Jousting+Tournaments

Jousting Tournaments Two knights in shining armor charge at each other as they aim their lances. Clash! Crack! Thud! One knight is now on the ground, and the other is the winner. This dangerous and daring sport is know as jousting. Jousting has been a popular sport through the ages.

Early Jousting The early form of jousting is not what is seen in the Renaissance and up to present day. Early jousting was more for combat training and not so much entertainment. Jousting then was also to take your opponent prisoner. “If you were to win at jousting you would get the opponent as a prisoner”(Hopkins 43). 13th Century Now in more modern times (Thirteen century to present day) the objective has changed. “New objectives are in place, one of these objectives is to hit your opponent and break your lance. The main goal is to de-horse, or knock the opponent off his/her horse”(Hopkins 43). These tournaments were highly formal events. Months before a joust, nobles would have to challenge other land owners in the area. Nobles would also have to get the necessary permits to joust. The most important phase is to pick the best knight and put him into training for the event. 14th Century In the 14th century knights were not the only ones to pursue jousting. By this point kings have started to joust. These kings jousted to showcase skills and talents to their people. With the kings now jousting many kings were seriously injured. Dangers Jousting like many sports came with its own set of dangers. King Henry II of France was killed when a sliver of his opponent's lance broke off and pierced him through the eye. King Henry VIII suffered a severe injury to his leg when a horse fell on him. This ended the 44 year old monarch’s jousting career. Armor   The armor the jousters wear is a very important to the jouster’s safety. They first used chain mail armor like what they used in combat training. They later used boiled and hardened leather called //cuir bonilli//. This leather was reinforced with small metal plates. This type of armor remained till the fourth century. Now they use metal armor that some might think of knights wearing.(Hopkins 44) Devolopments There have been many developments or additions to the rules and the play of jousting. One of these additions is things like “the list” and “the tilt”. The list is a roped off area where the jousters joust, like a playing field. Before the list was created, jousters would charge head on at each other causing severe injuries if the jousters would miss his target. The list is the wooden wall or fence that separates the two jousters. Without the list the jousters would charge at each other with no separation, risking injury to the horse and/or player. The list what was just cloth stretched across the list is now replaced with a wooden barrier of some sorts Jousting was a very popular sport in the rebirth of the arts. It became a popular sport for knights and kings alike. Jousting might have died a little bit after the Renaissance ended, but now the sport is taking a rebirth. Jousting is a sport that is not going to die anytime soon.

Links  [|Full Metal Jousting]   [|Jousting Facts]

Youtube Videos  [|Full Contact Joust]   [|Royal Armourised']

Works Cited “History of Jousting.” 2012. //The History Channel website//. Mar 15 2012, 1:03

http://www.history.com/shows/full-metal-jousting/articles/history-of-jousting.

Hopkins, Andrea. //Tournaments and Jousts//. New York: The Rosen Publishing

Group, Inc, 2004.