Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournament
Glossary of Terms
H
Halidon Hill, Battle of: 1333. Edward III’s battle against David Bruce, where his forces, outnumbered, dismounted and held the top of the hill, flanked by archers hidden in bramble and marsh. As the Scots, following their French advisors and experience, charged up the hill, they were destroyed both by the archers and the dismounted English infantry. In this single battle, Edward was able to destroy the bulk of the Scots army and secure for himself both his northern border an the title ‘king of Scotland’, which enabled him to turn his attention to France. It is often called the first battle in the Hundred Years War. The tactics he tried and used with great success at Halidon hill he and his son the Black Prince used again and again with success at Crècy and Poitiers; Henry V used them yet again at Agincourt.
Hastilude: Literally a ‘spear game’. Often used as a generic form for tournaments, or a "mêlée" form where knights fought as integrated groups called conroi to practice their unit skills and to capture their opponents and thus capture their horses and equipment. Sir William Marshal was perhaps the pre-eminent tourneyer in the day of the hastilude, but after his death in the early 13th century the tournament became more and more regulated, becoming a very structured pageant by the 16th century when Henry VIII and Françis I of France held the Field of the Cloth of Gold, C. 1515.
Hastings, Battle of: October 14, 1066. Decisive battle between the English forces of Harold Godwineson, king of England, and William I, duke of Normandy. Harold’s forces were exhausted, on foot, having marched from a victorious battle against cavalry in September 26. Drawing the shieldmen into a line across the top of the hill, William’s cavalry threw themselves against the wall to no avail. Finally, the cavalry retreated in apparent disorder, through a ruse, and fell upon Harold’s now disogranized foot as they pursued in search of booty. Harold himself took an arrow to the eye, and William was able to march into England, establishing a Norman conquest leaving an indelible mark on English culture. The battle also reinforced the medieval belief in the superiority of mounted cavalry against foot, delaying the experimentation of medieval armies with mixed forces until the late 14th century.
Heilbronn Ordinances, 1485: Written by four German tournament societies, the Ordinances set our moral guidelines for tournament participants, they dictate that members who fail to keep the ordinances be penalized by being ‘put on the barrier’; beaten, unhorsed, his saddle put astride the barrier, where he was forced to sit.
Hertzog: See Duke.
Heraldry and Heralds: The rules by which a knight’s symbols were organized for clarity and individuality. Heralds, as officers of the court, were originally followers of the tournament, moving with the tournament circuit form place to place and originally paid along with jongleurs and minstrels. They were thus entertainers first, but during the 15th and 16th century they gradually absorbed the duties of court officers, carrying messages, and even negotiating between warring parties. See also Chronique: The Journal of Chivalry #10.
Heresy: An opinion held in opposition to the orthodox doctrine in the Christian church, a crime by medieval law punishable by death. Heretical opinions were examined by church courts, which could pass sentence and carry out the resulting justice. Notable examples of medieval heresies were the teachings of John Wycliffe, the teachings of the Lollards. The Inquisition was instituted in 13th century France, a tool used during the 14th century to purge the Templars from their extensive holdings in France and in most of Europe, most of their members being burned.
Hobelars: Light cavalry who wore a light steel cap, a short coat of mail, using either a short sword, light lance, or bow. Such troops were in common use in Scotland, but additionally Edward III used them with great effect during the Battle for Calais in 1347.
Hohenzeuggestech: A form of joust popular in Germany during the Late 14th century. Using a special saddle that raised the knight ten inches or more above the horses back, the idea was to splinter lances. The sport proved dangerous, with many broken thighs and backs a result.
Holy Grail: See grail.
Holy Lands: Western Palestine, especially Judea, the historical lands of the bible. The ‘recovery’ of the Holy Lands from the governance of the Muslims was the goal of the First, Third and Children’s crusades. The success of the first crusade drove the Saracens from the holy lands and allowed the Christian forces to establish the Kingdom of Jerusalem, new land that have opportunity for young knights and provided a new pilgrimage destination considered an extremely holy destination.
Holy Roman Empire: A new instance of the old Roman empire in the West, the Empire was established in 962 under Otto I, a reincarnation of Charlemagne’s old empire established in 800. The Empire was what we today consider modern day Germany, the ‘Emperor’ being elected by the German princes, holding land in both Germany and Italy.
Homage: The public pronouncement of a vassal to his lord where he swore to become ‘his man’, an oath that carried a promise of loyalty. The homage ceremony, accomplished by placing the vassal’s hands into that of the lord. In exchange, the lord pledged to protect and defend the vassal. The ceremony was distinct from, but often a part of, a fealty oath, wherein the vassal pledged to do a specified service in exchange for the land of fief. Both were highly personal and powerful oaths, which were meant to bind lord and vassal together.
Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense: ‘Shame to he who thinks bad of it.’ The motto of the Order of the Garter, which has come, in popular legend, to refer to an illicit affair by the founder of the Order, Edward III, with the Countess of Salisbury. While it is reasonably certain that Edward did indeed conduct affairs, there is no hard evidence to support the use of the garter as a token of his affection for her.
Honor: Honor is not a virtue. It is the essential quality that accrues to a man when other people view them as being virtuous--i.e. they honor them. The drive for honor earns a knight or man-at-arms renown, his fame, his good name. It is always a very strong motivator for some soldiers. Honor in a personal sense is often confused with such ‘public’ honor, but I say rather that this is not honor but integrity.
Hors de Combat: Fr. Out of the fighting; unable to continue.
Hospitallers: The Knights of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, an order of knights formed after the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 recognized by the pope in 1113. The order provided hospitals and shelter for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Lands, but they also fielded powerful military units of knights who fought in most every battle of the Crusades. When the Christians were driven from Jerusalem by Saladin, they reestablished their headquarters in Acre until that was lost in 1291. Consequently they built up a naval force and seized the island of Rhodes, which they took from the Saracens in 1310. They formed an independent state on the site, building great wealth increased when Philip IV confiscated the estates of the Templars and turned many of them over to the order’s officers.
House of Lords: The temporal and spiritual lords. Each lord was a peer of the realm who held their seats by hereditary right. During the 14th century the element of the Magna Carta that granted the accused the right to trial by peers was interpreted to be only other peers within the House of Lords.
Household knights: The knights forming the entourage of a feudal lord, accompanying him to tournament and to war, paid first in food and housing, though later this was augmented with cash payments. By the late 14th century, the position was less one of a household knight and more one of staff officer, a military expert in the employ of a lord to assist him in the conduct of military and sometimes political affairs.
Hundred: Subdivision of an English shire or a French county, each hundred had their own court.
Hundred Years War: The protracted conflict between England and France from 1337 to 1453. Edward III began the war in earnest when he assumed the title ‘king of France’ in 1337. The war was fought in stops and starts, with numerous truces and false instances of peace, during which there were many battles fought. The tactics of chevauchée and siege warfare were used with great effect. Early English victories at Crècy, Poitiers and Agincourt were gradually reversed until the last English holding on the continent, (except for Calais), fell in 1453.
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