THE medieval cavalry it constituted the main defense mechanism for the protection of the interests of the nobility during feudalism. The cavalry was exclusively formed by nobles. According to the society of orders in the Middle Ages, the social division was composed of those who prayed (clergy), those who worked (servants) and those who made war (nobles).
According to scholars of feudalism, the nobles were engaged in war permanently. The components of a cavalry were usually the sons of nobles who had no right to inheritance. assets, especially in families with a larger number of people, in which the eldest son would be the heir. This practice was called birthright (when the eldest son inherited all the family assets) and its main objective was to avoid the division of the family assets.
The Catholic Church exerted enormous influences on the composition process of the cavalry and designated that the actions of the knights would be carried out to defend the morality of the Christian religion.
For a nobleman to become a knight in the Middle Ages, a religious ceremony was performed. by an oath, in which the knight pledged to follow the principles of faith and morality Christian. The medieval knight is still present in our western mentality today as the figure of a strong, loyal, fearless and generous man (they protected the weak and oppressed).
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The formation of a knight happened throughout his life, it was not from one moment to another that one became a member of a cavalry. To achieve this feat, men had to dedicate their lives.
When the child turned 7 years old, he was beginning his life as a knight, that is, it was when the child started to ride and take lessons in good manners. When she turned 14, she became a squire (her main function was to carry the lord's shield to the battle zone).
At the age of 18, the apprentice knight became a knight. At the inauguration ceremony, he received the sword, helmet and shield. From then onwards, the knight's training ritual began: first there was a 24-hour fast, then he took a purifying bath to pray.
After the knight performed the prayer, he was dressed in a robe and taken to the priest to be blessed with his sword. Finishing the ritual, the knight knelt listening to the laws of chivalry and swore on the Bible to protect the king, defending Christians against infidels (Muslims, pagans), being loyal to the Church and the king, and having generosity.
Leandro Carvalho
Master in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
OAK, Leandro. "Medieval Cavalry"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/cavalaria-medieval.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.