Knights, Chivalry and Tournaments

A knight is a member of a warrior tradition that is heavily interwoven in the feudal culture of the Seven Kingdoms and the Faith of the Seven. Knights occupy a social standing between that of lords and smallfolk. In contrast to nobility, this rank is not hereditary. Knights are referred to with the title "Ser".    

Social status

Any man can be knighted, no matter their birth. Social pressure keeps knighthood from being exploited by unscrupulous knights who might give the accolade for money and the few known Knights who have sold the honor often find punishment from 'true knights.' Knighthood is seen as primarily a martial position, so even the sons of powerful lords are not necessarily knighted if they are incapable of fulfilling the requirements. Doing otherwise would lose honor rather than gain it, and would make a lord and his family be held up to ridicule. Regardless, at times, a lord's son is knighted without fulfilling the requirements for political purposes or to maintain honor for the house. Further, a young knight's repute partially derives from the honor of the man who conferred knighthood on him. Receiving your knighthood from a King, Prince, Kingsguard, or legendary knight holds great prestige. However some also find respect for those who earn their Knighthood from Hedge Knights, who despite their low station are known to be hard as nails and take the honor seriously for it is often all they have.   Although lords hold certain legal rights (e.g., the right of pit and gallows) which knights do not have, and outrank knights at tourney’s and feasts, certain landed knights can be lord in all but name. It is mostly the title which sets the two apart, as the title of lord is generally considered to be more prestigious than the title “ser”. However, the title of a knight has its own prestige, as it cannot be inherited. And although knights are often ranked below lords, certain landed knights might actually be more powerful than lesser lords. It is certainly possible that a landed knight has more lands and wealth than a small lord. Especially landed knights who come from ancient houses, and who have extensive lands and a large, strong castle may actually be more powerful than many smaller lordlings. Such a peculiar status if often reflected by taking a style that incorporates the name of their castle, such as the Knight of Ninestars.   Lordly houses can be reduced to landed knights as punishment from the crown. Knighthood can also be stripped from individuals, through attainder or royal decree.   The Warrior's Sons were a military order of knights who gave up worldly possessions and swore their service to the High Septon. They were however outlawed during the Faith Militant uprising by King Baelon I.  

Appearance

Plate is more common in the Reach, while mail is more the rule in the north. The armor used by free folk living beyond the Wall is rather primitive however Knights of every region tend toward heavier styles of armor, primarily plate.   Knights can wear several different kinds of helmets. "Halfhelms", conical helmets with open faces and a nasal bar are common in the Riverlands and North. Greathelms, both visored and closed, and elaborately shaped helms that might be more artistic or in the style of animals are more common in the Westerlands and Reach. The Vale tends toward more flexible lighter plate with a simple styling, while Reach plate might be ornately dressed, perhaps even trimmed in fine metals. In the North and Stormlands rigid half plate or breastplates over mail are the norm.   Earning knighthood is also called "earning spurs". Wealthier knights may wear gilded spurs.   Knights display a coat-of-arms on their shield and surcoat to identify themselves. Those who are nobly born often wear the arms of their house. Some might chose to use variations of their house's sigil, however. Sons of a house, Tyrell for example may use numbers of their sigil such as two and three golden roses instead of one to indicate their positions as second and third son. A knight can also chose a completely new coat-of-arms which may be done to be distinct from their house, or to honor their legacy such as mixing the sigils of their parents, for example a son of house Arryn with a mother from house Royce bordering the moon and eagle with the runes of Runestone as a personal sigil. Many knights wear large crests on their helms that embellish the theme of their arms, such as a trout for a tully, and a unicorn horn for a Brax.   A plain yet complete set of good steel armor with greaves, gorget, and greathelm could cost eight hundred stags, which equals almost four golden dragons.  

