Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournament
Glossary of Terms


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The glossary is meant as a growing resource for students, re-enactors, and anyone interested in knighthood, chivalry, or the medieval tournament. The current page is but a brief listing of what we would like to have on the page; if you would be interested in helping with a given area, such as in heraldry, transcribing tournament accounts, translations, or research, drop the author an email at brion@chronique.com. Additionally, we would like to expand many of the definitions here; if you want to try one or more of them send your submissions to the email address above--we can use the help!

Oath: Invocation of a supernatural or holy being called to verify the veracity of a statement. Sometimes, oaths were given over a relic or a church altar. An oath was a special appeal, an expression of sincerity backed up by the threat of divine retribution should the uttering prove false--hence the term ‘oath-breaker’. An oathbreaker was assumed to have committed a crime against God or of some divine entity, which would lead to damnation or another form of severe penalty. Such oaths might take the form of ‘I swear upon the all that is Right and Holy that...’ Or, placing one’s hand upon a holy relic, ‘I, Reginald, do swear before these gathered witnesses that I did see...’

Oath of Fealty: The specific oath given to a liege lord, swearing to execute the duties of the feudal contract between the lord and his vassal.

Of Four Quarterings: Noble heritage from all four grandparents. The concept of nobility came in most medieval senses not from a nobility of character, though that was certainly sought, but from a nobility in the blood. It was strongly believed that much of a person’s character derived from their ‘blood’, their heritage. During the 13th century, tournaments began to require that knights prove noble descent from all four lines to be considered noble enough to participate.

Oliphant: Roland’s ivory horn, which he blew at the Battle of Roncesvalles, 778, to announce his betrayal to Charlemange, whose rear column he commanded at the time of the battle.

Or: The heraldic metal color for gold or yellow.

Ordene de Chevalrie: The anonymous 12th century work in which a knight, in order to obtain his ransom, knights Saladin, in the process explaining the significance of each element of the knighting ceremony. An important poem translated into English by William Morris. See also Chronique: The Journal of Chivalry #5.

Order of the Banda: See Banda, Order of the.

Order of the Garter: See Garter, Order of the.

Order of the Golden Fleece: See Golden Fleece, Order of the.

Order of the Laurel: An SCA peerage--see Laurel, Order of the.

Order of the Pelican: An SCA peerage--see Pelican, Order of the.

Order of the Star: See Star, Order of the.

Orders of knighthood: Military orders of knights based on the monastic model, contrasted with the secular groups of knights whose membership stemmed either from a monarch or from a company of knights banding together for common purpose.

Ordinary: Basic heraldic charges used in simple heraldry--the bend, chevron, chief, fess, pale, pile and saltire.

Oriflamme: The Royal military banner of France, derived from the banner of Saint Denis near Paris. The banner was made of Crimson silk with a saltire wavy, the banner was kept above the altar at Saint Denis until the King called it forward. Carrying the Oriflamme was a high honor; the banner was carried at the Battle of Crècy and again at Poitiers, where it was carried by Geoffrey de Charnay, the predomme French knight who was slain defending it during that battle in 1356. The banner was to remain furled until dire circumstance required the army to retreat and regroup--Charnay died with the banner unfurled as the English crushed the army.

Orison: From the Middle English--A prayer.

Orlando Furioso: {}

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