Stories of the Age of Richard the Lion-Hearted
Historical Note
THE ideal gentleman of the Middle Ages was the knight.
To attain this eminence, a man must as a rule be
well-born, and he must, as page and squire, be
carefully educated in the use of arms, in riding,
music, and courtesy. Having completed this course of
instruction, he was made a knight with much ceremony,
and was then sent out into the world with the blessing
of the priest, having vowed to succor all women in
distress, to right wrongs, and to maintain and defend
the Church. There were numerous jousts, or combats
between two, but the great joy of the knight who wished
to show his prowess and do honor to his lady-love was
the tournament, or combat between two parties of
knights. The invitations were given far in advance, and
elaborate preparations were made. When the moment had
come, the heralds called out, "Come forth, knights,
come forth!" Then followed a contest with as many rules
as the most intricate system of etiquette could
furnish. Prizes were given, and the day closed with a
ball wherein not the man of highest rank, but he who
had shown most valor in the contest, was the hero of
the hour.
It is for these reasons that the name of Richard I has
been surrounded with a blaze of glory. He rebelled
against his father, he sold most offices in the gift of
the Crown, and even freed, for a large sum of money,
the Scottish king from his obligations of fealty. He
spent a very small portion of his reign in England; but
when he went on a crusade and was taken prisoner, his
English subjects willingly paid his large ransom, for
was he not their idol, "a verray parfit gentil
knyght"?
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