Becoming a knight

Pages and squires

Although not an absolute requirement for becoming a knight, boys, often nobly born, can serve as pages and later squires. Boys can become pages at several different ages. It appears to be normal to become a page from the ages of six or seven onwards. Boys as young as eight might serve the Night's Watch as pages.   After several years of serving as a page, a boy can become a squire (also spelled "esquire"). Boys are not required to serve as a page before becoming a squire, so the age of squiring can range widely but 10 seems on the late end of becoming a squire.   Pages and squires train at arms. Squires run errands for their masters, tend to their master's animals, clean his mail, and help him into his armor whenever required. In times of war, they ride beside their masters, assisting them and fighting by their sides. During tourneys, squires will provide their masters with new lances, or with a sword. A boy who is being fostered but who is not training for knighthood (e.g., because he does not follow the Faith of the Seven), can perform the duties of a page and squire without strictly being one. Kingsguard are known to have pairs of squires for the dedication they have to their duties.  

Age at knighthood

Most knights have already come of age when they receive their knighthoods. When Prince Baelon Targaryen was knighted at the age of sixteen in 28 AC, he was the youngest knight in the Seven Kingdoms at the time. Exceptional fighters can be knighted at a younger age, however. It is common to be be knighted at the age of eighteen and young squires who have proven themselves in battle might be promised knighthood when they come of age.  

Conditions for knighthood

Most squires are knighted some time after coming of age. Some men are knighted before then, by demonstrating their prowess in tourneys. Underage squires might be knighted on the battlefield as they lay dying as a final honor. Men can also ask for knighthood before being executed if their crime was not disqualifying.   The motivation for receiving knighthood can be political.   Knighthood can also be acquired in less honorable ways. Tales are told of knights who gained their knighthoods with favors, coin, and threats. It is said that Glendon Cuy sold his maiden sister's virginity in exchange for receiving his knighthood. Harren the Black is said to have knighted every man who could raise a sword above his head, having them take a knee along the gutters of Harrenhal in preparation for the coming of Aegon the Conqueror assembling an army of "gutter knights."  

Conditions preventing knighthood

Men with physical disabilities that prevent them from taking on the expected duties of a knight cannot gain knighthood. Stormkings would on occasion knight dwarves who were jesters in their court because a dwarf as a Knight was, obviously, a joke. Other physical conditions that hinder a knight's duties, such as obesity and disinclination to martial training, would be another reason men do not become knights. Mental disabilities also preclude knighthood though men who become half-wits as Knights retain their honor and are commonly cared for by whoever they served when they were so cursed.   Some men do not become knights for lack of interest, although they are physically qualified. Followers of the old gods do not tend to be knighted, as knighthood is an Andal tradition usually requiring standing a vigil in a sept and vows to the Seven. However, there are known exceptions, such battlefield-knighted northerners who proved their fitness and honor, and the knighthood process performed by followers of R'hllor in Dorne and Essos. Some men reject knighthood for personal reasons. Some warriors cannot be knighted on grounds of their sex, such as Cait Blackstone.   Some squires choose to never become a knight, and live the rest of their lives as squires. This may be because the individual does not have the inclination to live a knight's martial lifestyle, or does not have the funds to properly equip himself.   We tend to think of squires as teenaged boys, knights in training, but that is only part of the truth. There are many men who spend their entire lives as squires, and never became knights choosing to turn to squiring as a profession. Such men perhaps did not have the wealth to become knights (who had to pay for their own equipment), or they do not have the grit to be as plain a target as a Knight often is. Professional Squires in a Lords household can often find themselves commanding teams of unskilled men at arms with the skills they have learned as a squire, for their knight who serves as a unit Commander and distraction for the enemy.  

