), as well as the common saint cult practices of the day. Waldensians are considered a forerunner to the Protestant Reformation , and they melted into Protestantism with the outbreak of the Reformation and became a part of the wider Reformed tradition after the views of John Calvin and his theological successors in Geneva proved very similar to their own theological thought. Waldensian churches still exist, located on several continents. In Northern Europe,

10573-399: Was buhurt (adopted in French as bouhourt ); some sources may also make a distinction between mêlée or mass tournament and buhurt , as the latter could refer to a wider class of equestrian games not necessarily confined to the formal tournament reserved to nobility. The Old French meslee "brawl, confused fight; mixture, blend" (12th century) is the feminine past participle of

10682-798: Was a chivalrous competition or mock fight that was common in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (12th to 16th centuries), and is a type of hastilude . Tournaments included mêlée , hand-to-hand combat, contests of strength or accuracy , and sometimes jousts . Some considered the tournaments to be frivolous pursuits of celebrity, even a potential threat to public order. But the shows were popular and often put on in honor of coronations , marriages, or births; to celebrate recent conquests or peace treatises; or to welcome ambassadors , lords, or others considered to be of great importance. Other times tournaments were held for no particular reason at all, simply for entertainment. Certain tournaments are depicted throughout

10791-505: Was also a preliminary to the grand charge on the day itself. In the 12th century, jousting was occasionally banned in tournaments. The reasons given are that it distracted knights from the main event, and allowed a form of cheating. Count Philip of Flanders made a practice in the 1160s of turning up armed with his retinue to the preliminary jousts, and then declining to join the mêlée until the knights were exhausted and ransoms could be swept up. But jousting had its own devoted constituency by

10900-522: Was also expressed by the relatively large size of these buildings. A gothic cathedral therefore not only invited the visitors to elevate themselves spiritually, it was also meant to demonstrate the greatness of God. The floor plan of a gothic cathedral corresponded to the rules of scholasticism: According to Erwin Panofsky 's Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism , the plan was divided into sections and uniform subsections. These characteristics are exhibited by

11009-859: Was broken in 1410, at the Battle of Grunwald , where the Order suffered a devastating defeat against a joint Polish-Lithuanian army. After Grunwald, the Order declined in power until 1809 when it was officially dissolved. There were ten crusades in total. The new Christian method of learning was influenced by Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109) from the rediscovery of the works of Aristotle , at first indirectly through Medieval Jewish and Muslim Philosophy ( Maimonides , Avicenna , and Averroes ) and then through Aristotle 's own works brought back from Byzantine and Muslim libraries; and those whom he influenced, most notably Albertus Magnus , Bonaventure and Abélard . Many scholastics believed in empiricism and supporting Roman Catholic doctrines through secular study, reason, and logic. They opposed Christian mysticism , and

11118-506: Was commonly thought that light was an expression of God; therefore, architectural techniques were adapted and developed to build churches that reflected this teaching. Colorful glass windows enhanced the spirit of lightness. As color was much rarer at medieval times than today, it can be assumed that these virtuoso works of art had an awe-inspiring impact on the common man from the street. High-rising intricate ribbed, and later fan vaultings demonstrated movement toward heaven. Veneration of God

11227-546: Was followed by a general mêlée of all combatants. Documentation of equestrian practice during the 9th to 10th centuries is sparse, but it is clear that the tournament was a development of the High Middle Ages . It is recognized by several medieval historical sources: a chronicler of Tours in the late 12th century attributes the "invention" of the knightly tournament to an Angevin baron, Geoffroi de Preulli, who supposedly died in 1066. In 16th-century German historiography,

11336-444: Was formed of those 'within' the principal settlement, and another of those "outside." Parties hosted by the principal magnates present were held in both settlements, and preliminary jousts (called the vespers or premières commençailles ) offered knights an individual showcase for their talents. On the day of the event, the tournament was opened by a review ( regars ) in which both sides paraded and called out their war cries. There

11445-400: Was that it distracted the aristocracy from more acceptable warfare in the defense of Christianity elsewhere. However, the reason for the ban imposed on them in England by Henry II was most likely because of its persistent threat to public order. Knights going to tournaments were accused of theft and violence against the unarmed. Henry II was keen to re-establish public order in England after

11554-440: Was that of Anthony of Luxembourg . Chained in a black castle he entered the lists. He could only be freed with a golden key and approval of the attending ladies. In Florence , the military aspect of the tournaments was secondary to the display of wealth. For a tournament honoring his marriage to Clarice Orsini in 1469, Lorenzo de' Medici had his standard designed by Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio . He also wore

11663-444: Was the associated expense for them. By using costumes, drama, and symbolism tournaments became a form of art, which raised the expenses for these events considerably. They had political purposes: to impress the populace and guests with their opulence, as well as with the courage of the participants. Loyalty to a lord or lady was expressed through clothes and increasingly elaborate enactments. Tournaments also served cultural purposes. As

11772-412: Was the main form of the tournament in its early phase during the 12th and 13th centuries. The joust , while in existence since at least the 12th century as part of tournaments, did not play the central role it would acquire later by the late 15th century. As has been said, jousting formed part of the tournament event from as early a time as it can be observed. It was an evening prelude to the big day, and

11881-515: Was then a further opportunity for individual jousting carried out between the rencs , the two lines of knights. The opportunity for jousting at this point was customarily offered to the new, young knights who were present. At some time in mid-morning the knights would line up for the charge ( estor ). At the signal which was usually a bugle or herald 's cry, the two knights would ride at each other and meet with levelled lances . Those remaining on horseback would turn quickly (the action which gave

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