Heralds no longer ride back and forth, The trumpet is thundering, and the horn calls to the battle.
Here in the western squad and in the eastern
The shafts are stuck into the stops firmly, A sharp thorn pierced the horse's side.
Here you can see who is the fighter and who is the rider.
A spear breaks on a thick shield, The fighter feels the edge under his chest.
The debris is hitting twenty feet high …
Behold, the silver is brighter, swords soared, Shishak is crushed into pieces and embroidered, Blood flows menacingly in a stream of red.
Chaucer. Translation. O. Rumera
There are always two approaches to any topic-problem: superficial and deep enough. The first one is to write in relation to the named topic as follows: tournament from the French word "tourne", ie spinning, for the first time they began to conduct it then … and away we go. The second … the second - there are many options at once. This is the role of the tournament in the daily life of a knight, and a tournament in knightly romances, and a tournament in medieval miniatures, and weapons and armor for tournaments. Moreover, you can go deep into all this and much more for a very, very long time.
On March 27 and April 3 of this year, here on VO there were already my materials "Armor for knightly fun" (https://topwar.ru/111586-dospehi-dlya-rycarskih-zabav.html), "Armor for knightly fun" (illustrated continuation) - (https://topwar.ru/112142-dospehi-dlya-rycarskih-zabav-illyustrirovannoe-prodolzhenie.html), in which the topic of tournament armor received a fairly detailed coverage. However, it was not completely exhausted. In fact, we just touched it, and one of the reasons for this was the rather random selection of illustrative material. In fact, no matter how rich the Internet is, but … well, it does not contain what is needed, for example, for me, in full.
The collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York contains more than 14 thousand photographs, which, by a strange whim of its creators, are like creatures from Tau Kita: they appear in the "windows", then disappear. To collect the required number of photos in such conditions is simply to risk your nervous system, since you have to view them all anew every time! Why this is done, I do not know, although I guess. Very few photos from the Dresden Armory have been posted. Therefore, when I got there, the first thing I did was look at its entire exposition in order to assess the general orientation of the exhibits presented there. And I discovered that tournament armor of the 16th century, ceremonial armor of the same time, and that was all were collected there. That is, the exposition itself is chronologically small, although very rich. And if so, then the theme of tournament armor, one might say, suggests itself. And - most importantly, it can be well illustrated and please VO readers with beautiful photos. After all, it is better to see it yourself once than to read it ten times.
We will begin our acquaintance with the "tournament pictures" with this photo taken in the Dresden Armory. Previously, it was located in a different place and was decorated differently, but now it has ended up in one of the halls of the Residence Palace, that is, it is located in the same place as the famous "Green Vaults". The figures of horses and riders are beautifully executed. The blankets are remakes, of course, but this does not diminish their value, they are striking in the quality of execution. Well, this scene depicts a typical German spear tournament of the 16th century, when this fun practically lost the role of preparation for war and turned into a magnificent game characteristic of the lifestyle of the nobility. Anyway, it was a beautiful sight!
Today, speaking of a "tournament", we mean a competition of knights, which is a general concept. But the meaning of this word has changed over time. For us, a tournament (fr. Turney) is a duel of knights in peacetime, a kind of war game in which it is not so important to inflict real harm on your opponent, but rather to demonstrate to everyone your skill in using weapons. Well, now let's start from afar and, if possible, with the maximum amount of details, touching on as many details as possible, with the involvement of the most interesting photo artifacts.
Already the Roman historian Tacitus wrote that the Germans are fond of spectacles reminiscent of real battles. The heroic epic "Beowulf" and also both "Edda" tells us about the same. Someone Neithar, a nephew of Charlemagne, said that in 844 the retinue of Prince Louis of Germany and his brother Charles, having made up two units of the same size, staged a demonstration battle, both princes personally took part in it along with their warriors. Vendalen Beheim reported that the first set of rules for the tournament was made by a certain Gottfried of Preya, who died in 1066. Such games were called "Buhurt" ("Buhurt"), and in the XII century the word "tournament" was used, which was then borrowed into languages of various peoples. As for the original German terms, French began to be used instead, although later the German terms managed to regain the positions they had lost earlier.