Ceremony

  Any knight can make a knight. However, kings can make knights as well, even if they were never knighted themselves. On the other hand, lords cannot dub someone a knight if they have not previously been knighted themselves.   Knighthood is partially a religious matter, as it is usually open only to followers of the Faith of the Seven. There are several variations of ceremonies. It is customary to stand vigil in a sept the night before one receives knighthood. This vigil is carried out before the figure of the Warrior. The sword might be placed before or upon the figure, and the armor in a pile at the statue’s base. At times, the knights-to-be might walk barefoot from the sept to the location where they are to receive their knighthood, to prove their humble hearts. Some wear shifts of undyed wool, and mark receiving their knighthood by the putting on a swordbelt after being dubbed. Before taking a knight's vows, a septon might anoint the knight-to-be with the seven oils. Being anointed by the High Septon is considered to be a great honor. However, men can also be dubbed a knight without exercising these customs, for example on the battlefield. Witnesses might be present at the moment of receiving knighthood, although this is not a requirement.   When knighting someone in a formal manner, the dubber speaks the knight-to-be's name and House, if he has one. The dubber touches the subject on the right shoulder with his sword, and while placing the sword on the other shoulder following every sentence says:   In the name of the Warrior I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother I charge you to defend the young and innocent. In the name of the Maid I charge you to protect all women....   In a less formal knighting ceremony, the dubber lays his sword upon the knight-to-be's right shoulder, and says:   [Name of knight-to-be], do you swear before the eyes of gods and men to defend those who cannot defend themselves, to protect all women and children, to obey your captains, your liege lord, and your king, to fight bravely when needed and do such other tasks as are laid upon you, however hard or humble or dangerous they may be?   After the subject who is being knighted confirms that he will do as asked, the sword is moved to the left shoulder, and the dubber will say that the newly-made knight can rise.  

Practices

Knights are supposed to be honorable and follow the chivalric codes. They are expected to be brave and just, and to defend the innocent, the weak, and women. Knights are expected to train and lead a group of men-at-arms.   Knights preferably have multiple horses, including one to travel on and another to ride in tourneys and in battle. Some knights refuse to name their horses, so they are less likely to feel attached to them, as horses are likely to die in battle.   The host of a tourney decides whether only knights, or also sellswords, squires, and freeriders are allowed to compete. The Reach, the heart of the chivalric tradition in the Seven Kingdoms, is the most likely place to encounter a tourney only for knights. During the joust, the man who loses the tilt usually has to give up his armor and horse. For a poor knight, this might represent a danger. So long as a knight is armed and horsed, he remains a knight of sorts, but without, they are little more than a beggar.  

Types of knights

  Several different types of knights can be identified:   Landed knights are knights with a keep and lands of their own. Although members of nobility, and wealthier landed knights might hold more land than the poorest lords do, they do not have the authority to deliver law and justice. Hedge knights are so called because they "sleep in the hedges as often as not." They are nearer to common servants than noble knights in the eyes of most lords. They spend their lives riding from keep to keep, taking service with different lords until the lords have no more need for them and sent them off. Hedge knights have an unsavory reputation, and merchants are notoriously mistrustful of them. Hedge knights gone rogue are referred to as robber knights. Household knights are landless knights who have been taken into the service of a lord. Knights inquisitor are agents of the Iron Throne tasked with investigating and punishing threats. The term true knight refers to an ideal knight who upholds all qualities for which knighthood stands for. Each knight, no matter which kind of knight, should ideally aspire to live up to these standards.   As knighthood is associated with the Faith of the Seven, there are fewer knights in the north than in southern Westeros, as only a few northern houses worship the Seven. Northern cavalry are just as fierce, loyal, and honorable as knights are. However, despite being the northern equivalent of knights, it is not quite the same as being a knight, on account of the prestige that a knighthood contains. Most northern knights live in the southern regions of the north, although not in the Neck. House Manderly specifically, originating from the Reach, still holds to the Faith of the Seven, and White Harbor, their seat, has been most exposed to southron influences. Not all northern knights hold to the Faith of the Seven, however. One such an example is Ser Bartimus.   Because most ironborn follow the Drowned God instead of the Seven, knighthood is also rare in the Iron Islands. Recent politics have however seen Septs being built on Hawlaw, Saltcliffe and Orkmont with house Harlaw of the tower of Glimmering and house Myre of Harlaw both converting to the Faith of the Seven.   Quotes  

Knights may keep their truces with other knights, but they are not so careful of their honor when dealing with those they deem outlaw.

— A comment by an Ironborn at Riverrun

 

In my Seven Kingdoms, knights go on quests to prove themselves worthy of the maiden that they love. They seek for magic swords, for chests of gold, for crowns stolen from a dragon's hoard.

— Visenya Targaryen to Lord Hightower on the topic of Warrior Son's

 

Without honor, a knight is no more than a common killer. It is better to die with honor than to live without it.

