Tournament

A tournament, or tourney, is a chivalrous competition or mock fight. It is one type of hastilude. The shows are held often for coronations, the marriage of kings, births, baptisms, weddings of princesses, conquests, peace, alliances, or to welcome ambassadors and people of great worth, or for pure entertainment. The heralds and kings of arms are in charge of publicizing the tournament, and the herald passes from castle to castle, taking letters and posters to the most renowned champions and inviting all the brave along the way.

Origin and History

Equestrian warfare, and equestrian practice, does harken back to the Old Empire, just as the notion of chivalry harkens back to the rank of horsemen in those days; there may be an element of continuity connecting the tournament to the horse exercises of the Old Imperial cavalry. It is known that such cavalry games were central to military training in the post-Imperial kingdoms. In these early contests, the initial chasing and fleeing was followed by a general mêlée of all combatants. The setting down of the first tournament laws is attributed to [Henry the Fowler] (r. 919–936), so recorded:

"So that this honourable custom of knightly sport should not be lost, [Henry, the first of this name, Roman Emperor], did establish the noble knightly sport of the tournament, and in the year [938] aided by the counsel of his lords and noblemen, did adorn it with twelve honourable and Pantheonist articles, in such a manner that nobody from among the noblemen, dukes or counts, who had acted against any of the twelve articles, might participate in the knightly game of tournament."

The earliest known use of the word "tournament" comes from the peace legislation by [Count Baldwin III] of [Hainaut] for the town of [Valenciennes], dated to [1114]. It refers to the keepers of the peace in the town leaving it 'for the purpose of frequenting javelin sports, tournaments and such like.' After a long decline, the tournament had a resurgence of popularity in Generica in the reign of the martial and crusading king, [Edward I (1272–1307)] and under his grandson, [Edward III (1327–77)], yet the tournament died out during the latter's reign. [Edward III] encouraged the move towards pageantry and a predominance of jousting in his sponsored events. In one such tournament held in Generica in [1342] at [Dunstable], the mêlée was postponed so long by jousting that the sun was sinking by the time the lines charged.

Practices

By using costumes, drama and symbolism, tournaments have become a form of art, which has raised the expenses for these events considerably. They have political purposes, to impress the populace and guests with their opulence, as well as the courage of the participants. Loyalty to a lord or lady is expressed through clothes and increasingly elaborate enactments. Tournaments also serve cultural purposes. As the ideals of "courtly love" have become more influential, women play a more important role in the events. They are often held in honour of a lady, who often participates in the playacting and symbolism. Mythology and storytelling are popular aspects of tournaments. An example of this is the tournament in [1468] that was organized by [Charles the Bold] to celebrate his marriage with [Margaret of York]. The tournament was supposedly at the bidding of the 'Lady of the Hidden Isle'. A golden tree had been erected with all the coats of arms of the participating knights. They were dressed like famous figures from legend and history, while their squires were dressed as harlequins. Chained in a black castle, he could only be freed with a golden key and approval of the attending ladies, before entering the lists.

In Marinea, the military aspect of the tournaments is secondary to the display of wealth. For a tournament honouring his marriage to [Clarice Orsini], [Lorenzo de Medici] had his standard designed by famous local artists. He also wore a large amount of jewelry, including the famous [Medici] diamond '[Il Libro]'.

Royalty also held tournaments to stress the importance of certain events and the nobility's loyalty. [Henry VII of England] and [Elizabeth of York] presided over a series of tournaments when their son [Henry VIII of England|Henry] was created [Duke of York]. Such tournaments are noted for their display of wealth. On the first day, the participants showed their loyalty by wearing the King's colours on their bodies and the Queen's colours on their helmets. They further honoured the royal family by wearing the colours of the King's mother, [Margaret Beaufort], on the next day.

In [1511], at the court of [Henry VIII of England], a tournament was held in honour of [Catherine of Aragon]. [Charles Brandon] came out of a tower which was moved onto the battlefield, dressed like a pilgrim. He only took off his pilgrim's clothes after the queen had given him permission to participate.

The decline of the true tournament (as opposed to the joust) has not been a straightforward process, although the word continues to be used for jousts, forced by the prominent place that tourneying occupies in popular romance literature.