Until the XIV century, tournament weapons and equipment did not differ from combat ones, since the tournament was considered as an element of the knight's combat training. In the "Song of the Nibelungs" the armor of the tournament participant is described as follows: it is, first of all, a "battle shirt" made of Libyan silk; then a strong "armor" of iron plates sewn onto some kind of base; a helmet with ties under the chin; a shield belt decorated with stones - gouge. As for the shield itself, judging by the description, it should have had exceptional strength, having three fingers of thickness near the umbilicus. I should have, but … I could not stand the blows with the spear! The poem often mentions shields pierced by spears or shields with stuck spearheads. However, these descriptions are more typical for the middle of the 12th century than for the beginning of the 13th century, when the poem was written down and edited. By the way, it is interesting that, judging by the text of the "Song of the Nibelungs", the spears of that time were not distinguished by high strength and it was impossible to knock the rider out of the saddle with their help. And this is really so, if we remember the scenes of "Bayesian embroidery", where the soldiers throw them at the enemy. Only in the last part of "The Song of the Nibelung" in the description of the duel between Gelpfrat and Hagen, it is said that after the collision one of them could not stay in the saddle. That is, the main thing should be noted: since the tournament fights were held without a barrier (and whoever saw a real fight "with a barrier"), the spears were used light. They were aimed in such a way as to … break through the shield with which the enemy was trying to close, moving it from the left side to the right, since the movement of the riders was right-sided. However, the blow of the spear was very strong, because the spear turned out to be almost perpendicular to the shield.
Let us now turn to a source such as medieval illuminated manuscripts to begin with. For example, the legendary Ulrich von Lichtenstein, the winner of countless tournaments, was depicted on the pages of the famous Manes Codex, which is now kept in the library of the University of Heidelberg. The figure of the goddess Venus was fixed on his helmet. By the way, it is surprising why the creators of the film "A Knight's Story" did not tell the truth about him, but created a tearful (and incredible!) Story of a poor boy who became a knight. Moreover, the most incredible thing shown in the film is a clear violation of the rules of the tournament in the last fight, associated with the use of a sharp spear by his dishonest opponent. The marshals of the tournament and the "knight of honor" - its chief judge, immediately, regardless of titles, would have dismissed the knight who had committed such a shameful act. They would beat him with sticks, put him astride a fence (!), After which they would take away his horse and armor, and he himself would have to pay a considerable ransom to his victim for his freedom.
Now let's look at the description of the tournament, given in the manuscript "Adoration of the Lady", written under the dictation of the knight Ulrich von Lichtenstein. ("The real" History of a knight "- https://topwar.ru/99156-nastoyaschaya-istoriya-rycarya.html). Well, the one who cut off his lip for the sake of his lady of the heart, fought in a woman's dress, whiled away the time with lepers (!) And hung on a tower, suspended by the hand. He already distinguishes between a duel between two participants and a duel in which opponents fight as part of a squad. Armor and weapons differ very little from those used in war. The rider wears a surcoat embroidered with his emblems, like a horse blanket, which was double - the first was made of leather, and the second, on top of the first, was also embroidered with emblems. An iron-shaped shield, possibly somewhat smaller than a combat shield. The knight put on a heavy tophelm helmet, in the form of a bucket, well known to us from the film "Alexander Nevsky", only before going to the lists, and before that it was held by a squire. The spear already had a pair of discs, called "spear rings" in the book, for hand protection and ease of grip. It is curious that the book emphasizes that the duel in Tarvis between Reinprecht von Mureck and Ulrich von Lichtenstein: one of them took a spear under his arm (for us, it seems to be the most natural method, but then this was surprising), while the other held him hips, apparently holding it in a bent arm. Again, this speaks of one thing - the spears during the exploits of Ulrich von Lichtenstein were not too heavy!