— Ser Richard Roote to his squires

   

Tourneys

  A tourney is a popular form of celebration and entertainment in the Seven Kingdoms often used to mark an occasion or unify houses or regions with sport.  

Significance

Tourneys that are important social events, and often bookend many of the major historical events such as weddings, wars, births, and coronations. For the knights, the tourney outcomes are an important part of their personal history and can lead to advancement for them and their house.   Tourney's often drip with pageantry and heraldry takes a center stage as does the finest arms and armour. Other tourneys of pivotal significance, like the Hayford tourney are more serious affairs but can still have a great amount of ambitious men seeking to be remembered with vibrant presentation.  

Formats and rules

  Tourneys in Westeros vary according to the region in which the tourney is held, the desires of the hosting lord, and the rules devised by the lord's master of the games. They may be held to celebrate a marriage however it is often considered bad luck to celebrate a wedding with bloodshed so a wedding tourney is often a more casual, and less lethal affaid. Many forms of competition are known, including jousting (also called the lists), mock battles between teams of knights, archery competitions, or the melee, in which many warriors fight individually in one large battle. Tourneys can be small events focusing on one competition held on a single day, or they can be large events that take several days and may include several different competitions.   The central event of many Westerosi tourneys is jousting, in which two armored knights aim to knock each other off their mounts with a jousting lance, continuing on foot with a variety of blunted weapons. The loser of a joust must often forfeit his horse and armour to the winner, thus jeopardizing a considerable part of his possessions.   Many tourneys pit pairs of warriors in rounds, where the loser is eliminated and the winner proceeds to the next round. The winner of the last round is declared champion. Some ladies allow contestants to wear their favors during a tourney. The queen of love and beauty can be chosen from the ladies by the competition's victor but not all tourney's have such an honor.   Another format is named 'Meadow of the maiden.' This type of tourney starts with five champions who defend the honor of a woman, often a daughter of the lord who arranges the tournament. Other participants can challenge one of the champions to a melee or joust, and if successful take his place. At the end of the tourney, the five remaining champions may confirm the original maiden as Queen of love and beauty, or chose a new one. A variation of this tourney can be held to choose a husband for a desireable woman, where Seven Knights are chosen to defend the Maiden, and any man who can fight his way through all seven, has right to her hand, in the event multiple prospective suitors best all seven Knights against them, they are set against eachother in a free for all melee.   Some Westerosi tourneys are open only to anointed knights, whose privileges are jealously guarded. Indeed, tourney culture is closely connected to chivalric tradition and its spiritual basis, the Andals' Faith of the Seven. These traditions dominate southern and central Westeros, especially in the Reach, but they are uncommon in the North, where many follow the old gods. However, the rules for entering tourneys vary with time and place, and there have been many events where freeriders, squires, or followers of the old gods have entered the lists, but some, especially in the Reach, may only take men who have been Knighted, or serve as Squire to a Knight, and in rare cases some tourney's may be only for men who have seen true combat.   Quotes  

In the days before the Conquest, the Kings of the Reach and their queens presided over tourneys of love and beauty, where the greatest knights of the Reach competed for the love of the fairest maids not only with feats of arms, but with song, poetry, and demonstrations of virtue, piety, and chaste devotion. The greatest champions, men as pure and honorable and virtuous as they were skilled at arms, were honored with invitations to join the Order of the Green Hand.

— writings of Yandel

 

There were a dozen different forms a tourney might follow, according to the whim of the lord who hosted it. Some were mock battles between teams of knights, others wild melees where the glory went to the last fighter left standing. Where individual combats were the rule, pairings were sometimes determined by lot, and sometimes by the master of the games.

 

I have seen a hundred tournaments and more wars than I would wish, and however strong or fast or skilled a knight may be, there are others who can match him. A man will win one tourney, and fall quickly in the next. A slick spot in the grass may mean defeat, or what you ate for supper the night before. A change in the wind may bring the gift of victory. Or a lady's favor knotted round an arm.

 

Mystery knights would oft appear at tourneys, with helms concealing their faces, and shields that were either blank or bore some strange device. Sometimes they were famous champions in disguise.