History - Roger de Soterley of Soterley, Knight

Of Knights

Sir Roger was a knight. In this day and age, the image of a knight is that of a glorious and chivalrous figure.  The reality was doubtless much less romantic.  There can be no doubt, though, that Sir Roger would have led a very interesting life. The Knight was one of three types of fighting men during the Middle Ages.  The other two were archers and foot soldiers.  During the time of Roger, knights were chosen from the sons of the noble born. 

Becoming a Knight.  Sir Roger would have started his training as a knight at around the age of 7.  His father would have sent him to the castle of neighboring knight.  He started his training as a Page.  His training as a Page would have lasted for seven years.  During this time young Roger would have been cared for by the women of the house who would have taught him proper manners.  Under the direction of the lady of the house, the Page would be taught reading and writing by a schoolmaster and receive religious instruction.  When not engaged in educational pursuits, the Page would spend his days strengthening his body by engaging in training games that would include wrestling and sword and lance practice.  The practice with the sword and lance was usually conducted with with wooden swords and a quintain.  The quintain was a heavy sack or dummy in the form of a human hung on a wooden pole along with a shield. The young page had to hit the shield in its center. When hit head on, the quintain drops.  When hot off-center,  the quintain spins.  A Page would quickly learn to hit accurately or to move very fast to avoid being hit.  When not engaged in such training with the other pages, Roger would hone his skills by joining in the hunt and riding horses.   Roger's other duties would have included cleaning his knight's armor and waiting on his lord and lady.  It was his duty and privilege to accompany them and to be of service to them.

Squire.  Upon completing his training as a Page, Roger would have become a Squire.  His duties would have included dressing the knight in the morning, serving all of the knight’s meals, caring for the knight’s horse, and cleaning the knight’s armor and weapons. He followed the knight to tournaments and assisted his lord on the battlefield. A squire also prepared himself by learning how to handle a sword and lance while wearing armor and riding a horse.  At about age twenty, Roger would have completed his training and become a knight.

Ceremony.  The knighting ceremony indeed marked an accomplishment.  It was a time to bring family and friends together.  The ceremony itself would have been conducted by the lord who trained Roger or perhaps by some greater lord.  On the night before the ceremony, Roger would have taken a cleansing bath, fast, and would make confession. He would spend the whole night in the chapel praying to God for guidance in his journey as a knight. The next morning , he dressed in white and entered the crowded hall with his sword strung around his neck. The priest would bless the sword and then the squire knelt before his lord. The lord asked the squire his reasons for wanting to become a knight and if the lord was satisfied with his answers, the knight agreed to perform the ceremony. The ladies and the knights would then dress the squire in new armor and the squire again knelt before the lord. The squire had to swear to the knightly (chivalric) code which asked him to "protect the weak, defenseless, and helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all." The lord would then take a sword and tap him lightly on the shoulders three times (the dubbing) and declare him a knight in the name of God and St. George (the patron Saint of chivalry).