What Was Life Really Like For A Medieval Knight? | Warriors Way | Chronicle

The Medieval period of history was extremely violent. Lands were regularly invaded, leading to long wars, frequent battles, and siege situations that could last months. This was the period of the Norman conquest and the battle of Hastings in England. Warfare strategy, tactics, and weapons technology were transforming to adapt to these new battle situations.
Welcome to Chronicle; your home for all things medieval history! With documentaries covering everything from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Renaissance, from Hastings to Charlemagne, we'll be exploring everything the Middle Ages have to offer.
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[@charlespeter5610]

Given that the focus of this video is about the Templars, I feel like the title is misnamed when you consider that they weren’t the typical knight

[@randomchop]

Jesus people sook over anything now a days

[@charlespeter5610]

@@randomchop if you’re talking about me, I’m actually not religious.

[@randomchop]

@@charlespeter5610 nothing to do with religion your sooking cause he didn't put knights Templar in the headinh

[@charlespeter5610]

@@randomchop yes, because this isn’t what life was really like for the average knight. The Knights Templar represented a small portion of knights in the era. Perhaps you should read more if you don’t know what I’m talking about

[@randomchop]

@@charlespeter5610 he didn't say a average knight you just assumed it

[@I_Hate_Craig]

If you're interested in the Knights Templar, this video is for you. If you're interested in life for the average medieval knight, this is NOT the video for you.

[@williamspitzschuh8167]

templars are not average knights.

[@TieSyndicate]

Hoplites are not average knights@@williamspitzschuh8167

[@Rob-uc8zr]

Sherman didn't say "war is hell," he said "war is cruelty, and you cannot refine it."

[@kevinm351]

“War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it” was his original statement. He changed it to “war is hell” after the war at a speech. “War is hell” stuck.

[@bluemike807]

Sherman also liked lighting stuff on fire.

[@Samuel-fz9rl]

​@@bluemike807just a little

[@hallowedmeadow4636]

Sherman actually said war is my balls on your chin.

[@garry12777]

I always thought it was: War is hell. There's no use in trying to reform it.

[@shadow_crne1030]

It's called a lance, hello?! - Knights Tale 1:57

[@fochdischitt3561]

28:17 "nothing penetrates it" Um. What?

[@141Wingman]

Stabbing with swords uncommon because maile was too effective? Um no Stabbing is the most effective way to penetrate maile with a sword or similarly bladed weapon 😂 no doubt part of the reason the spear was the most common weapon on the medieval battlefield other then it being easier to wield and cheaper to make then alot of other weapons

[@AlbionTarkhan]

We need Templar knights back now to defend Europe

[@Heavyisthecrown]

Imagine if our ancestors knew what we would do? After all the blood they shed 😢 just giving up our nations to people that hate the country they want to run or come to. Sickening

[@frostlordalec3077]

“Slashing and cutting was more effective than thrusts against an enemy’s mail” Aight bro

[@natethomas587]

I was wondering if anyone else caught that . lol . wtf

[@slowpacegames2452]

Here's hoping they just worded that poorly, and aren't completely braindead. A cutting (swinging) motion would be more effective, but not because it penetrates the armor in any way. It's all about generating enough force to harm your opponent. They wore padding underneath the mail, so you need significant force to do any damage to the muscle and bone underneath that. Plus, a thrust is a movement that recuires precision. You don't always have the luxury of that kind of time in the heat of things. Slashing however is completely pointless and your opponent would be wondering what you were trying to do ... while he kills you. This drives me up the wall waching movies as well. The hero runs the sword across a mailed opponents chest and they die in dramatic fashion. Like, why?! That's what I think anyway.. It's interesting how all these "documentaries" seem to be written by people that have never done som much as swing a hammer at anything before.

[@frostlordalec3077]

@@slowpacegames2452 worded perfectly I completely agree

[@Daemon_venator]

Yeah I went to say the same and then thought...ahh what's the point. Glad other people noticed how ridiculous and untrue that statement was.

[@MotDoiAnLac258]

Great video!

[@anthuan2028]

That man really said mail is better than plate lol

[@michelleg7]

I can see why the several tight rings of chain mail helped to stop blades from penetrating deeply, while a very sharp sword or axe could probably go through the sheets of metal but it also was a defense of preventing them from getting into the crevices of armor while wearing chain mail parts

[@anthuan2028]

@@michelleg7 plate armor couldn’t be cut mate, later on it was also bullet proof. Plate armor was in invented in the 1300’s back then it was rather simple and was vulnerable to blunt damage so maces and picks became the way to deal with them. In the middle of the 1400’s plate armor became so good that not even maces, picks or longbows could go through it, or severely damage the person inside, so the only way to deal with it was with lances in horseback or thrusting the gaps of the armor like the visor, armpits or groin, or suing early fire arms In the 1500’s and 1600’s they made armor bullet proof, they tested it before selling it by shooting it point blanc with a pistol. They stopped using it due to logistics, armies became way to big to field mass groups of armored soldiers, so they just kept the armor for the cuirassiers and reiters all the way until WW1

[@miroslavkovacic5835]

He wasn't necessarily making an argument about effectiveness of its armor capabilities but taking other variables such as cost, weight and combat type into consideration. Edit: Good/bad is local to certain axioms of evaluations.

