Do you know the Rules of Medieval Jousting

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 

During the Middle Ages, jousting was an extremely popular game. Knights jousted in an arena with a crowd watching and cheering them on. It was quite the spectacle and people flocked to the events. However, what few people realize is that jousting was also a legal spectator sport–and one of the few during the time period. It is estimated that the practice of jousting for public viewing began sometimes during the tenth century. We assume this because the Romans had gladiators performing similar-type events for entertainment, but those events were banned across Europe around 400 A.D. Prior to that time, gladiator competitions were enormously popular. The rules of jousting are fairly straight-forward.

First you must understand the objective of the joust. Objective:

Two knights faced one another on horseback. They armed themselves with long lances. Then they charged directly toward the other knight in an effort to knock him from his horse. However, the opposing knight had the same objective. Once a knight feel from his horse, the other knight then halted his horse and dismounted. After he climbed down from his horse, the two knights began a sword fight. This continued until the surrender of one or the other of the knights.

Scoring System:

Each jousting tournament had a point system. The point system was not static, but was determined at tournament time. Thus, each tournament had its own point system. When you struck the opposing knight on the chest with your lance, you earned the most points. The only other maneuver which yielded the maximum points for a single blow was striking the center of the opposing knight’s shield.

Variations on the system:

Tournaments basically made their own rules. Thus, the weapons or styles of combat may vary from one tournament to another. Knights adapted depending upon which tournament they were participating in. For example, one tournament might allow the knights to make three passes on their horses, while another one might only allow one pass.

Joust Length Varied:

The length of the joust was based upon the tournament itself. Some jousts were designed like a modern day tournament: elimination rounds that culminate in a showdown round. Others had all of the knights battling the king–or the champion of the king.

Jousting Disqualification:

If a knight killed a horse, he was disqualified. Another thing that would cause a knight to be ousted from the tournament proceedings was allowing his lance to touch anywhere on the opposing knight’s body–with the exception of the center of the chest. Both of these were grounds for disqualification.

Fact!

Geoffroi de Purelli is credited with writing a manuscript detailing the rules of jousting during medieval times. He wrote it in the year 1066. Purelli later died during a joust.