On the surco knight, the participant of the tournament, as a rule, his coat of arms was embroidered. In any case, it was customary, although there were always exceptions.
By the beginning of the XIII century, the goal of the tournament as a "war game" was defined very precisely and rules were developed that had to be followed strictly. It was necessary to simulate a combat encounter with a blow with a blunt-tipped spear into the shield that covered the enemy's left shoulder in order to break the shaft of his spear or knock him out of the saddle.
"Manes Code". Walter von Glingen breaks the javelin at the tournament. Around 1300, tournament fights looked something like this.
That is, this suggests that now the movement of the riders was left-sided, which made it easier for the spear to hit the shield precisely from the left side, and not perpendicularly, but at an angle of 75 degrees, which weakened the force of the blow by about 25%.
This illustration from the "Manes Code" clearly shows that at the tournaments of the beginning of the XIV century. already used spearheads in the form of a crown, and the spears themselves had a shield for the hand. In addition, it can be seen that the winner - Albert von Rapperschwil, made sure to cover his neck with a special collar with ties.
There were two distances. The first is short. At this distance, each knight demonstrated his ability to wield a spear and withstand a blow with a spear of medium strength, without falling from a horse, for which, in fact, such a short distance for a collision was chosen. The second distance was longer. The horse and rider had time to accelerate so that this made it possible to knock their opponent out of the saddle, and the spears usually broke from the blow so that they scattered into small pieces. However, this is precisely why, starting from the 12th century, spears began to be made much stronger, although their diameter did not exceed 6.5 cm. That is why they could be held under the arm by hand without resorting to persistent hooks. So, for example, each of the squires of Ulrich von Lichtenstein during the tournament easily held in his hand three spears tied together, which would be physically impossible if their weight was extremely large.
Of course, all this did not save the knights from danger. It happened that the knights faced such a terrible force that they fell dead to the ground along with the horses. It is known, for example, that in 1241, during a tournament in Nessus, almost 100 knights died from the fact that … suffocated in their armor from heat and dust, although most likely, in our modern opinion, they simply had a heat stroke.
In the XIII century, two types of tournament battles began to be distinguished: "marching" and "appointed". The first was heralded as a kind of random meeting of two knights who are "on the march", that is, on the way. Although most likely it was deliberate and agreed in advance. One of them was located on the very road and challenged the knights following him to a knightly duel, claiming, for example, at the same time that a certain lady is the most virtuous and beautiful lady in the whole wide world. Such a knight was called the instigator. The other, of course, could not agree with this statement of his, and therefore accepted the challenge, seeking to prove that in fact the most beautiful lady … is completely different! This knight was called the protector. Ulrich von Lichtenstein in his "Adoration of the Lady" details one such tournament. A certain knight Mathieu put his tent on the route of Ulrich, but before that he had already fought with eleven knights, so that fragments of their spears and shields were lying on the ground. Since the interest in the tournament between such famous knights was simply enormous and led to a hitherto unheard-of crowd of people, Ulrich specially fenced off the place for the fight with the help of 200 copies with flags that had the color of his coat of arms. A similar arrangement of the lists was not practiced at that time, so this innovation only added fame to Ulrich von Lichtenstein. A similar technique was in vogue until the end of the 14th century, and in Germany it was used even until the 15th century. Naturally, the battle took place with military weapons, since it was simply unthinkable at that time to carry a set of armor specially for the tournament.
In a group fight, shown on one of the miniatures of the Codex Manes, we see strange fighting techniques. Knights grab their opponents by the neck, trying to disarm, and, most likely, capture them. And this is clearly not a fight, but a tournament, since the ladies are watching what is happening from above.
The appointed tournament was announced in advance, its place was determined and messengers were sent out with invitations to the knights. Since there were no highways then, the tournament was announced many months before its start.
