By Luciano Ciovannie

The beginnings of the tournament were pretty rough and tumble, with few rules, ranging over the countryside. But by the 1400s, they had become more courtly. They also had spawned a number of alternatives for the knightly class to hone their skills at combat. This was a result of a fairly stable political structure (well, comparatively), the influence of courtly literature such as the Romance of the Rose, and a change in the attitude in chivalry.

The tournament had become a public display, complete with viewing stands for the judges, four knights and four esquires, the ladies and nobles that had become du rigor. While literary and noble themes were often featured, there were still plenty of tournaments that were just held for its own sake. The tournament would last for several days, with feasting and dancing in the evening. Often the main event of the tournament, the melee, was preceded by individual jousting. The actual combat was highly regulated, set down in such treatise as Rene of Anjou's book on tournament. In the Melee knights fought with blunted swords and wooden clubs. Defeated opponents were taken for ransom, and a successful knight could do quite well for himself. By the 1450s, putting on a tournament had become so expensive that only very wealthy and powerful lords and kings could afford them.

Fortunately, a number of other endeavors were popular around this time. One of the most popular alternatives to the tournament was the Pas d'Armes (Passage of Arms). In the Pas, a single or group of knights would choose to hold a geographic feature, like a crossroads, against all comers, knight or squire. The combat was with weapons of courtesy (a plaisance), and there were no ransoms. And while the tournament would last for days, Pas often lasted weeks or months, so there really wasn't much of an audience. Nonetheless, it was a popular way for knights to gain renown and sharpen their skills.

A less popular, but nonetheless impressive outlet for martial skill was the long-running tradition of challenges a outrance, that is, with armour and weapons of war. These sort of challenges date back to more than two centuries earlier, when knights would issue challenges during sieges and border wards. The earliest example of formal challenge dates to 1398 c.e., when seven French knights challenged an equal number of English knights. The French knights wore a diamond for three years as a badge of this pledge. The English could win the diamond by successful combat with lance, sword, ax and dagger. If the English lost, they had to give each of the knights a golden rod for their ladies. This pattern followed for the next century or so by challengers wanting to get the feel of real warfare. Another pattern was for the loser to wear a collar or bracelet until released by a particular lady or a certain amount of time passed.

Another outlet was the emprise. The emprise was based on the Arthurian tradition of the quest. In the emprise, mostly young knights would travel to see the world, get experience at arms and gain renown. These encounters were often fought a outrance, but could be fought a plaisance. While knights loved this romantic idea, oftentimes as not the combats were forbidden by the princes of the realm, who feared mortal injuries and hard feelings from the (relatively) impromptu nature of the combats. As the seventeenth century approached, the emprise became more rare. Young, hot-headed nobility turned more to the dual, where honour was at stake and a clear outcome was required.

Another longstanding tradition was the behourd, an informal and impromptu response to a celebration. Only linen armour was worn. While many scholars have suggested the use of weapons a plaisance, it seems to have been the medieval form of a boffer tourney. Weapons and armour were often provided by the host of the celebration, and squires were allowed to compete. Oddly, older, more experienced knights seem to have rarely taken part.

By 1520, when Henry VIII hosted Francis I at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, the classic tournament, with its grand melee, had all but disappeared. In its place was a series of individual jousts over a barrier (the tilt) and a complex set of rules for scoring atteints (hits). At this time we also see the introduction of the elimination tree. Only the German Emperor Maximilian I still held onto the romantic, chivalric ideals. The tourney, even so, was the province of kings. Jousting took a sudden and irrevocable downturn on 30 June, 1550, when Henry II of France was accidentally killed by Duc de Montgomeri, the constable of France and a good friend of the king. The accident happened at a celebration of Henry's daughter's wedding to Philip of Spain. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, we find the final demise of the tourney to nothing more than a bit part in a grand pageant, called a triumph, although a few romantics, like Sir Henry Lee and Sir George Clifford, still saw it as it had been.

Surprisingly, the practice of the joust and the idea of the tournament survived in Italy as descendant of the civic joust. These events, which took place only in the low countries, were for those martially inclined folks who were not of noble birth. Even today, you can find the quaint celebration of the civic joust happening in the rural area. While these celebrations are mostly mounted spear games, with very little, if any, combat, the spirit of competition and pageantry is very much in keeping with the medieval tournament. Even more surprising is that such spear games have become the official sport of the State of Maryland.