Jousting

• Knights, heavily-armored fighting men, began appearing in the 10th century in Europe. Originally, tournaments of the time were used as a means of practice for the knights, allowing them to work on their horsemanship and use of weapons, particularly the lance. Godfrey de Preuilly has been cited as the creator of medieval tournaments. French-born de Preuilly invented the first tournament in 1066, the year the Normans conquered England. Nobles of the day were expected to provide the king with knights, and tournaments allowed them to show off the various skills of their fighting men. Jousting was always the main activity in medieval tournaments, and this event is often depicted in reenactments. Knights use the lance while jousting, charging toward each other on horseback with the weapons held parallel to the ground.
  
  

History

• Jousting, the most popular tournament activity, became so popular that medieval tournaments were briefly banned in England by King Henry II, who reigned in the late 1100s. So many knights gathered at tournaments, many suffering injuries, that Henry was forced to ban jousting as a sport. His successor, King Richard I, reinstated tournaments during his reign. King Edward I made tournaments much safer by putting the Statute of Arms for Tournaments in place, a set of rules which called for all weapons used in the tournament, including lances, to be blunted. Medieval tournaments were popular for centuries, and did not seriously decline until the musket rose to popularity in the 1500s.
  
  

Types of Jousts

• Jousting was the main activity of any tournament during the medieval period, and it was used in a variety of ways -- all of them dangerous. Mock battles were very common, an event in which knights faced each other on horseback while wearing full armor. The knights charged toward each other with the intention of hitting or unseating the opponent, until one winner emerged. Jousting was also used to settle disputes in judicial matters. It even became popular in wartime, when Kings challenging each other by pitting large numbers of their knights against the opposition on the battlefield. The tilt, invented in 1400, changed the way jousting activities occurred during medieval tournaments. The tilt was a barrier of cloth or timber that served as a barrier between opponents.
  
  

Types

• Some medieval tournaments were held over the space of several days, featuring many jousting activities. In Passage of Arms battles, a single knight would take on all challengers. Melee battles were fought between teams, either on foot or on horseback. Tournament activities largely revolved around mock battles and combat challenges, but there was always a festival atmosphere in the air at tournaments. The event gave people, nobles and peasants alike, the opportunity to mingle and talk among their peers.