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tournaments
tournaments. By the later Middle Ages, the term tournament covered all kinds of armed combat, both team and individual, performed competitively in public. Originally, however, the term applied specifically to the meeting of two teams in a quasi-battlefield situation. In England and France, this form of combat was commonly described as a ‘hastilude’, literally a game with spears, whereas a ‘joust’ was generally a contest between individuals, on foot or on horseback, although the competitors often formed teams. Indeed, it has been suggested that Edward III's Order of the Garter, founded c.1348, was initially intended to comprise two equal-sized tournament teams, headed by the king and his eldest son Edward the Black Prince. Tournaments were essentially sporting and social occasions rather than a means of developing skills for war. They were often banned in England in times of overseas war ( Henry V particularly disapproved of them), since they had been closely connected with baronial disquiet in the first half of the 13th cent. It was possible for young men of relatively low status to make a mark through their prowess, but in general the participants were already of noble or at least knightly birth. Moreover, it was an expensive activity, requiring increasingly sophisticated equipment, not only for show and identification, but also for protection because the combats were often exceedingly dangerous and specialized tournament armours and weapons were necessary: in these respects, a close analogy can be drawn with Formula One motor racing today. It was undoubtedly a spectator sport, involving much pageantry and ritual. Its popularity in England was boosted by the personal enthusiasm and participation of Edward I; from his reign onwards, the royal court was the focus of both leadership and patronage to a degree unparalleled elsewhere in Europe. Edward III followed in his grandfather's footsteps, developing the Arthurian analogies to the full, but after the reign of Richard II royal patronage, and with it the tournament in England, declined until its revival under Henry VIII.
Anne Curry |
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JOHN CANNON. "tournaments." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "tournaments." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-tournaments.html JOHN CANNON. "tournaments." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-tournaments.html |
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tournament
tournament or tourney, in the Middle Ages, public contest between armed horsemen in simulation of real battle. In this military game, which flourished from the 12th to the 16th cent., combatants were frequently divided into opposing factions, each led by a champion. It differed from the joust, a single combat bout fought with weapons of war. Tournaments perhaps originated in trials by battle (see ordeal ) or in the earlier gladiatorial combats. The tournament, a typical feature of the Middle Ages, was based on the ideals of chivalry. Thought to have originated in France in the 11th cent., tourneys spread to Germany, England, and S Europe; laws governing them became more or less universal. Such affairs, usually held at the invitation of kings or nobles, were the occasion of much pageantry. Knights with their entourages camped near the field of combat, and their qualifications were examined by judges of the day. The typical tournament field, or lists, was an oval or rectangular area enclosed by barriers and flanked by pavilions for important personages, the ladies who sponsored the combatants, and the judges. Heralds announced the participants, and then, with a fanfare of trumpets, the warriors made their entrance, clad in armor and astride richly caparisoned horses. Their weapons were usually blunted lances or swords. The events of the day normally began with combat between individuals and ended with a collective contest. Prizes were awarded the victors by the queen of beauty, chosen to preside over the tournament. Knights were often killed or gravely injured at tournaments, and to lessen that danger a barrier, or tilt, was sometimes stretched along the length of the lists. The combatants fought across it, and this version of the sport was known as tilting. Although attempts were made to suppress or regulate tournaments, the practice continued until changed social conditions caused a decline in its popularity.
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"tournament." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tournament." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-tourname.html "tournament." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-tourname.html |
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tournaments
tournaments By the later Middle Ages, the term tournament covered all kinds of armed combat, both team and individual, performed competitively in public. Tournaments were essentially sporting and social occasions rather than a means of developing skills for war. It was possible for young men of relatively low status to make a mark through their prowess, but in general the participants were already of noble or at least knightly birth. Moreover, it was an expensive activity, requiring increasingly sophisticated equipment, not only for show and identification, but also for protection because the combats were often exceedingly dangerous.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "tournaments." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "tournaments." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-tournaments.html JOHN CANNON. "tournaments." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-tournaments.html |
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tournament
tour·na·ment / ˈtərnəmənt; ˈtoŏr-/ • n. 1. (in a sport or game) a series of contests between a number of competitors, who compete for an overall prize. 2. (in the Middle Ages) a sporting event in which two knights (or two groups of knights) jousted on horseback with blunted weapons, each trying to knock the other off, the winner receiving a prize. |
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"tournament." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tournament." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tournament.html "tournament." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tournament.html |
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tournament
tournament in the Middle Ages, a sporting event in which two knights (or two groups of knights) jousted on horseback with blunted weapons, each trying to knock the other off, the winner receiving a prize.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tournament." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tournament." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-tournament.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "tournament." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-tournament.html |
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tournament
tournament medieval tilting match. XIII. ME. turne-, tornement — AN. vars. of OF. tur-, tor- neiement, f. torneier; see next, -MENT.
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T. F. HOAD. "tournament." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "tournament." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tournament.html T. F. HOAD. "tournament." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tournament.html |
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tournament
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JOHN DAINTITH. "tournament." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN DAINTITH. "tournament." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-tournament.html JOHN DAINTITH. "tournament." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-tournament.html |
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