Editing Knight (section)

===Training===
The institution of knights was already well-established by the 10th century.<ref name="Fact">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Knights.aspx|title=Knight.|publisher=The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. |date=November 15, 2015}}</ref> While the knight was essentially a title denoting a military office, the term could also be used for positions of higher nobility such as landholders. The higher nobles grant the [[Vassal|vassals]] their portions of land ([[fief]]s) in return for their loyalty, protection, and service. The nobles also provided their knights with necessities, such as lodging, food, armour, weapons, horses, and money.<ref name="Craig">Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.{{cite web |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/knight2.htm|title=How Knights Work|publisher=How Stuff Works |date=22 January 2008}}</ref> The knight generally held his lands by military tenure which was measured through military service that usually lasted 40&nbsp;days a year. The military service was the ''[[quid pro quo]]'' for each knight's [[fief]]. Vassals and lords could maintain any number of knights, although knights with more military experience were those most sought after. Thus, all [[Petty nobility|petty noble]]s intending to become prosperous knights needed a great deal of military experience.<ref name="Fact" /> A knight fighting under another's banner was called a ''[[knight bachelor]]'' while a knight fighting under his own banner was a ''[[knight banneret]]''.

Some knights were familiar with [[city]] culture<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Schama |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Schama |title=A History of Britain 1: 3000 BC-AD 1603 At the Edge of the World? |title-link=A History of Britain (TV series)#DVDs and books |publisher=[[BBC Worldwide]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-563-48714-2 |edition=Paperback 2003 |location=London |pages=155}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |author-link=Alison Weir |title=The Princes in the Tower |date=August 1995 |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |isbn=9780345391780 |edition=1st Ballantine Books Trade Paperback |location=New York City |pages=110, 126, 140, 228}}</ref> or familiarized with it during training. These knights, among others, were called in to end large [[Insurgency|insurgencies]] and other large uprisings that involved [[Urban area|urban areas]] such as the [[Peasants' Revolt]] of [[Kingdom of England|England]] and the [[1323–1328 Flemish revolt]].

====Page====
A knight had to be born of nobility &ndash; typically sons of knights or lords.<ref name="Craig" /> In some cases, commoners could also be knighted as a reward for extraordinary military service. Children of the nobility were cared for by noble foster-mothers in [[castle]]s until they reached the age of seven.

These seven-year-old boys were given the title of ''[[Page (servant)|page]]'' and turned over to the care of the castle's lords. They were placed on an early training regime of hunting with [[hunter|huntsmen]] and [[Falconry|falconer]]s, and academic studies with priests or chaplains. Pages then become assistants to older knights in battle, carrying and cleaning armour, taking care of the horses, and packing the baggage. They would accompany the knights on expeditions, even into foreign lands. Older pages were instructed by knights in [[swordsmanship]], [[equestrianism]], chivalry, warfare, and combat (using wooden swords and spears).

====Squire====
When the boy turned 14, he became a ''[[squire]]''. In a religious ceremony, the new squire swore on a sword consecrated by a [[bishop]] or [[priest]], and attended to assigned duties in his lord's household. During this time, the squires continued training in combat and were allowed to own armour (rather than borrowing it).{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}[[File:DavidI&squire.jpg|thumb|[[David I of Scotland]] knighting a squire]]Squires were required to master the ''seven points of [[Agility|agilities]]'' &ndash; riding, [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]] and diving, shooting different types of weapons, climbing, participation in tournaments, [[wrestling]], [[Historical European martial arts|fencing]], [[long jumping]], and dancing &ndash; the prerequisite skills for knighthood. All of these were even performed while wearing armour.<ref>Lixey L.C., Kevin. ''Sport and Christianity: A Sign of the Times in the Light of Faith''. The Catholic University of America Press (October 31, 2012). p. 26. {{ISBN|978-0813219936}}.</ref>

Upon turning 21, the squire was eligible to be knighted. {{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}