When a high born boy reached the age of seven, he was sent to live in the castle of another lord, usually a close friend of his father's or relative. There he began his education as a page, running errands in the castle and performing humble services for noblemen and ladies. He learned good manners, reading, writing, numbers, singing, dancing, strumming the lute, reverence for God, how to use a sword, and how to ride a horse. In the morning, he helped his lord dress, and served at meals, bringing in food and drink.
Around the age of 13, the boy was apprenticed to a knight and became a squire. He was taught skill with the sword, lance, and shield and he learned the duties and responsibilities of a knight. Squires engaged in mock battles against each other and against dummies. If the squire hit the dummy exactly in the center, it fell over, but if he hit it anywhere else, it would swing around and smack the erring squire in the back. Squires also served their mentor. He looked after his master's horses, polished his weapons and armor, and served him at meals. As the squire grew older, he was expected to follow his master into battle, and protect his master if the knight fell in battle. Some squires became knights for performing an outstanding deed on the battlefield, but most were knighted at home by their lord or father when their training was judged to be complete.
When the squire was judged ready to become a knight, usually between 18 and 21, a time for the knighting ceremony was set. On the night before the ceremony, the squire would take a cleansing bath, fast, and would make confession. He would spend the whole night in the chapel praying to God for guidance in his journey as a knight. The next morning , he dressed in white and entered the crowded hall with his sword strung around his neck. The priest would bless the sword and then the squire knelt before his lord (often the knight who had trained him). The lord asked the squire his reasons for wanting to become a knight and if the lord was satisfied with his answers, the knight agreed to perform the ceremony. The ladies and the knights would then dress the squire in new armor and the squire again knelt before the lord. The Lord would then take a sword and tap him lightly on the shoulders three times and made a short declaration such as "In the name of God and Saint George, I make thee a knight."
Knighthood was about more than just fighting, it was also about chivalry. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, this meant good horsemanship, but by 1100 it had become a whole new way of life. Knights were expected to be brave, and honorable, to uphold the honor of women, and to protect the weak. Tales of chivalry were very popular during the Middle Ages, but even so, many knights failed to live up to these high standards.
This was just the beginning of the young man's career as a knight. Knights protected the lord's lands from invaders and fought in the lord's battles against other lords.
