DUKE KONRAD OF SCHWEIDNITZ MOUNTED C. 1380

Chivalry is essentially a social state, composed of "professional" horse warriors, which developed in Europe during the 10th-11th centuries, and in the late Middle Ages (15th century) transformed into nobility. Of course, this state had its own rights, privileges, customs and ceremonies (e.g. knighting) that distinguished it from the clergy or the bourgeoisie. From a military point of view, simplifying and generalizing, it can be assumed that the average armament of an average European knight evolved quite significantly in the course of the full and late Middle Ages. In the period of the 10th-11th centuries, this "average" knight was usually armed with a spear and a one-handed sword. A relatively simple helmet and chain mail served as a defensive weapon. Of course, he fought most often on horseback. In the late Middle Ages (14th-15th centuries), especially in France and Burgundy, but also in many other European countries, this "average knight" increasingly wore plate armor, often protecting him from head to toe. He wore various types of helmets on his head (e.g. the so-called great helmet or visor), and as an offensive weapon he most often used a long lance, and after it was broken, also other types of weapons - e.g. a skewer. The sword, as a very expensive piece of equipment, was most often used as a last resort. The European knights most often fought on horseback, performing the classic cavalry charge on the opponent.