Though not exclusively focused on knights, this book provides an immersive experience of medieval life, including knights, through the eyes of a hypothetical time traveler. In the afternoons, knights would focus on their horsemanship. They would typically go riding with their lords, spending time hunting, hawking, or inspecting the estate. Sally: Yes, the armour was very heavy and very important, as it helped protect the knights from swords and arrows. It was made of two layers: chainmail - which is armour made of lots of metal hoops linked together - was often placed in areas that needed to move easily. Over the chain mail they had more armour made of sheets of metal to protect the really important places, like a helmet to protect their heads and a breastplate to protect their chest.

This video is a good initial stimulus for an introduction to the way society is structured - who has power?

Willian Marshal was one of England’s greatest knights - in 1217 and at the age of 70 years old, he defeated a French army which was invading Lincoln! This Knight’s Armour PowerPoint has lots of fun information about what knights used to wear and what weapons they used. It has helpful illustrations to show children exactly what they looked like, too.

For the most part, knighthood tended to pass down through generations, so knights were typically sons of knights. However, there were instances of other people, including the sons of freemen, merchants, and government officials, being put forward to go through the training to become a knight. Sometimes, ordinary soldiers were also made knights for their courage and bravery on the battlefield. So, we know how to become a medieval knight, but what was the life of a medieval knight really like? The life of a medieval knight was centred around medieval castles or manors and fighting for his lord. The majority of a medieval knight’s life was spent perfecting his fighting skills and staying in good shape for battle. The word chivalry comes from the French word chevalier, which means knight. Chivalry was much written of in the Middle Ages, and it was a code of conduct that included brave acts in battle. Many of these military rules came from the old Romans. Chivalry also came to mean being kind to women and poorer people. Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was both a French and an English queen, encouraged her musicians (troubadours) to sing stories of chivalry at her court. She was especially fond of stories of King Arthur and tried to model her court after his legendary one. Fatima: So I've heard lots of stories about knights that can't be real. Like St George fighting a dragon. So what was it really like to be a Knight?Fourteen-year-old Terence was not looking to become a squire to Gawain of Orkney, but when he joins the young knight on a quest, he learns important things about himself. Running weekends from most of May to the beginning of June at Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania County.