15. Jousting
Most people in the modern world are already familiar with jousting tournaments. This is probably because reenactments still happen today in Medieval Times, and it’s something we’ve seen prominently in Hollywood films. If you don’t already know, knights were both given a long wooden lance with a blunted tip, and were divided by a barrier before charging at one another on horseback. The object is simply to knock the opponent off of their horse, without actually killing the other knight. However, even though this was supposed to be a game, it was sometimes fatal.
From the 13th to 16th Centuries, European knights competed in tournaments. This was the knight’s chance to impress the ladies of the crowd. If a woman favored a knight, he was often given a scarf or a veil. These were often held on special occasions like festivals. Jousting was such a popular sport, that whenever it was announced, people would travel from far away to see the tournaments.
