Osprey - General Military - Knight - The Warrior and ... - Brego-weard

loricati and armati, mail-clad' or 'armoured' men, making this connection clear. As we
have seen, Gerald of Wales notes that in mainland Europe armour is a mark of
distinction'. In the romance and epic tales, the quality and virtue of the hero is represented
by the quality and decoration of his armour. In the tale of Erec and Enide, when the
Arthurian hero Erec is about to ride out to defeat a haughty opponent and claim a prize
for his love Enide, he asks his future father-in-law il he might borrow some armour
'old or new, I care not, ugly or beautiful'. The man responds that Erec need have no fear
on that count as he had 'good and beautiful armour' that he would gladly lend him.
As the hero rides through the streets with the beautiful Enide at his side everyone declares
that he must be a very fine warrior because the fine armour suits him so well.
In such tales there is invariably a scene in which the knight is depicted being armed
for battle; each piece of armour is lovingly described as it is strapped on, culminating
with the girding on of a sword, the donning of the helmet and the mounting of
his horse. There is a sense of ritual about such scenes, as if in putting the armour on
the hero was becoming the essence of the knightly order of which he was a part. Later
in his tale, when Erec realized that his household believed he had lost his knightly
prowess because he preferred the company of Enide over the pleasures of tournament
or battle, his first act before riding out to a series of ever-larger encounters with
robber-knights was to put on his armour. Similarly in the 15th-century tale of
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there is a detailed passage full of symbolism describing
Gawain's arming before he travelled off to find the Green Knight's castle.
But on a more practical level the armour, weapons and mounts the knight required
cost a substantial amount. Prices and values differed considerably but one can think
of the full equipment of the knight, including his weapons, armour, horse and harness,
as being around a year's income; around £20 for an English knight in 1250 (roughly
equivalent to £200,000 or $300,000 in modern terms). Whilst this might not have been
beyond the means of the knightly classes, particularly when we take into account the
passing down of arms from father to son, the acquisition of equipment as gifts from
lords or as booty in battle or in tournament or the market for hiring armour or buying
it second-hand, it is clear that serving as a knight or man-at-arms was beyond the
reach of the majority of the lower orders and those of middling rank. Some did rise
beyond their humble origins, particularly in the 14th century when, as we shall see
later, the distinction between the social class of knights and that of the gentry became
blurred, but they were sometimes looked down upon by those born to knightly rank.
Similarly, it is possible to see disdain for those who were of knightly status but who
appeared improperly armed. Jean le Bel tells us that the English knights of the 1320s
were held in scant regard by their French cousins because they still wore outdated
mail armour and great helms.