Knights, chivalry, tournaments, damsels in distress.... Modern entertainment media has kept their memory alive but through caricatures instead of the real thing.
Thank you for this interesting and respectful essay.
May I add the importance of the knight’s horse, intricately trained in maneuvers that made it a weapon itself, the battle platform of the knight.
The warrior was required to ride with his body and less his hands, which must be used to swing the heavy sword, hold his shield or fend off other forms of attack. The horse learned to respond to commands without words in order to fight in close quarters.
The successful training of the horse by the knight was another expression of his virtue.
Today these same equine skills are continued in dressage, now an expression of beauty but still a reflection of virtue when the horse is trained correctly and without cruelty to force its compliance.
Curious - I know many dressage riders, and they will stress the form's beauty, trust, and skill, but never the virtue of the (chivalric) training. It's a good root understanding that I'm sure they'll appreciate!
Thank you for this comment! Indeed, the mounted style of fighting employed by medieval knights was a revolutionary development in European warfare and has enriched our culture in many ways.
Thank you for this interesting and respectful essay.
May I add the importance of the knight’s horse, intricately trained in maneuvers that made it a weapon itself, the battle platform of the knight.
The warrior was required to ride with his body and less his hands, which must be used to swing the heavy sword, hold his shield or fend off other forms of attack. The horse learned to respond to commands without words in order to fight in close quarters.
The successful training of the horse by the knight was another expression of his virtue.
Today these same equine skills are continued in dressage, now an expression of beauty but still a reflection of virtue when the horse is trained correctly and without cruelty to force its compliance.
Curious - I know many dressage riders, and they will stress the form's beauty, trust, and skill, but never the virtue of the (chivalric) training. It's a good root understanding that I'm sure they'll appreciate!
I know very little about dressage, but I find this discussion interesting!
Thank you for this comment! Indeed, the mounted style of fighting employed by medieval knights was a revolutionary development in European warfare and has enriched our culture in many ways.