Jousting is a sport played by two armored knights mounted on
horses. It consists of martial competition between two mounted knights using
a variety of weapons, usually in sets of three per weapon (such as tilting
with a lance, blows with the battle axe, strokes with the dagger, or strokes
with a sword), often as part of a tournament.The medieval tournament is one
of the enduring images of the Middle Ages, with knights fighting to impress
beautiful and unattainable ladies.In reality, jousting was a dangerous sport
and participants undertook years of training before risking their safety in
a tournament.
Preparation For a Medieval
Tournament
Jousting was most popular between the tenth and fifteenth centuries. It was
a fast-moving and colorful spectator sport, with knights riding on
horseback, decorated with the coat of arms of the noble they represented.A
tournament was held in a field called the lists and in the later medieval
period, castles often had their own lists within sight of the castle
buildings. Days before the joust, the knights taking part would gather in
the area, with the knight’s coat of arms on display at the windows of his
lodgings.
Lists would be published
before the big event, naming the combatants, the rules of the tournament and
the type of combat and weapons permitted.The lists, or list field, is the
arena in which a jousting event or similar tournament is held. More
precisely, it is the roped-off enclosure where tournament fighting takes
place
The lance
In modern times, jousting is often done for show or demonstration purposes,
and the lances used are usually made of light wood and prepared so that they
break easily. Lances are often decorated with stripes or the colors of a
knight's coat of arms. In a real joust, the lances were of solid oak and a
significant strike was needed to shatter them. However, the (blunt) lances
would not usually penetrate the steel. The harnesses worn by the knights
were lined on the inside with plenty of cloth to soften the blow from the
lance.
Horses
The two most common kinds of horse used for jousting were warmblood chargers
and coldblood destriers. Chargers were medium-weight horses bred and trained
for agility and stamina, while destriers were heavy war horses. These were
larger and slower, but helpful to give devastating force to the rider's
lance through its weight being about twice as great as that of a traditional
riding horse. The horses were trained for ambling, a kind of pace that
provided the rider with stability in order to be able to focus and aim
better with the lance.
During a jousting tournament, the horses were cared for by their grooms in
their respective tents. They wore caparisons, a type of ornamental cloth
featuring the owner's heraldic signs. Competing horses had their heads
protected by a chanfron, an iron shield for protection from otherwise lethal
lance hits.
Other forms of equipment on the horse included long-necked spurs which
enabled the rider to control the horse with extended legs, a saddle with a
high back to provide leverage during the charge or when hit, as well as
stirrups for the necessary leverage to deliver blows with the lance.
The armour
Jousting was popular from the late Middle Ages until the early 1600s, when
it was replaced as the equine highlight of court festivities by large
"horse-ballet" displays called carousels, although non-combat competitions
such as the ring-tilt lasted until the 18th century. During the period
jousting was popular armour evolved from being chain mail (called simply
mail at the time), with a solid, heavy helmet, called a "great helm", and
shield. By 1400 knights wore full suits of plate armour, called a "harness".
A full harness frequently included extra pieces specifically for use in
jousting, so that a light military combat suit could be reinforced with
heavier, "bolt-on" protective plates on the cuirass (breastplate) and
helmet, and also with jousting-specific arm and shoulder pieces, which
traded mobility for extra protection. These extra pieces were usually much
stronger on the side expected to take the impact of the lance. Special
jousting helmets were sometimes used, made so that the wearer could only see
out by leaning forwards. If the wearer straightened up just before the
impact of the lance, the eyes would be completely protected. Some later
suits had a small shield built-in the left side of the armour. In some cases
this was spring loaded to fly into pieces if struck properly by the
opponent's lance.
Jousting under the
International Jousting Association rules follows a points system where
points are given for breaking the lance tip on the opposing knight's shield;
note that there are no points given for unhorsing an opponent. International
Jousting Association sanctioned tournaments also include skill at arms where
the riders display their horsemanship and weapons handling skills with
swords on the Moors Head, they use spears for the rings and spear throw, and
use the lance against a spinning quintain. Many International Jousting
Association tournaments also include a mounted melee with fully armoured
riders using padded batons in place of swords for safety. None of the
International Jousting Association events are theatrically based and they
offer the public a chance to observe living history as opposed to
entertainment oriented jousting.
