A Brief History of Jousting, Knights & their Bone-Crushing Injuries
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 вер 2023
- In this video Kevin Hicks takes a brief look at the history of jousting, why knights jousted and also explores some of the bone-crushing injuries from medieval and Tudor tournaments that left knights maimed, crippled and in some cases dead.
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CREDIT:
Rennzeug - Jousting Armour (1471-1499) © Royal Armouries, Leeds
When I woke up today I didn't know it was Christmas, but here's another thehistorysquad video, so it must be
🤣
Feel the same, too few channels these days give that buzz of you know you are in for a good time and to learn something along the way 🫡
Merry christmas, jousting gore lovers! 🎉
Agreed, this guy is great isn't he
Only discovered this guy today, and I had to subscribe. He's too charming.
“Hi, my name is Kevin Hicks”…my favorite words to hear on UA-cam - you know a great video is coming your way…
Haha, how kind of you Blue - cheers!
It’s not just the rate of speed it’s also the mass to factor into the impact. Henry II Of France is the jousting accident I’m most familiar with, but from a medical perspective. Henry II was first attended to by the royal surgeon Ambroise Paré, then joined by renowned physician Andreas Versalius of Brussels. As you mentioned, the tip of the lance splintered piercing the through the eye socket. They successfully removed the splinter and at first the prognosis was good. Henry would lose the eye but survive.
I would assume the tip of a lance to be pretty dirty, causing the infection to start. After many discussions with other colleagues the consensus was…The infection had migrated to the back of poor Henry’s head, to the rear of the right cerebral hemisphere forming an abscess. He would have already had increased cranial pressure due to brain swelling from the initial impact and the abscess, as it worsened, would have added to that pressure. If that pressure isn’t relieved, the only place for the brain to expand is down the spinal column. I’m sure the doctor tried their best but with a CT scan or even an x-ray, they had little chance of finding the abscess.
I really enjoyed this video because it’s a subject I know little about, and I’m always grateful when someone takes the time to teach me something, so thank you very much,
Sincerely
Doc
A pleasure Doc, thanks for the medical info too, poor Henry eh?
@@thehistorysquad Yes poor Henry, but it’s my understanding that the woman he was having an affair with (His Courtesan) didn’t fare too well either from Henry’s misfortune. Henry’s wife (The woman scorned) had her stripped of every penny, every piece of jewelry and every gift Henry lavished upon her. Henry’s wife then had her evicted from the palace leaving her homeless. So July 10th, 1559 was a rather bad day for more than just poor, unlucky Henry!
I don’t get much free time so when I do, I find myself lost in my love of history and your enthusiasm is so contagious I end up binge watching! I especially love the models you create, seeing history laid out in a detailed model puts everything in perspective and makes for a better understanding of an event or how terrain can influence a battle…..and admittedly, they’re fun too!
Sort of unrelated,but not. For centuries,an autopsy was mandatory upon the death of the French king. Louis the XIV was found to have an extra loop of intestine. No idea if small or large. He was a famous trencherman,able to eat truly massive quantities of food.
I wonder when this autopsy policy started. Possibly the death of Henri II ? Before ? After ?
How would you find out ?
I am not aware of the same policy being followed by the English crown. Henry VIII,so the story goes,his body was heard to explode in the summer heat while in his coffin. That would indicate to me an autopsy being unlikely,no ?
@@paulmanson253 Before! Henry II had a post-Mortem preformed 9 days after the jousting accident. Both Dr. Paré and Dr. Versalius we’re in attendance. They both were very interested in learning the cause of his death. I’m not sure about the English Monarchy’s policy regarding autopsies on royalty. If I had to guess I’m pretty certain they didn’t do post-Mortems on members of the royal family. Stupid too, the cause of death is important for many reason,…legal (as in suspicious circumstances) and for learning. The only way to advance a field like medicine is by learning the cause and how to improve treatment in the future.
I’m not sure about the English Monarchy and their policy about autopsies performed on members of the Royal family. I would be curious to find out, so if you know then please inform me.
Take care,
Doc
@@johnhenderson131 I just looked up the word autopsy in my 1912 Chambers dictionary. Personal inspection, directly from the Greek.
