Charles Fleurie

SLM521

Summer 2005

So you want to see what it was like to live in the times of a knight? Live in a castle travel around ancient Europe and see all the great Art of the time? Visit the churches and cathedrals? Well! You have come to the right place.

This is the Virtual Tour 3000 site! It will show you all you are interested in and give you an idea of what it was like back in the olden ages.

Lets start with the Knight!

Knights were hired by noblemen and took an oath of loyalty to any well-to-do nobleman or warlord offering the most promise of money or war booty.

In the post-Roman Western Europe, the population had very little organized governmental protection from brigands and conquering warbands. The local lord would higher fighting-age men to fight the invaders. In turn the men were paid with war booty for the service and their loyalty. Soon they also received grants of land so they could afford the best weapons, horses and armor. The era if the medieval knight had begun.

With being granted land the knight soon found himself in the middle of political squabbles that he had to resolve on his land or his lords land. This soon found their importance rising above being a hired sword!

Early medieval Norman knights charging English foot-soldiers at the Battle of Hastings (1066 C.E.) from the Bayeux Tapestry

Of course as a knight you would get to have some really great weapons and armor!!

Here are some examples of them:

The above picture is of a knight in chain mail armor. The below picture gives you a good view of what chain mail armor looks like up close.

This picture gives you an idea what a full suit of plate armor would look like for you and your horse.

A fully plate-armored knight

The knight’s main weapons would usually be a sword and a lace to fight from horseback. However, he also used axes, maces, and war hammers.

Next lets take a look at the Castle!

This is an example of a castle. This one in particular was the Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, England

As you would expect the castle was a mainly built for protection reasons. It was used to house a military garrison that would use for a home, re-supply location and protection. The knight of the land would also have his home inside the castle. Usually the knight would be granted a title like earl or lord once he was granted the right to build a castle or actually granted a castle by the king.

Castles were also used for upkeep of the garrison stationed there. So, they would have stables and blacksmiths shops inside of them also. The castle also included a chapel of some sort.

Many of these castles still survive today. That is a testament to how sturdy they were built. Many have been turned into restaurants and hotels. Some still remain with the original families that had them built.

Now lets look at the Art of the time!

There were many types of art back in those days! The castle for example would have tapestries hung for decorations. They would paint the walls for decorations. Also the ceilings would have paintings and carvings on and around them. They could have carvings on the walls. A lot of the furnishings would depend on the wealth of the lord that lived there.

The chapel was probably the most elaborately furnished, rich in ornaments, having glazed windows and colorful furniture. The kitchens would have had built-in facilities. Even with some of the most convenient of furnishings, life back then was crude compared to our modern day standards.

Here are some examples you might find in a castle used for decoration.

Lets look at the churches and Cathedrals!

Some of the best known architecture from the time is well known. Churches and cathedrals of the time were grand in scale. Cathedrals are really just a bigger version of the church. Usually the cathedral was the seat of a Catholic bishop or an archbishop's dominion

The churches of the day had plenty of money thanks to their parishioners. They would contract the great artists of the time to paint for them. Stained glass was a very popular trend with the church at the time. Beautiful creations were commissioned for stained glass windows. Large exotic looking windows made by the masters adorned many of the churches.

Here are some pictures the era’s churches and Cathedrals. Do they look like you would expect them to look like?

As you can see some of the cathedrals can become VERY GRAND in scale. They had plenty of money and needed to show off to everyone how important and rich they were. And they accomplished this by building a grand building and decorating it lavishly! Some of the cathedrals even challenge kings and queens palaces in scope and size!