[@gonefishing167]

Thank you so much. Fighting in the Holy Land, wouldn’t they have been roasting in that armour? Remarkable people - I think. One can not deny their bravery snd to earn the admiration of Saladin ( apologies for spelling) - incredible. Their betrayal by the king of France, appalling. Thank you again 🙏🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

[@muhacnt7988]

Wearing plate armor in the middle east and march for days in it because it takrs time to put on seems suicidal

[@maybrittwilkens6149]

I must admit. Its a little weird watching a documentary about the crusades, and not witnessing a thinly veiled smear attack on western colonialism. Perhaps "things" have changed so much in Europe now, that the propaganda machines have finally been silenced, and historians are now allowed to return to their academic roots. I for one enjoyed this small gem here immensely.

[@sanjayeasycutz7195]

Good Video ❤❤❤❤

[@samuelpatton5148]

“Everyone was wearing chainmail, so stabbing with the point of the sword was ineffective, the primary tactic was to slash and cut…” this video just lost all credibility. Chainmail was primarily for protection against cuts and slashing, it’s weakness was thrusts from sharp points…

[@Heavyisthecrown]

I think that got lost in translation. That person wasn’t a native English speaker obviously

[@Daemon_venator]

Some people just shouldn't have history degrees 😅

[@noregrets551]

Actually he isn't far off, stabbing didn't help either due to the fact that they whore padded clothing underneath the chainmail, so the reason they resorted to slashing was to cause more blunt damage than anything else by using the full length of the sword like a hammer

[@samuelpatton5148]

@@noregrets551 thrusting causes more blunt force than slashing. If you ram the point of a sword into someone all the force of your body and sword is concentrated on the point of that blade.

[@noregrets551]

@@samuelpatton5148 , i understand your reasoning and i thought so to initially but they actually tested this in real life and found out that one would need atleast 3 to 4 feet of traveling speed and distance to produce the same amount of force as a sword that is squng overhead, they also found out that chainmail was purposely made in such a way that you couldn't get more than 1cm of a blades point through it,

[@michelleg7]

Really? the Knights Templar were in Spain too, I am disappointed that this seems to be a unknown thing that I never see mentioned about them and I just want to add that the knights in Spain and in Portugal were not tried by the church. The respective kings in Iberia created new orders for them and the templars were disbanded and went into the new orders like the Order of Christ but it was also for the Templars that also survived persecultion else where in Europe and made it to Portugal and the Order of Montesa also another Order created specifically for the ex Templars in Aragon. Some Templars also went into the other military orders like the Orders of Santiago and Calatrava as well.

[@jarentz]

The “jousting spear” was called a lance. 🙄

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

It would suck to be in armor and have diaharrea in a lightning storm tho.

[@cleverusername9369]

Comparing medieval war horses to an M1A1 Abrams battle group feels like a bit much. Like, I get that a charge of heavy cavalry would be terrifying, but have you seen what a tank can do?

[@Rob-uc8zr]

cavalry is more comparable to a missile than a tank anyway, you send them to strike and not to stand and fight.

[@arcticwulf5796]

It's a medieval equivalent. Modern day tanks can be destroyed with modern anti tank weapons. But they are difficult to kill, deadly and can break through enemy formations. A high medieval knight is the medieval equivalent. They are very hard to kill, learned to kill since they were 12 years old and can be in a breakthrough role and destroy infantry in masses.

[@derrickguffey4775]

Chain mail is a common misnomer. The individual rings were interlocked. A four in one pattern was way method frequently used. Rightly called ring mail or just mail. From the Latin macula or net. Forgive the misspelled if it was incorrect.

[@davidjones535]

Their downfall was they got to rich ,they were bankers for other crusaders and had money money and more money and the French King at the time needed money !

[@wampuscat1831]

I love a good fight,miss the sound of steel on metal.I soon will return in these pursuits.

[@Heavyisthecrown]

To what? Video games 😂 where are you going to hear that sound in real life?

[@dufferdude1205]

I wish those who start wars had to actually fight in them. Don’t you think that there would be less wars.

[@slowpacegames2452]

Exactly! Back in the day (the period of this "dokumentary"), the King would be at the battlefield, if the battle was for "king and country" that is. That's the same as putting the president on the "front line". The king represents the country, so he better be there. When the king falls, the battle is over, and the country is lost. The difference today is that we are led by cowards. Picture Biden in chainmail and a sword. He would collapse under the waight of the armor alone. Pathetic! War has changed, and has become the "easy way out" of the argument. Terrifying, really.