From old memory here,so that is a caveat. When the son of Henry II of England died,called Henry the Young King,at his request,William Marshall himself took a knife and cut out the heart and designated internal organs. Body,heart and organs buried in three separate places. No idea where. Henry II died in tragic circumstances,William Marshall once again in attendance. No idea if there was a repeat of previous. The Lionheart,1198 I think. No autopsy needed there.
There is a wonderful 1973 movie called Robin and Marion. Fiction of course,but you should watch it.
King John about 1215 or so. No autopsy.
Hmm. Fast forward to the Wars of the Roses. Civil War with kinfolk killing kinfolk. Not much motivation for autopsy.
No sane person would suggest an autopsy on Henry VI ,it would have cost them their life.
During the closing years of Henry VIII,vivat rex was the only sane thing to say. Speculation on the king's health was awfully close to treason,and Henry loved treason charges.
Elizabeth Tudor ? Unlikely. The Stuarts ? Charles II was Louis XIV cousin. So I suppose that might be a starting point. The Georgians? No idea. Good question though.
Best I can do.
I can't believe that William Marshall rose from the Melee and tilt yard to become the most famous knight in the world
A winter project for me 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad That sounds great, he has been one of my favorite Medieval figures since I was a kid
@@thehistorysquadI can’t wait to hear your take on this legendary knight!
I've seen his tomb at the Temple Church.
@@stephengraham5099 That's one place I have always wanted to go to, but I have never had the chance.
Recently visited the Royal Armoury Museum in Leeds, there’s rooms full of armour, lances, history on jousting and the Tourny and it’s free to visit! Highly recommend it!
Ah I love the royal armoury, its fascinating there! Been there a number of times over the years, even had a couple private tours of the pre 1900s firearms and the European melee weaponry, with 2 of the specialists! It was fantastic, spending an afternoon with such knowledgeable people, filled with genuine articles from history, going back as far as the 1500s
I bet that was awesome!
Great video like always! Probably the most frequent fatal injury in jousting was breaking the neck, when falling off a horse. There is a clear development in mideval helm making to prevent this. The "Frogmouth" is a good example. It´s back part was made of one plate, which would prevent the knight´s neck from overbending, if thrown off the horse (not only in tournaments). Another method was fixating the helmet with a metal frame, so that the sensitive part of the neck would stay in a rather stiff position.
Another brilliant appraisal Kevin. Youve done more to keep real history alive in the UK than most of your peers. You deserve your own Knighthood for services to our heritage. I tip my lance Sir Knight.
Ah, cheers Andy, that's very kind of you. 👍🏻
Always a great day when The History Squad posts a video!! As an American, it’s especially fascinating to hear English medieval history because, since the USA is so (relatively) young, recountings like this ARE our history! Anything prior to 1776 is shared!
This is something you don't hear a lot. The medieval period isnt just European history! The millions of Europeans who would go to settle in colonies around the world, and the places they left a legacy in (for better or worse).
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for your interesting comment, I understand what you're saying 👍🏻
No no, you guys lost that right in 1776 😏😂...we have our castles and you guys have the Midwest..There's literally no cowboy/gunslingers in our history books..wonder why?..that would be an excellent subject Kevin, British gunslingers from that era 👌🏽
Intriguing thought,maybe Ireland has something to say
'A Knight's Tale', one of my top 10 films. 'A medieval teenager's dream', beautifully filmed near Prague & a testament to Czech riding skills - amidst all the splintered wood & full-on lunacy! : )
I love that movie
Not exactly historically accurate, but it's a fun and entertaining movie
Whoops I "accidentally" killed the guy I hate in a fake battle with real blades. Makes you wonder how often that happened.
I thought exactly the same myself!!! You go up against someone you hate in a "friendly" combat or joust. Must be very tempting to put an edge on your sword or a point on your lance. "I didn't realise my sword was sharp.....honest". Then blame one of your lackeys for sharpening it.
Dave.
''Hunting Accidents'' with high-powered bows were the cause of more than one regicide.
@@davesheppard8797I'd argue the duller the blade the more dangerous but that's just me.