An important role in informing all representatives of the nobility interested in participating in the tournament was played by the heralds, who announced the tournament itself and made sure that unworthy people did not get into it. Such - that is, knights-impostors were planted on a fence around the lists and taught wisdom with sticks, after which they took off their spurs on a dung heap, took away armor and a war horse and drove them out of the tournament! Only a herald who knew his business well could forge the relevant documents for a knight, but it was not easy to find someone who would risk his position for the sake of money, and the amount required was such that a false knight simply could not get it!
Such tournaments were held until the end of the XIV century, and it was during these tournaments that an accelerated exchange of new weapons took place (sometimes overnight!), Since no one wanted to appear in public in outdated armor. However, it was only by about 1350 or a little earlier that certain details of tournament weapons began to differ from combat ones. The reason was simple: to show oneself in front of the ladies from the best side, as well as to produce an appropriate effect on the spectator stands, but at the same time (God save me from such a misfortune!) You will not get serious injuries.
"Manes Code". Heinrich von Breslau receives an award at the tournament. Judging by the illustration, the winner was a simple wreath of one of the ladies. However, in fact, participation in the tournament was a very profitable activity, of course, for those who won them. After all, both the horse and the armor of the vanquished were received by the winner! And he could only get it back for a ransom. And that was a lot of money. For example, in the 70s of the XIII century.a tournament horse cost 200 silver marks in Basel, which is very decent, considering that one mark at that time weighed 255 grams of silver! Well, armor plus weapons and a horse (or even two or three!) Pulled 15 kg of silver.
In the XIV century, new rules were introduced for the group tournament in the lands of southern France and Italy: now the knights first faced each other with spears in their hands (such a group tournament, by the way, is described in the novel by Walter Scott Ivanhoe) after they fought with blunt swords, until one side was defeated.
"Manes Code". Gosli von Echenhein fights with the sword in the tournament. It is interesting that the head decoration of his horse is not just a helmet-mounted decoration, similar to that on the knight's helmet. But for some reason … his very helmet! It was probably because it was gilded!
At the beginning of the 15th century, a tournament with clubs became fashionable in Germany, which was also held between two squads of knights. At the same time, their weapons consisted of a blunt, albeit heavy sword and a wooden mace up to 80 cm long and made of hard wood. The handle of such a mace had a spherical pommel and a round shield made of sheet iron ("nodus"), which served to protect the wrist from impact. The mace gradually thickened upward and had a multifaceted section. This, at first glance, "not lethal weapon" actually possessed deadly power and, probably for the first time in the history of tournament practice, required the creation of specially designed protective equipment and, first of all, a helmet. The reason for the necessary innovations was that when such a mace struck in the usual pot-shaped helmet, tightly sitting on the head, there was a danger to life. A new helmet was designed, which had a spherical shape and significant volume, so that the head of the person enclosed in it did not touch its walls anywhere. This helmet thus rested only on the shoulders and chest of the knight. In addition, he also put on a felt and cotton comforter under him. Since such a helmet was used only in this tournament and nowhere else, it turned out to be possible to make it in the form of an iron spherical frame, sheathed with durable "boiled leather". The face in such a helmet was protected by a grill made of these thick iron rods. Actually, such a "lattice helmet" to protect against blows with this mace would be quite enough. But the fashion of that time demanded the similarity of tournament weapons with combat ones, so a frame made of rods was covered with a canvas, then covered with a chalk primer, and painted with tempera paints in the colors of the coat of arms of its owner. The helmet was fastened to the chest and back, where the armor had corresponding braces for the belts, hidden under the tournament surcoat.
Here it is - a helmet for a tournament on clubs 1450 - 1500. Made in Germany. Weight 5727 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
And this is what a similar helmet looks like from the exposition of the Imperial Hunting and Armory Chamber in Vienna!
