Jousting is a game from the medieval and Renaissance times where two people fight on horseback or on foot. It became a famous symbol of knights in stories about the Middle Ages.

The word "joust" comes from Old French "joster," which is based on the Latin word "iuxtare," meaning "to approach or meet." The word was introduced into Middle English around 1300, when jousting was a popular sport among Anglo-Norman knights. Another word for jousting is "tilt," which was used around 1510.

Jousting on horseback started from how soldiers used lances in battle. It became a special sport in the Late Middle Ages and stayed popular among nobles in England, Wales, Germany, and other European countries during the 16th century. However, in France, it stopped after King Henry II died in an accident in 1559. In England, jousting was a main event during the Accession Day tilts for Elizabeth I and James VI and I, and also part of the celebration for Charles I's marriage.

Jousting was no longer popular by the 17th century as people chose other horse-related sports. However, some forms of horseback combat without contact remained. Since the 1970s, there has been a small revival of performances that reenact jousting, and competitive jousting events began in the 1990s.

History

The medieval joust began as part of military training for heavy cavalry during the High Middle Ages. By the 14th century, many nobles, including kings, participated in jousting to display their bravery and skills. Jousting was as dangerous for kings as it was for knights. From the 15th century onward, jousting became a sport (called a hastilude) that no longer had direct ties to war.

Between the 11th and 14th centuries, jousting was still connected to warfare. During this time, armor changed from mail (a type of metal clothing) with a heavy helmet called a "great helm" and a shield, to full plate armor. By 1400, knights wore complete suits of plate armor, known as a "harness."

In the early period, a joust was a type of "meeting," which meant a general duel, not limited to lances. Riders would charge at each other with lances, and if one or both were unhorsed, they might continue fighting with weapons like swords or axes. Tournaments during the High Middle Ages were rougher and less polite than those in the later medieval period. Combatants often fought in groups to win horses, weapons, or money from their opponents.

As chivalric ideals developed in the late medieval period, jousting became more organized. This change also affected pas d'armes (a type of tournament). It became dishonorable to take advantage of an opponent's weakness. Knights aimed to fight fairly, even when they were at a disadvantage. This "chivalric revival" was inspired by chivalric stories from the High Middle Ages, which noblemen tried to copy in real life, sometimes mixing real events with fictional ones.

The word knight (chevalier) began to be used during this time. Before the 12th century, cniht meant a servant. In the 12th century, it referred to a soldier who followed a noble. A group of nobles who served in cavalry, called milites nobiles, also developed during this time. By the late 13th century, chivalry (chyualerye) was no longer just a term for soldiers but also for moral qualities like bravery. After 1300, knighthood (kniȝthod) became a rank of nobility. By the 14th century, the term "knight" was romanticized as an ideal of a young noble proving himself through honorable actions, such as participating in jousts. By the 15th century, even nobles of higher ranks admired "knightly" virtues.

The Chronicles of Froissart, written in the 1390s, describe jousting in the 14th century. Combat was expected to be non-lethal, and opponents were to yield honorably. Tournaments had rounds with different weapons, including jousting. Jousting became a chivalric sport, separate from battlefield fighting. Knights sometimes challenged opponents from enemy camps to gain honor.

For example, in 1380, a French squire named Gauvain Micaille challenged an English squire named Joachim Cator. Micaille arrived with three lances, axes, swords, and daggers. The duel began with a joust, but it was paused the next day. Micaille continued with sword duels but eventually lost too much blood and was allowed to return to his garrison with a reward.

Froissart also wrote about a tournament in Cambray in 1385, held during a wedding. Forty knights competed, and the king jousted with a knight named Sir John Destrenne. Sir Destrenne won a prize and was presented it by French officials.

The lists, or list field, was the area where tournaments took place. Later, castles and palaces had special tiltyards for jousting. Training used equipment like the quintain, a target for practice.

Jousts originally took place on open fields. The word "joust" meant "a meeting" and referred to any planned combat, not just with lances. By the 14th century, a cloth barrier was added to separate competitors. This barrier, called a tilt, became a wooden fence by the 15th century. The tilt barrier helped control horses and allowed riders to aim lances better. It was first used in southern Europe and later became common in Germany, where it was called the "Italian" or "Welsch" style. England built dedicated tiltyards with barriers during the time of Henry VIII.

In the late medieval period, a knightly duel usually included three jousts and three rounds of fighting with axes, swords, and daggers. By the end of the century, duels sometimes had up to five or even twelve rounds. In 1387, a duel between Sir Thomas Harpenden and Sir Jean des Barres included five jousts, five sword strikes, five dagger strikes, and five axe strikes. In another event near Nantes, a foot combat with sharp spears and three jousts took place without serious injuries.

Modern revivals

Jousting reenactors have been active since the 1970s. A popular modern jousting show took place in 1972 at the Principality of Gwrych in North Wales near Abergele. Companies like Knights Limited held organized shows with between five and fifty actors participating.

Other companies, such as Medieval Times, include jousting in their dinner shows. Seasonal jousting events are held at Warwick Castle and Hever Castle in England. Groups like the Knights of Middle England and Knights of Royal England travel across Britain and Europe to stage medieval jousting tournaments. At the Danish museum Middelaldercentret, daily jousting tournaments are held during the season.

The breakaway balsa wood lance, widely used in competitive jousting, was created by John Waller in 1973 or earlier. Starting in the middle of the 1970s, the Medieval Society began jousting with these lances.

In the United States, The Knights of Valour was a theatrical jousting group formed by Shane Adams in 1993. Members of this group began practicing jousting competitively, and their first tournament was held in 1997. Adams started the World Championship Jousting Association (WCJA), an organization dedicated to jousting as a combat sport. The WCJA held its first tournament in Port Elgin, Ontario, on July 24, 1999. The sport is featured in the 2012 television show Full Metal Jousting, hosted by Adams. The rules are inspired by Realgestech (also called Plankengestech), a type of stechen practiced in 16th-century Germany. Reinforcing pieces were added to jousting armor to create target areas. Instead of using shields, jousters aim for a reinforcing piece on the left shoulder of the armor, known as Brechschild (also called Stechtartsche).

Regular jousting events are held in Europe, some organized by Arne Koets, including The Grand Tournament of Sankt Wendel and The Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen. Koets is one of several jousters who travel internationally to events.

The first modern competitive joust using solid lances and steel coronels took place in 2010 in Australia.