What It Takes To Be a Knight

A couple of months ago while Ryan and Amanda were here to visit, we boys wanted to pretend we were knights. Mama gave us some old shirts that were a little too big and we put them on and buckled a belt around our waist. Then she printed us each a crest to put on the front of our shirts. My crest was a lion. After we got our crests on, we all pretended we were the Knights of the Round Table.

Did you know the word “knight” comes from the old English word “cnight,” which means a household retainer? I did not. Becoming a knight was not easy. To train to be a knight, first you became a page.

From the age of seven, until his teens, a page had to learn to fight with a sword and he had to learn to play chess and other games that taught him skills and strategy. 

Next, he became a squire. As a squire, he learned to joust against other squires, and learned the code of chivalry.

The code of chivalry was a knight’s code of behavior. The code of chivalry grew with the songs of the minstrels. Their poems showed that the true knight had faith and a deep love of the Christian religion. He defended the church and was ready to die for it. He loved the land of his birth and gave generously to all.

A squire rode in battle with his master and took charge of the prisoners. “I dub you knight.” Those words completed the ceremony in which a squire became a knight. Knights were very brave.

We boys each have a wooden sword we made, and we all practice sword fighting. We also pretend to go out to battle and help protect our realm from other knights who try to seize our kingdom. We always follow the code of chivalry by defending our country and helping one another out. We also protect the king and always do as we are told. We have an enjoyable time playing knights.

~Jonah