How Knights Work

Becoming a Knight

The boys who trained to be knights were generally the sons of knights or lords. (In some cases, the sons of commoners could train for knighthood -- as in the movie "A Knight's Tale.") These children were cared for by the women of the castle until they turned 7, when they were placed in the house of another lord or knight. There, they were bestowed with the title of page. Huntsmen and falconers taught them how to hunt, and priests or chaplains taught them religion, reading and writing. Pages learned to fight by imitating knights and practiced combat with each other using wooden swords and lances.

When a page turned 14, he could become an esquire (or, more simply, squire). In a religious ceremony, the new squire took a consecrated sword from a bishop or priest and swore to use it for religious and honorable purposes. After this ceremony, the squire took his place in his lord's household and attended to his duties. There were different squires for specific duties.

The squire of the body was the personal servant of a knight or his lady.
The squire of the chamber, or chamberlain, attended to the rooms of the castle.
The carving squire, or table squire, carved the meat and attended to the banquet tables.
The squire of the wines managed the wine cellar.
The squire of the pantry stocked and kept track of household goods in the pantry.
The squire of arms cleaned and maintained the armor and swords.
The squire of honor assisted the lord in all ceremonies and feasts.

During this period of squiring, the would-be knight learned to serve and mastered the intricacies of social behavior and chivalry.

Besides carrying out their duties in the lord's household, squires learned the martial arts of being a knight. They learned how to handle horses and continued practicing with wooden swords and lances -- sometimes with the knights themselves. They wore chain-mail armor to get used to its weight (and sometimes even danced in hauberks, or chain-mail shirts). As they got older, they exercised and trained in full armor. Squires would also assist the knights in combat, at tournaments and in travel to foreign lands (carrying and cleaning armor, taking care of the knight's horses, packing baggage).

Upon turning 21, a squire was ready to be knighted.

Female Knights

In the Middle Ages, women didn't usually have the opportunity to become knights. However, there were a few exceptions:

In 1149, women who had helped defend the Spanish town of Tortosa from the Moors were inducted into an order of knights called the Order of the Hatchet (which didn't survive beyond its original membership).
The Order of St. John the Hospitaller inducted warrior "nuns."
The Knights Templar also had a class of warrior nuns shortly before all the Templars were accused of heresy and burned.
Women, usually wives of knights and nobles, were inducted into the Order of the Garter in England between 1358 and 1488. There were no further appointments until modern times.
After the French Revolution, French women could be inducted into the Legion d'Honneur.
The Order of the Star of India inducted a woman named Nawab Begum in 1861. Later, her daughter and Queen Mary were granted knighthood in this order.
Today, women can be granted knighthood in British orders. The proper salutation for a female knight is "dame" (think of Dame Judi Dench, the actress).