It has become fashionable to decorate helmets of the 13th and 14th centuries with helmet-mounted ornaments of a wide variety of styles, from a bird cage, with a bird inside, and ending with human heads up to and including a black man! It could have been gloves, scarves, and a veil that belonged to the lady of this knight's heart. The robes of the knights were also very magnificent. However, the use of helmet-mounted decorations in the tournament on clubs was caused not only by the desire of its participants to show off in front of the audience, but also was a forced measure, since the victory in it was awarded to the one who obtained this decoration with his mace from the opponent's helmet.
Illustration from the book "Knights of the Middle Ages, V - XVII centuries."
As an option, a spherical helmet was also known, forged from one single piece of iron. Unlike the previous model, it had an opening visor in the form of a convex lattice. To prevent the metal of the helmet from getting hot under the rays of the Sun, it was fashionable to cover such helmets with a helmet lining, which were fixed under his ornaments and fell behind on the back. Such markings were often used already on tophelm helmets in the 13th century. They were made of thin linen or silk, the same color as the knight's coat of arms, or several colors with scalloped edges. A breastplate made of iron would have been redundant, so a “boiled leather” cuirass was used instead. On the left thigh, a blunt sword was tied on a hemp cord, and on the right thigh, a mace. By 1440, round holes for ventilation began to be made on the cuirass in front and behind. That is, it was exclusively tournament equipment, completely unsuitable for combat.
Leather or metal bracers were usually tubular. Shoulders, also made of "boiled leather", had a spherical shape and were connected to the bracers and elbow pads by means of strong hemp ropes, so that all these parts together constituted a single strong and movable system. The mittens were made of thick cowhide and were exactly mittens, not gloves, and their back was also protected by a metal lining.
Quite often, a tournament on clubs was preceded by a duel on spears, the purpose of which was to "break the spear." At the same time, the knight's left side was protected with a shield, the belt of which passed over the right shoulder. Shields of various shapes were used: triangular, quadrangular, but usually concave. Moreover, they were always painted with heraldic emblems, or covered with embroidered fabric. At the request of the customer, the shield could be made of wood, covered with leather, or even metal. Clothes of heraldic colors were also customary.
Horse handling in the tournament was of paramount importance. Therefore, extremely strict and complex bits were used. For example, a bit of the late 16th - early 17th centuries. Germany. Weight 1139, 7 g (Metropolitan Museum, New York)
The equipment for the horse in these tournament fights was already very different from the combat one. So, in the tournament, saddles with a high seat began to be used on clubs, so that the rider almost stood in stirrups. The front bow was bound with iron to protect the knight's legs and thighs and rose so high that it protected not only the groin, but also the stomach. At the top, she had a strong iron bracket, for which the knight could hold on with his left hand so that during the fight he would not fall out of the saddle. The back bow also embracing the knight in such a way that he simply could not fall from the horse. The horse itself always had a blanket of durable leather, which was covered on top with a bright cape with heraldic emblems. That is, the spectacle of the tournament on clubs was very colorful and, probably, exciting, but by the end of the 15th century it began to gradually go out of fashion.
Knight's equipment for fighting with maces.
Another type of mass tournament was “pass protection”. One group of knights announced that they would fight for the honor of their ladies against everyone on such and such a road or, for example, on a bridge. So, in 1434 in Spain, in the town of Orbigo, ten knights held the bridge for a month, fighting with 68 opponents, with whom they had more than 700 fights during this time!
A drawing by Angus McBride depicting such a combat on foot in 1446. The herald of the Duke of Burgundy and his assistant note the violation of the rules and stop the fight.
Already in the era of the early Middle Ages, along with the types of tournaments described here, another one appeared, which at first was simply called "combat", and later, in the 15th century, began to be called "old German foot combat". In fact, it was an analogue of God's judgment, which lost its religious origin and turned into a war game, the purpose of which was only one: to gain universal recognition in the art of wielding weapons and, of course, to gain favor with beautiful ladies. Since chivalry has always had dignified respect for everything that "gave the old days", the "foot battle" from the very beginning was furnished with extreme solemnity and was carried out with strict observance of the rules.
