Dubbing

With the the Middle Ages, the dubbing was an official ceremony to which many noble assisted and which consisted in devoting a man like knight King.

Any man of good birth, in other words rich and descendant of Suzerain S, after having been page then rider could become knight. With this intention, the father of the child entrusted it to a trustworthy person, a friend, or a member of his family which became her godfather as soon as the child had reached the seven years age. Was needed that the father relies absolute on this person, the godfather, to entrust his child to him, because this one should spend its youths under its guard and be high by him. Moreover, it was not rare that a godfather lies to its protected on the intentions and the person from his father, which involved good number of treasons and wars of honor when the newborn did not return to be made adouber with the family castle to serve his father to with it until his death and while waiting to take his place; but preferred to make allegiance with its godfather and thus to become his knight. The kings who did not have a heir and were not too intransigent towards morals often practiced this kind of trickery and designated then the young knight like their successor and heir. In the castle of his godfather, the young man followed a formation of page.

One can read Tristan and Iseut which explains well this training and of which here an extract: “Under its supervision, Tristan learned how to overlap, jump, swim, run, launch the stone, to handle the ecu and the lance, the various kinds of art and fencing, the art of Vénerie and Fauconnerie, all honest frolicking recommended to flee idleness, mother of the defects, and at the same time the uses of the courtesy and the necessary virtues with the frank man: honor, fidelity, boldness, débonnaireté, démener great generosity, speech with measurement, not to blame anybody with light, to avoid the insane ones and to serve the ladies. ”

Then, as soon as it had reached the age of thirteen or fourteen years, it was named rider, if it had made a success of his formation of page and if the rider which taught it to him were satisfied with his pupil. From now on riper and more extremely physically, its drive is centered on the horsemanship while its formation is worried nothing any more but combat with horse. The night before the ceremony is dedicated to the meditation and the prayer. The ceremony of the Hommage follows during which the rider must lend “homage” to his suzerain who gives his nominations to him, that is to say a standard, symbol of the Fief. As from this moment, the rider is knight, but so vassal of the lord to whom it lent oath. A knight can lend oath to several suzerains and thus have several strongholds, but it must express which is its liege Hommage (or principal homage) if this situation occurs. In this case then, and if there are war or disagreement between its suzerains, the knight is held to obey his lord-liege if this one orders to him to fight at its sides.

It should be also known that any page, rider or knight which did not fill his engagements were regarded as a Félon and were continued until dead follows or which a decision of the king condemns it to the imprisonment.

External bonds

  • Dubbing of the lord of Caumont to the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Advised readings

Random links:Villegailhenc | Jean-Pierre Ancel | Yoshio Kushida | 2nd Canadian regiment | Juan Jose Martínez Casado | Comté_de_Mountrail,_le_Dakota_du_Nord