This documentary examines the Medieval and Renaissance culture of chivalry and knighthood. Focusing on the knight and his armor, it presents an historical tour of the evolution of armor and warfare, and the political and social codes of honor and behavior. Knights and Armor recaptures the chivalry and grandeur of this legendary time. Knights and Armor would be useful for classes on Medieval history, Renaissance history, and cultural history. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• aristocracy
• articulation
• catapults
• chain mail
• chivalry
• conquest
• conspiracy
• crucial
• cumbersome
• demonstrative
• elaborate
• evocative
• extraction
• gauntlet
• heraldry
• infidels
• invincible
• joust
• legacy
• lethal
• mace
• magnate
• minstrel
• pageantry
• prestigious
• prowess
• redundant
• repugnant
• siege
• sovereign

1. Through the regulation of knights’ competition, various behavior codes evolved. How did these competitions establish the rules of Medieval and Renaissance warfare?

2. Why were safety measures instilled in the competitions or jousts of knights?

3. A knight’s honor rested on his loyalty to his lord. What role did this loyalty play in a knight’s career?

4. European Medieval and Renaissance society was extremely stratified. What position did knights occupy in this society? What was their major function?

5. Discuss the concept of chivalry and the role it played in knights’ lives and in Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

6. What was the impetus behind the knights’ roles in the Crusades?

7. What role did women play in Medieval and Renaissance Europe?

8. The culture of knights and damsels today is an historical romantic memory. Why did knighthood decline?

1. Create your own, or your family’s, coat of arms. What symbols would you use to illustrate the honors or characteristics of yourself or your family?

2. Compare a jousting event with a modern sports event (such as the Super Bowl). How are these events similar? How do they differ?

3. Imagine that you are a sportscaster in the 13th century and you are assigned to report a jousting tournament. Give a play-by-play account of the matches.

4. Research Medieval and Renaissance history, then write an essay about the lives of the people during these eras. How are their lives different from yours? How did their status in society affect their lives? How did their gender affect their lives?

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