@DaturaReapicusJones Yes, maybe. The only swords I own are Katana's and they are like razors.....but then again they were designed to be so, whereas a broadsword wouldn't need to have a razor edge.
Dave.
@@davesheppard8797 good point, katanas are different, larger swords are indeed more akin to a mace with the ability to clobber. A katana would be more useful for fast juggling like motions, kinda like a khopesh in that regard
Very interesting as usual, thanks again Kevin ! But the death of king Henry II didn't quite happen like you told us... this tragedy was very well documented (of course, because it was the king !) and in fact it was all about bad luck. That day, the king, riding a horse whose name was "Malheureux" (which means now unhappy in french, but meant then unlucky -yes !) already fought two jousts. Then came the third and last of the day, against Gabriel de Montgomery, captain of the king's Scottish guard. Henry had a strong reputation as a jouster, but Montgomery was also a tough guy. And off they go... the shock was impressive, the two men both broke their lances (and we know why, because you told us lances were made for that, a fact many people don't know), but none of them fell from his horse. Draw, end of the game ? For Henry, impossible, though a new fight was against the rules. But he was a proud king and couldn't be satisfied with a draw, and, maybe more, some people said Diane de Poitiers, his mistress, had a crush on Montgomery, so it was more than a matter of honor. He ordered the young officer to fight again. Montgomery was of course reluctant, but how could he disobey his king ? So they fought again, and again they broke their lances. But there was a small problem which had dire consequences : king Henry's squire didn't lock well the helmet's visor (because it was a helmet with a visor, Kevin...), and when the lance broke, the broken part slipped on the king's armor breast plate, lifted the visor and penetrated Henry's eye socket. The end of the story, you told us. But did you know it has been said that queen Catherine's astrologer warned her a fe days before to avoid a third fight ? True or not, it was anyway a tragedy...
Excellent, thanks very much for all that extra detail. 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad You're welcome Kevin !
As a historian of the family, my mother, sister and I love watching these on the TV and loved the joust topic (and the gruesome injuries!)
Thank you :)
Thanks for watching, glad you liked the models 👍🏻
Its always a good day when Kevin drops a video
I love the History Squad!!
Always
not really a big guy on jousting history but this video had me hooked.
Good to hear it, thank you.
Heavy duty contact sport Kevin. As usual a brilliant informative piece . Has anybody mentioned your a hell of a story teller. Take care
😜 once or twice perhaps.👍🏻
Thankyou for another video Kevin. I've never really considered this before but I'm glad I have a chance to learn more about this subject with you. 😁👍🏻
My pleasure!
Jousting is one of my favourite parts of that era. I was always fascinated with it when I was a kid going to medieval times. That's horrifying for someone to live for a year with a pole in their head. Great video Kevin.
Very much enjoyed this, loving listening to your story telling and the injuries around Jousting. Just incredible! Thank you so much for this :)
Another smashing video Kevin! Thank you.
Another wonderfully informative and entertaining video! Thank you, Kevin!
Great video! Thanks for making it.
Thank you for your videos, I really enjoy your work
Absolutely splendid video, mate!
ah wicked, always wanted to see you do a vid on this. nice one.
I love these so much. It just hits so many buttons. Medical stuff, history stuff ,warrior stuff they add so much perspective to life. Thank you for the post
Thank you for sharing these stories.....so interesting!
I love your videos, they're really great and fascinating, keep it up!🥰
I'm so happy to see your subscribers are almost 300,000. That's awesome ! Keep going Kev! Thanks for sharing !
Thanks yes, we're getting up there, so must be doing something right. Thanks as ever for watching 👍🏻
Another great and fun episode Kevin!
Kev , you make the best history content on youtube ! 😎
I'm new to your channel and I'm so glad I found you. I look forward everyday to seeing new videos, they're informative and very entertaining. Thanks Kevin!
Welcome! I try to upload every Friday if I can and really do appreciate you watching. Cheers 👍🏻
What a fantastic video. I enjoyed ever minute of it!
Yet another great bit of history. Your models and reconstructions are truly amazing.
Cheers!
Very interesting and as always informative.
I just stumbled upon your channel a week ago or so and must say your content is absolutely amazing. Some of the better historical videos available today. Will definitely be binge watching all of your content over the next few weeks.
