A knight is a man that was given a title of 'knight' by the bishop or another political leader, for the service he did to his king and country or to the church and it would usually be because it was in a 'military capacity' meaning he protected the king or someone else.
Historically, in Europe, knighthood was granted upon mounted warriors.
In the times of the middle ages, the knights were considered just a little lower than the nobles. Later on this was seen as a sigh of chivalry and a code of conduct for the warrior that was a Christian and wanted to serve. Ever heard the expression he is a knight in shining armor? That means a true gentlemen or life saver. For interest sake you can have a look here at more sayings with the word 'knight'.
Many times the lords would pay the knight to be their bodyguard or a mercenary and they would be payed with a piece of land. The lords trusted the knights to keep them safe.
The knights were very skilled in fighting and riding horses and even to fight while on horseback. This later on led to competitions held between the knight where they would test how good they were with a sword and also riding a horse and 'jousting'.
You can read more about the rules here and also find a video on it.
Knighthood in the Middle Ages was closely linked with horsemanship (and especially the joust) from its origins in the 12th century until its final stage as a fashion among the high nobility in the Duchy of Burgundy in the 15th century.
Have a look at the video and answer the questions
*When was the medieval period?
*What type of people did we find during that time?
*What is the function of the knight's helmet and shield?
*What protects the hands of the knight?
*What was the job of the jester?
*Name any five other items your see from the medieval times.
