Are you looking for more than just a medieval knight costume?  Learn all about real medieval knights, their world and their weaponry and clothing.

1381: The Peel Affinity builds a portrait of a world long lost, using gorgeous photographs filled with carefully researched and reconstructed clothing, tools, armor, furnishings, and other items, all based closely on surviving artifacts, manuscript illustrations, and paintings. The text draws extensive details from historical accounts, records, chronicles, and literature, as well as modern historical and archaeological research. All this potentially dull and dusty detail is brou (more…)

Learn the lost art of chivalry to go along with  your medieval knight costume.

The Middle Ages, with its crude reality and mystery, often enveloped in an air of religious and occasionally even mythical or fantastic mysticism, has always been one of the preferred themes of historians and history lovers in general. Since the end of the Roman Empire, with its manipulative tactics in which the infantry was the deciding factor in battles, the cavalry became the main player on the battlefields all over Europe, replacing other forms of weaponry and becoming impor (more…)

Medieval knights were professional soldiers of the twelfth through the fourteenth centuries, also known as the late middle ages. Knights were usually born of nobility and were kings, princes, dukes, earls, and barons.

These young boys of nobility would begin their training as a page at around the age of 6 or 7 years.  They would receive a well rounded education which included learning to read and write, music instruction, how to care for armor and horses and the proper manners of court life.

At around the age of fourteen the young page would become known as a squire, or knight in training, for a period of seven years.  He would become a personal assistant to a knight learning all aspects of warfare as he began his entry into knighthood.

Upon the completion of his training a celebration was held with feasting and discussion of chivalry, honor, religion and courage.  During this time the young squire would swear allegiance to God and to his lord.  At the conclusion of the celebration, the young man would be knighted by the king with the tap of a sword blade on both shoulders.

The medieval knight’s code of chivalry is similar to the code that American military officers pledge as officers and gentlemen. Medieval knights were respected for their commitment to loyalty, honor, courage, and duty. They were the saviors of ladies in distress, the protectors of the innocent and defenders of the church.

In the mid-14th century, at the height of their power, knights were the medieval equivalent of modern day battle tanks. Protected by heavy armor from head to toe (with a very thickly padded garment underneath to prevent chaffing) and armed with sword and shield knights were a formidable force. They could plow through hordes of their enemies whether on foot or on horseback.

Jousting tournaments were not only a form of entertainment, but mimicked the warfare of the times.  The joust involved the knights performing various feats on horseback, armed with lances.  Knights could gain glory fighting in battle but also by participating in and winning tournaments with much less risk to their lives.

Perhaps the lives of chivalrous knights and their maidens fair have been romanticized throughout the ages, but in my opinion, our modern day world could use a lot more of the knightly traits of chivalry, loyalty, honor, courage, respect and duty.  Perhaps that’s why a medieval knight costume is a classic favorite on Halloween.