Tournament Facts

Major Tournaments

The greatest tournaments - those promoted by the monarch and wealthier members of the nobility - were held in specially prepared areas called 'lists', surrounded by a stout fence. Behind this were tiers of seats for ladies and courtiers, while the squires and ordinary people had to stand.

The Spectators

The large, enthusiastic audience was a big influence on the way the joust developed. Everyone needed to know who the individual knights were, so each contestant had his own distinctive and colourful design created. This is called heraldry. Knights would have these designs emblazoned on their shields and their surcoats (a cloth coat worn over their armour), and on their horse's caparisons (a cloth covering).

Tree of Honour

Shields were often hung up on the Tree of Honour, so everyone could see who the contestants were. Some shields, instead of a coat-of-arms, carried a colour or design that denoted a type of combat. Challengers would tap a shield with their lance or sword to show they wanted to compete in that event.

Heralds

Heralds were the marshals, scorekeepers and messengers of the tournament - as well as performing as the masters of ceremony and minstrels. They recorded the challenges, announced the contests, and read out the rules of the tournament. Another important duty was to warn knights to fight fairly and to stop as soon as they had been given the signal. Heralds also had the task of recording any casualties.