[@Heavyisthecrown]

Back in this time they normally did actually

[@Philostipher]

I like how their understanding of a knight training is just a man half dressed by himself wildly swinging a sword around like a 7 year old.

[@elijahkelly5937]

It happened at agincort

[@koichiLove.]

I Will Dive To Medieval total war After This.........

[@argonaught]

In hoc signo vinces ✝️

[@craftygnome97]

When I heard "jousting spear" I knew this would be a waste of time.

[@Ironside701]

Some stuff they are talking... complete nonsense. I mean, i know that historians also have areas of focus and therefore can not know everything outside of their comfort zone... but come on. Anyway, if you want to get through Mail armor, the tip of a sword, lance or spear isn't a bad choice. Mail protects well against cuts, but poorly against stabs. That's one of the main reasons why plate armor was a thing.

[@jean-luceyesofyoureyes5502]

I think the Knight's training regimen had to be on par with Navy Seals or other modern Tier 1 special forces.

[@attemptedunkindness3632]

When you are the armored tank, the tank's crew, and the tank's commander all in one package I imagine training is a prerequisite.

[@ripvanwinkle1819]

Your hard on is showing bud. Get back to your wizard in dungeons and dragons

[@PSAV76]

Rubbish! Genghis Khan and his Mongol Horde decimated these shining knights with ease.

[@12littlesheep]

No coconuts? 🐎🐎🥥🥥

[@EricGiebel-hs7uv]

And so , Live by the Meade, die by the meade

[@venomshadowzzz2556]

When is the next episode? Lol

[@shizukashizuka8509]

Chainmail was pierced/stabbed or maybe chopped, NOT sliced.

[@wrighteousj]

Please title your vids correctly…

[@user-og2ze7rb6e]

thank u for fighting for your queen ❤

[@rhino5551212]

This is awedul.

[@cleverusername9369]

I believe you'll find the word is spelled "awful", much like your spelling.

[@TAKE_BACK_BRITAIN]

7:24 “When the group attack gave away to individual fighting…” Yeah I’m going to stop you there. This is a Hollywood trope that isn’t actually true or realistic. In an actual medieval or even ancient pitched battle, this never happened. Men always fought in formation. I will say though that on the other hand, people don’t realise that pitched battles were actually a relatively rare occurrence in the Middle Ages. The majority of medieval wars were fought through sieges and skirmishes. So in the latter case, individual fighting may indeed be more common. But I still have to call out this documentary on the whole individual fighting thing anyway since it seems to be implying that this happened in an actual battle.

[@mordeys]

The old saying about making a rider before puberty... ya.. if you dont learn to ride as young kid...oh you may learn and be good at it...but there is a natural flow that just won't be there. My parents have pictures of me sitting on a horse as soon as i could sit on my own. We lived on horseback.. on rides we would just lay back and watch the clouds flow past us. Many of us sat backwards to visit with friends. We knew every twitch, sigh or movement our horse did and they knew ours.... there is a motion...rhythm to their walks cantors and flat runs that your body.. muscle memories.. knows the half second that the horse goes to start that your body prepares for that you can't do in your mind. Its a signal sent between that animals body to your body that brains don't get in the way of.. does that make sense? Your center of balance is attuned to that of this huge animal and its very swift movements. It literally becomes part of how you move...and i don't think it can truly become part of your core being if your very growing if your body wasn't done on horse back. You can learn it and it may become like effortless....but its not the same....

[@____leroy_____4082]

this vid has atleast 100 people wearing chainmail getting stabbed.

[@robisverybad75]

Haha. Can’t even do history better then iTunes amatuers

[@deeppurple883]

Would the Knights have come into contact with the Vikings. They were around at this time. I wonder was there any writing's or legends about them, OK I'll check 😡🤣✌️

[@slowpacegames2452]

No. The templars were established by the pope in 1128, and was "dismantled" in 1312 (Wiki). The last "viking" army to set foot on English soil was in 1066. Edit: Sorry, you asked about knights, not templars. The earliest I could find about knights is from around 1099. So that is still a no in regards to the vikings. And remember, a viking is not something you are, it's somthing you do. There was no "viking order" like the knights had. The Norwegian army of 1066 was exactly that, a Norwegian army. NOT VIKINGS.

[@KristinkaAranova]

Yea “Vikings” wouldn’t exist at the time of the crusades. Their descendants, The Normans, fought in the crusades tho

[@fdhtownsen]

I doubt the Templars were proud of their denial of self and discipline as pride is the original sin that leads to all other sins. If anything they were grateful for the opportunity to serve God as a living sacrifice.

