KNIGHT TRAINING

Read this information and answer the quiz questions:

Knights belonged to the noble class and were part of a military order, but not all soldiers could become knights. 

Training began at a very young age. At 7, the son of a medieval nobleman or knight would be sent off to serve as a page in a lord's castle. There, he would learn horsemanship, archery and swordsmanship, and perform various other duties around the castle.

Squires would begin training at age 14 years old. A squire's training concentrated on strength, fitness and skill with various weapons. Individual training was only part of the regimen, as knights also needed to know how to fight as part of a team of skilled horsemen. The squire would care for the knight's horse, clean the stables, polish the knight's armor and maintain his weapons. They would learn the chivalric codes of conduct and listen to epic tales of Roland, Charlemagne, Arthur, Percival and Lancelot.

After years of training, and usually around the age of 21, the squire would go through the dubbing ceremony. The medieval Code of Chivalry included some Oaths made during the Knighthood ceremony. The entry into Knighthood was highly ritualised which started with a Night Vigil in the Chapel of the Castle. The Knight swore an oath of allegiance to the lord and swore the following oaths:

• Never traffic with traitors
• Never give evil counsel to a lady, whether married or not; he must treat her with great respect and defend her against all
• To observe fasts and abstinences, and often hear Mass and make an offering in Church

The Public ceremony of Knighthood followed a deeply religious ceremony with blessings from the Church to go forward and protect the church by the use of arms.

1) How did someone become a knight during the Middle Ages?

    a) By saving a princess

    b) By training with another knight for many years

    c) By slaying a dragon

    d) All of the above

2) Anyone could become a knight. It didn't matter if they were rich or poor. True or False. 

3) What was the first job a boy had when training to become a knight?

    a) Journeyman

    b) Squire

    c) Archer

    d) Page

    e) Yeoman

4) What sort of tasks did a squire have?
	a)      Taking care of the horses
	b)      Accompanying the knight into battle
	c)      Cleaning armor and weapons
	d)      All of the above
	e)      None of the above

5) About how old was a boy when he became a page?

   a) Seven

   b) Nine

   c) Twelve

   d) Fifteen

   e) Nineteen

6) What was a typical task for a page?

     a) Fighting in battle along side the knight

     b) Cleaning the armor of the knight

     c) Serving meals

     d) All of the above

     e) None of the above

7) About how old were boys when they became squires?

     a) Seven

     b) Nine

     c) Eleven

     d) Fifteen

     e) Twenty-one

8) What was a dubbing ceremony?

      a) When a page was promoted to squire

      b) When a young boy was apprenticed to a knight for training

      c) When a young man went to battle for the first time

      d) When the armor and weapons of a knight were blessed by the queen

      e) When a man was officially made a knight

9) True or False: Most men became knights at around the age of fifteen.