When we think of the Middle Ages, one image rises above all the rest—the knight, decked out in shiny armor, riding a large warhorse with a sword in his hand, charging into battle with banners flapping in the wind. However, there is a vast and violent world hidden underneath that romantic picture. Medieval warfare not only involved chivalry and honor, it also involved tactics, endurance, and the grim reality of combat during a time when gunpowder didn’t change everything.
As someone who enjoys studying medieval history, I find that when we learn about how knights fought, the experience is far beyond simply learning about knights clashing swords; it teaches us about their societies and values and their ceaseless pursuit of honor and existence in a combat environment.
The Path to Knighthood
Becoming a knight was not simply putting on a set of armor; it was a lifelong journey that began in childhood. Boys from noble families were trained for knighthood from an early age—first, as pages, learning proper etiquette, horsemanship, and simple hand-to-hand combat. By the time they reached their teens, they became squires, serving experienced knights and fighting for themselves, learning sword fighting, jousting, and tactics.
A squire was only “dubbed” a knight after proving courage and loyalty, often in some kind of ceremony where he pledged oaths of faith, bravery, and service. But when the ceremony was over, reality set in, as wars were rarely glorious and knights fought, bled, and sometimes died upon the command of lords.
Armor: Protection and Burden
The image of a knight dressed completely in shining plate armor is accurate, but it did not appear overnight. During the early Middle Ages, knights wore chainmail, which was flexible but heavy and vulnerable to crushing blows. By the 14th century and into the 15th century, armor began to develop into full plate, an engineering marvel that was able to deflect arrows, swords, and even early firearms.
It may seem that plate armor would inhibit any motion whatsoever for the knight in the armor, but contrary to these myths, knights were able to move surprisingly well in plate armor. Knights could mount horses, run short distances, and fight effectively in the most advanced plate armor. However, wearing plate was not comfortable; the weight, heat, and limited visibility caused even the most durable knights to tire after long battles. Behind every suit of shining armor, there was, in fact, a man groaning beneath the burden.
Weapons of War
The knight’s weapon served a utilitarian purpose and was symbolic in nature. The sword, generally an heirloom that the knight received from his forebears, reflected honor and expertise. However, knights carried and employed a variety of weapons on the field of battle that were contingent on the combat environment, including lances for mounted charges and maces and war hammers for crushing armor, as well as daggers for close-quarter fighting.
In open engagements, mounted knights used their horses as much as weaponry. An astute cavalry charge would break the infantry lines apart. Upon unhorsing, the knight would engage the infantry in mass skirmishes, which tended to veer toward chaos, where strength and endurance and a little luck defined and governed one’s survival.
Tactics and Strategy
In spite of the caricature of battled combat and sword fighting with chaos, medieval warfare was generally far more tactically insightful and systematic. Knights fought as a component of a significantly larger army of foot soldiers and archers and siege engineers. Commanders would plan engaged battles very carefully: when to attack, when to engage in terrain, when to assault, and how to target formations.
The battles at Agincourt (1415) and at Crécy (1346 and 1356) have demonstrated and proved that even the greatest knights could be defeated with tactics or technology. At such battles, the English longbowmen’s use of range and precision took down large numbers of heavily armored French cavalry. That serves as a valuable lesson—courage is important and valuable, but it is not sufficient alone.
Chivalry vs. Reality
Knights swore to uphold the code of chivalry — ideals of bravery, honour, and mercy. Yet, on the battlefield, those ideals often gave way to survival. Prisoners were ransomed, not spared out of mercy but for profit. Villages were plundered to feed armies. Sieges dragged on for months, ending in bloodshed and famine.
The truth is, medieval warfare was as cruel as it was courageous. The code of chivalry may have shaped how knights wanted to see themselves, but war revealed who they really were — human, flawed, and driven by loyalty, greed, and faith.
The Decline of the Knight
By the late Middle Ages, the role of the knight began to fade. The rise of gunpowder, professional armies, and infantry tactics made heavily armoured cavalry less effective. The age of castles and chivalric battles gave way to the age of cannons and muskets.
Yet the legacy of the knight endures. Their courage, their rituals, and their ideals still capture the imagination. We see echoes of them in literature, film, and even modern military honour codes.
Final Thoughts
To understand how knights fought is to look beyond the myths. They were not just heroes in shining armour, but skilled warriors navigating the harsh reality of medieval warfare. They fought with discipline, strategy, and a constant awareness that every battle could be their last.
In many ways, the story of the medieval knight is the story of an age — one where faith, power, and courage collided on muddy battlefields under the shadow of steel and history.