That's great to hear Patrick, thank you & welcome to the channel 👍🏻
Loved, loved, absolutely loved the video. ❤. Thank you sir.
My pleasure, thanks for watching 👍🏻
Excellent video! I didn't know a lot of what you said.
Brilliant story and what Amazing part of are history, Im glad it's documented and sometimes painted, so will never lose it. You are a great history teacher and you really bring life to the storys. All the best to you. ⚔️
🙌🏽 really good watch Kevin! Amazing video. Well done!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Kev!
Once again an awesome video! Thank you for including Gregor Baci ❤
Thanks for another wonderful lesson Kevin. As usual, I learned something new today. It always seemed to me that just getting unhorsed would be a disabling injury, but obviously there are many more ways to get injured or killed. Cheers from Texas.
Kevin this just made my day ❤️ thank you so much for uplifting my spirit. Keep it up 💯 ❤❤please 🙏 ❤❤
My pleasure Ian, thanks for watching 👍🏻
Excellent work again, thank u!!!
I love the models you use as well as other props and period paintings. In many ways they are better than videos. Excellent job.
Thanks 👍🏻
I was having a great Friday and it just got a lot better. Thanks for the new film! 😁
Yay - have a great weekend too!
This channel is brilliant, you explain things so well, love the
models too!
Thank you very much!
Love the diorama! Great video as always!
Brilliant video Kev.
As ever, excellent video sir! Nothing beats watching the Joust LIVE - the Royal Armouries tournaments are phenomenal!
Couldn't agree more!
Thank you Kevin. Another great video for sure. This is history nobody wants to research. Your models are the greatest.
Cheers mate!
I just discovered your channel, and you earned a new subscriber! I love your videos, they are really well explained :)
Awesome Kevin.
What an amazing and informative video, this channel is up there in the hall of fame of history channels for me ! keep up the great work, your passion and talent for history are great.
Wow, thank you!
Always a good tale. Thank you.
That was ,yet again ,an extremely interesting description of such horrendous wounds,.... Thank you Kevin.
Thanks for listening
Fascinating history lesson and well put over.
I absolutely Love, love, LOVE watching this man! His passion for the subject is as evident as his vast store of knowledge gleaned from a unique lifetime of professional historical reenactment and research.
Well done, sir.
Cheers Cody!
Thanks for the great video
I love this channel. God bless yall.
Fantastic well done m8
A friend of mine who jousts on horseback was hit in the eye by a lance splinter through his visor.
He nearly lost an eye and took ages to recover, so its absolutely true these freak accidents at tournaments did occur and still do today despite modern precautions and safety methods.
Wonderful story telling
THIS is why I watch the History Squad! Excellent, as usual. Oh... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE! You mystery woman, you.
Haha, thanks, I'm sure Kate will be pleased 👍🏻
Nice one Kev
What an amazing video,yet again you have surpassed yourself,great content. 😁
Glad you enjoyed it
LOVE IT AS USUAL KEVIN!!! YOU ARE THE MAN HOMIE! There is a video on youtube with a girl creating a crossbow and arrows out of bamboo, I found it fascinating. It's called "Full video: Survive Alone Against Iguanas, Wolves, Wild Boars and Dangers in the Rain Forest" and the crossbow is made about 1 hour 28 minutes in. I thought this is right up Mr. Hicks alley! Looking forward to your next videos as always, Jules
Cheers Jules 👍🏻
This is a great channel.
Absolutely fantastic. Highlight of Friday!
Cheers Sam!
Very nice modeling, as well as a very interesting history lesson!
Another good one…great history Ty
Another awesome video from a master storyteller.
Really enjoyed this one as always. I'm sure as a young lad in Sheffield 1970s I borrowed those knights figures off my uncle and played with them for hours. Along with his green Soldier figures. Knights vs ww2 soldiers. Those were happy days.
yo Kev, great channel you got going, glad I found it!
Thanks! Welcome aboard👍
That was a great one about jousting, especially in those with historical repercussions. Learned a lot, thanks Kevin.
Very welcome
Thanks for the quick lesson, Kev! Btw “A Knight’s Tale” is one of my all time favorite movies. “How did nobles become noble in the first place? They took it. With the tip of a lance.”