[@GNML6836]

👍🏻🇨🇦👍🏻

[@ohdamnitsthatguy60]

I would not join the Templar's I like money and women too much. That said I would still help out my fellow man as needed and fight when I had to. But I strongly believe God wants us to get along and not kill each other.

[@KristinkaAranova]

Peace would be great but that’s not human nature. The Muslims were slaughtering pilgrims and enslaving them and other atrocities for centuries, so the crusades were necessary. Europeans probably wouldn’t even exist if Muslims conquered Europe

[@jeffhamilton8640]

A knights Templar… half of them were criminals.. and the church convinced them that if they went and did “ gods work “ they would be forgiven of their crimes… it beats the rack or the gallows… not “knights “ at all

[@Heavyisthecrown]

You are judging these people with a modern lense. Which is foolish.

[@andreweden9405]

21st century men (myself included) would do well do attempt to embody as many traits of the Templar Knights as possible! Btw, some of the commentary on this is idiotic. You can ABSOLUTELY stab through chainmail armor! You can penetrate it quite easily with a spear, and even with many swords and daggers. That was the whole point behind the development of plate armor later! As swords and daggers got pointier, the maille was no longer providing enough protection.

[@dr.paulwilliam7447]

Yes, but stabbing did not always occur. That is because when you stab you are very vulnerable in comparison to sword swings. If the stab misses your entire force of movement needs to be recaptured and even very unskilled opponents can hurt you badly in that moment.

[@solarwinds-]

That is why the rapier was made, to penetrate the ring mail, but I don't think the commentary was idiotic, just off on some points.

[@NullVoid-rm7jm]

"Female soldiers" in the first 60 seconds. Yeah I question the credibility of this doc...

[@johnmorley6339]

Elite female soldiers... don't make me laugh

[@derrickguffey4775]

You've never heard of the Amazons. They were warrior women of the Scythians. Vikings had warrior women as well as the Celts. Women in antiquity could be warriors. Research Hua Mulan. A woman who rode with the Chinese Imperial cavalry for at least 10 years. One of the most famous Samurai was in fact a woman. Modern Win Chun was created by a woman. Ng Mui. Being a woman in no way meant you couldn't be a warrior

[@cleverusername9369]

You've never fought anybody

[@Oakeshott-ko8ig]

Vikings and Celts did not have female warriors. You're parroting leftist propaganda.

[@derrickguffey4775]

@@cleverusername9369 who?

[@leslietarkin5705]

All Templar Knights were deluded fools. Brave, it is true but, deluded.

[@yoranthium]

Looking forward to the episode on Kdeights. There were Medieval Kdeights why only the Knights? The sun still came out in the Medieval times you know, it wasn't always Knight time. We need to recognize Medieval Kdeight time.

[@ivorc8957]

Not accurate.

[@M3THOD1978]

Remember, just cause the called themselves men of God, does not mean they were following the teachings of the Christ Jesus. They were catholic political armies like the rest of them

[@Despond]

It was all created from politics and power. You even have modern day examples.

[@Tralala691]

There was no chick soldiers. Quit going woke history on us.

[@godsm3dic577]

According to the assassins y’all are wrong lmfao

[@chaseclark8404]

the knights templar were not the chaste beneficent people you're making them out to be. This whole video is basically false

[@KristinkaAranova]

And you knew every Templar personally? Lol you must be old

[@jannarkiewicz633]

Intro is too dang long. I am out.

[@kellydiver]

Hmmm … you neglected to mention that the Templar Knights also included women from the very beginning.

[@bunyipdragon9499]

You've got to stop saying "the warriors way" is irrelevant and you sound silly. When you use it for every fighting man from vikings to Marines it loses value and is a modern term!

[@bunyipdragon9499]

@@cleverusername9369 thankyou. I've had an op on my hand and texting is difficult. I have edited now but yes it did look silly 💜

[@simonilton9831]

Well this video is rubbish

[@solarwinds-]

I think the Templars were just as bad as the Islamists (barbarians as the commentator called them) and you can't be forgiven of sin by hacking & maiming people or any other so-called "righteous deed". The commentator said that one of the reasons why the Templars led their way of life was to assure their way to Heaven. You can't do anything to gain a place in heaven except to accept the gift of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It's the only way to assure your place in Heaven & no other way! Not my words, God's words. You can disagree with me if you want but it's not me you're disagreeing with. You're disagreeing with God.

[@nicbe617]

Well, they've been dead for hundreds of years, so they probably know more about it than you do one way or another at this point.

[@solarwinds-]

You're being rude for no reason. @@nicbe617

[@nicbe617]

Proselytizing in someone else's space is rude. @@solarwinds-

[@A_Shanto]

knight templar only good against peasant arab army but inferior against mamluks

[@OrysB-po1fy]

The original knights were guys who could afford a horse and were given permission to wield a sword in the name of the king. Not fucking Templars. Yeah I’m done with this “documentary”.