Tournament

With the the Middle Ages, a tournament is a competition, left play opposing several knights of weapons, generally in an opened space, simulating a true war, with ambushes and battles arranged in front of a public (sometimes female). The ground is generally located, not only on the steps of two principalities, but in moors between two villages, the cultivated grounds and the dwellings being thus saved.

Geographical area concerned

The chivalrous tournament is a sport which is played in France, in the north of the Loire (zone of the Francs), and until Flandres (i.e. in the duchy of Normandy, the Comté of Maine, the Comté of Champagne, the Vermandois, duchy of France). One does not organize any in England, nor in Italy. On the other hand, there is of it in the Saint Germanic Roman Empire, although less large and less frequent than in France (at least until the 12th century). They are mainly organized by the holders of the territorial principalities (counts and dukes), generally with the edge of two of these principalities.

The tournoyeurs come from these areas, and the close areas: Brittany, Anjou, Poitou, Burgundy, County of Flanders, County of Hainaut, England. Some participants come from Low-Lorraine (current Netherlands), none the South of France. They are primarily “young” knights, graduates, who were adoubés but do not have a stronghold yet, which takes part. One recruits also companies of professional soldiers not-noble. Certain great tournaments gather to three thousand knights, either ten thousand combatants (for that of Lagny, or more people and richnesses gathered that for the annual fair).

Calendar

The tournaments, substitute with the war, are organized in a true sporting calendar throughout the year, except in time of war, and during the Lent S preceding great religious holidays: Christmas and Easter, but also the All Saints' day and the Rise. The beautiful season, which avoids rust with the iron armours, is however privileged.

The goal is to carry out prowesses, therefore to acquire honor and a good reputation, but also to capture its enemy, or his horse, and thus to carry out a profit, by the resale or the ransom. This profit is generally wasted in the festivals which follow the tournament. This one thus gathers, in addition to the combatants, many craftsmen, prostitutes, lenders, who all grow rich.

The knights organize themselves in regional teams: French (of the duchy of France) against Norman, Angevins, etc These teams regional are combined sometimes with the several ones against the others, according to affinities: French-Champagne against English-Norman, reproducing the real political struggles.

Unfolding

The knights arrive often already organized in teams at the tournament, each one carried out by a large lord. These teams can be combined between them to lead to a situation where only two camps clash.

Before the tournament, the decorated heaumes cimiers are exposed under the banners of the participant, in a cloister.

On the ground, recès are chosen by convention before the beginning of the tournament: any group of combatants can S `take refuge there to be reformed there, as during a true battle, the knights fold up themselves with the back to take again their breath or to make rectify a helmet.

Chronological reference marks

842 : first mention of tournament.
944 : Tournament with Goettingue.
Mars 1000: at the time of Easter, a great tournament gathers the fine flower of the Champagne knighthood with Troyes. Many deaths and wounded.
towards 1066: Geoffroy de Preuilly draws up rules written with the tournaments, which is not the case.
Beginning of the 11th century: the tournaments become current in all the Occident (in current France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and Luxembourg, in particular).
1130 : with the council of Clermont of Auvergne, the Pape Innocent II prohibits the practice of the tournament vigorously. The French knighthood does not hold any account of this prohibition…
1179: to the III {{E}} council of Lateran, the pope Alexandre III condemns the practice of the tournament. In spite of the multiplication of these interdicts, the tournament remains the activity more the appraisal by the knights who can show their force and their endurance there. The French knighthood, which collects the victories in tournament as on the battle fields does not conceive to put a term at this “art of living”.
August 19th 1186: the duke of Brittany Geoffroy II Plantagenêt finds death in a tournament with Paris.
As from approximately 1230, the tournament gives place to more elaborate settings in scene
1240: sixty died at the time of a tournament with Neuss.
June 1245: the Concile of Lyon condemns the practice of the tournament.
1260 : the king of France holy Louis prohibits the practice of the tournament.
As from approximately 1280, the courteous weapons (blunted) replace the weapons of war: the tournament is gradually replaced by the tournament, which develops individualities and puts in scene the parade of the participants, in particular of high ranking
1307 - 1327: reign of Edouard II, king d' Angleterre, who promulgates in 20 years not less than 40 prohibitions of tournaments and tournaments.
1394 : making fun openly of the religious interdicts, of the French knights clash in tournament disguised as clerks
1468: Charles Bold the is constrained to threaten of dead the participants of a tournament so that they cease the part given in the honor of his marriage. The amateurs of tournaments, ultra-violent activity which tallies badly with the air of time, must from now on be satisfied with the tournaments.

See too

Articles of Wikipédia

External bonds

tournaments seen by a historian of the XIXe century
Tournament of Saint-Inglevert in 1385 on Histopale

Sources of the article

Georges Duby. Guillaume the Marshal or the best knight of the world , chapter IV, in Feudality. Gallimard, 1996. Collection Fourthly. p 1114-1132. First publication: 1984.

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