Great video, thankyou. I suffered migraine for 50 years, often 4 or5 a month. Even with modern drugs it was awful, i can imagine how terrible it would be, and yes, mood changing, with no effective treatment available.
Another entertaining collection of brilliant medieval anecdotes from the HS.
I’m too old to admit but love it
😜
I love all the little models and dioramas you make. They really bring the stories alive and inspire me to pick up my own models and start painting!
Thats lovely to hear, thank you 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad No problem!
Awesome vid, amazing channel, great fun personality. Keep it up Kevin!👍🏼
I’ve learned so much but didn’t have to watch some boring documentary.
I appreciate that!
Great video liked and subscribed thank you.
I’ve always enjoyed history there’s always something new to learn
Great vid
loved it very good video, a like from me yet again, Saturday afternoon after the food shopping with a glass of port wouldn't be the same without the history squad,
Ah, nice one! 👍🏻
As always, a great film.
God I love your channel all the smallest tid bits of history is on this channel im such a big history buff i know all my major history events but this teachs me how people lived gives me a better picture of how life was back then i absolutely can not get enough of your channel there is alittle bit of everything. You and history hits have been keeping all my attention so far for the past coupla months
Good to hear, thank you!
Thank you!
So happy this video got recommend to me by UA-cam. This is the kind of content I love, someone who is passionate about the topic at hand and is an incredible speaker. Curious, there’s a scene from Game of Thrones where the lance had a glancing blow up into the small area between his helmet and chest plate, right into his neck. Is there any accounts of anything like this happening? Hope all is well, take care!
That sounds similar to the death of Simon de Montfort, a video I released last week 👍🏻
Kevin back again! The man! The myth!! The legend!!!!!
😜
I absolutely enjoy this channel
Thanks!
You answered my question as to what exactly was a tilt yard. Thank you for a great history.
That model looks incredible. So glad I found this channel!
Welcome aboard!
Very nice, if gruesome (!) presentation.! Thanks !
Kevin must have have so many random models and weapon bit from showing all this stuff in videos! Definitely one of the best educational channels
Cheers for that! I do have quite a stash of models 👍🏻
Theres nothing quite like a new video from The History Squad!
Cheers Hannah, appreciate that 👍🏻
I remember attending a joust in the mid 80's outside of London. The spectacle of it was something that you have to see to really appreciate it, especially with the hidden dangers of it. One of the knights unfortunately had his horse rear and fall on him. He turned out to be fine after being examined at the hospital (very, very lucky on his part) but it was interesting seeing the 20th century meet the Middle Ages as an armoured knight was hauled away in an ambulance.
You have impeccable timing as usual Kev. I've just gotten back my buhurt practice, shed my 55 pounds of armor and put my gambeson up to dry. I keep telling myself I'm going to give it a proper wash once I find the time but everyone's gambeson smells like a locker room and as long as its not actually trying to crawl away from you, no one really cares. But I digress. I have been jousting before and beside the obvious danger of essentially playing chicken with spears, horses are notorious for not wanting to do what they're told, even the best trained horse can have a bad day, I've been thrown off more than a few times, one time the horse decided he really didn't like me and tried to stomp me when I was on the ground, only thing that saved me from having shattered bones was that I was full armored and had enough training to be able to move in it fast enough to get out of the way. Death and maiming aside, my favorite story of jousting is in 1227, Ulrich von Liechtenstein write himself as the protagonist in Frauendienst, where he travels from Vienna to Venice dressed in the arms of Venus challenging anyone to a joust, if his opponent won he would give them a ring and if Ulrich won they would have to bow to the four corners of the world in honor of his lady. Though by the end of it he's broken 307 lances and given away 270 rings, and his lady wrote to him saying she was surprised he still had all his fingers where he promptly cuts one off and sends it to her. The things we do for love...
Hey Jodie, yes Ulrich's story is a really good one and I did consider using it, crazy eh? I know what you're saying about horses, I too had my fair share of encounters back in the day when I was performing from horseback at Warwick - we'll have to share some stories one day. Have a great weekend 👍🏻
Another great video. I like the props.
Thanks 👍