The History of Jousting

Jousts and tournaments (the terms often are used interchangeably) began in the 10th century in France. Sometimes bloody and sometimes full of color and pageantry, the tradition has survived to the present day in a much evolved form.

  1. Early History

    • Originally, jousts were military contests between nobles. Knights rode very large horses to support the armor they wore. They came at each other with heavy lances until a winner was determined either by unseating the enemy or killing him. A Frenchman named Geoffroi de Purelli wrote the first guidelines for the sport in 1066.

    Evolution of Jousting

    • In France, jousting evolved into a way for low-born knights to make themselves known. They had to abide by the rules of fair play, which were influenced by the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Three types of jousts, or tournaments, came into being by the 17th century.

    Tourney Proper

    • The Tourney Proper, also called the Melee, was common in the 12th and 13th centuries. In this form, all the knights charged onto the field on horseback with lances drawn. These tournaments tended to be bloody with many fatalities.

    Individual Joust

    • In this kind of joust, only two knights on horseback entered the field at a time. They scored points for direct hits to their opponents' shields or for unseating the other knight. They were not allowed to strike their opponent or his horse.

    Practice Tournament

    • In these tournaments, knights attempted to score direct hits on wooden targets called quintains. When hit correctly, the target would move to the side. If the hit was off-center, an arm swung around that could unseat the knight. Another type of practice tournament was called riding the rings, in which the knight tried to scoop up rings with the tip of his lance. (This skill evolved into the tradition of grabbing the brass ring on a carousel.)