Why knights were honor bound to fight dragons
Dragons are the most well-known and persistent fantastical beings that were once upon a time were accepted as real. Many cultures, including those in the Americas, Europe, India and China,…
Why medieval knights trained and worked out in full suits of armor
There’s a lot of wisdom in old sayings. As one old saying goes, “Train like you fight.” It’s a saying that has been true for thousands of years. The men…
These warriors were the ‘Leper Knights’ of the Crusader Kingdoms
August 1099 saw the culmination of the First Crusade. European Knights had finally succeeded in capturing Jerusalem, creating a series of feudal states that would see European Christians control the…
A special diet might be the reason these medieval knights lived long lives
Food matters, and no one knows that more than military personnel. No matter where they are or what flag is flying over their formations, the well-worn saying that “an army…
Why a knight’s lance was so deadly, even to armored knights
It’s not just the favorite weapon to the central event of renaissance fairs all across America. The lance was the premier weapon for medieval heavy cavalry in Europe, allowing massed…
This is how knights trained for life-or-death jousting tournaments
Jousting is thought to be the first extreme sport in history. According to historians, jousts were a popular medieval tournament in Europe held from the 10th to the 16th centuries…
5 reasons why medieval wars were the worst for everyone involved
War is not junior varsity basketball. There are no participation trophies and no one fights a battle thinking it’s okay to lose as long as you have fun. In the…
‘The Green Knight’ brings medieval chivalry to the big screen in a big way
The legends of the mythical King Arthur’s court weren’t all round tables and holy grails. One of the king’s most able and seasoned knights, Sir Gawain, once had to fight…
The elite medieval knights who were bankers and brawlers
They were one of the most powerful organizations in the world at their time, controlling wealth and military arms across the world. The Knights Templar were the first Christian religious military order, eventually growing to be one of the first inte…
It’s surprisingly easy to earn a modern-day knighthood
Being knighted today holds a much different meaning than it did in the days of old. Nations with a monarch as their head of state would, once upon a time, issue knighthoods to their loyal subjects and foreign citizens who have done great deeds for t…