pt 3 (last part)
Tournaments did not differ greatly from real combat on the battlefield; indeed some sources call the clash of knights in full charge a tornatio or tornoiement. The knights fought with their normal equipment, and there is no mention of the use of other weapons nor that the point of the lance or the cutting-edge of the sword were dulled. This was anyway not necessary between 1150 and 1250, when the defensive equipment of the knights was strong enough to prevent fatal accidents. Naturally there was a risk of being unhorsed and seriously hurt thereby but the danger was not much greater in the real battles of that time when few men were killed.
The main difference between tournaments and real battles lay in the fact that the engagement took place on terrain specially fixed by announcement or agreement. Knights came from far and wide with friends from their own country, or in a group under the command of their lord. Each of these troops took up position on their own 'ground', a piece of land marked out, from which the groups advanced to face each other in the tournament. This area was also a refuge for those who were exhausted and who had to withdraw from the lists. Again this was different from a real battle.
Another difference was the custom of laying down arms as soon as one side gave up the battle. But if the enemy did not entirely give up while some of them were fleeing, the pursuit was carried on. An armistice could be brought about by common consent and lasted until the resumption of the fighting, which was usually on the following day. At the end of the tournament a prize was awarded to the knight who had most distinguished himself by bravery or skill in unhorsing his opponents and taking them prisoner.
The actual engagement in a tournament took place on a flat piece of ground, not marked off. Each side left its own base and rode at the enemy: the knights fought in units, and their numbers varied according to the extent to which the nobility of the region were taking part.
Usually knights from the counties of Flanders and Hainault turned out together against the French in France. It was considered a scandal when, during a tournament between Gournay and Ressons, the newly knighted Baldwin of Hainault, later count Baldwin V, who had a grudge against count Philip of Alsace of Flanders, fought on the side of the French knights against the Flemings, instead of following the custom which demanded that the men of Hainault, Flanders and Vermandois fight together against the French. In their own regions, however, Flemings fought against Hainaulters, or the latter against Brabanters. Just as in real wars, tournaments served to foster local pride and increased moral solidarity in military units.
The knights were organized in conrois or units of varying strength, according to the power of the lord under whose banner they were fighting, or according to the extent of the participation of the nobility of a certain area. These units were drawn up in very close formation, the horsemen side by side, horse beside horse, and they had to advance and charge in an orderly manner.
Such units were so obviously superior to those not drawn up in an orderly way that they were able to turn an unfavourable balance of strength to their own advantage. In a tournament in which the knightly units of prince Henry, son of Henry II of England, fought against the French, the French knights had such confidence in their numerical superiority that out of pride they forgot about unity, and charged, pell-mell, only to suffer a crushing defeat. In the view of contemporaries, one of the greatest stupidities that could be committed was the separate individual charge made by knights who abandoned the protective ranks of the conroi in order to rush ahead into battle, for in so doing they destroyed the cohesion of the unit. If on the other hand they attacked in close order, there was no risk of the enemy breaking through.
Philip of Alsace, who was praised in the Histoire de Guillaume le Maréchal as being one of the best knights of his time, and likewise the most courteous count of Flanders, employed sly tactics in tournaments, which shows that he really believed anything was allowable in the face of the enemy. From this it appears that there was a certain continuity in the policy of the counts concerning tournaments, and that the princes' example in knightly exercises directly influenced the art of war.
Philip was accustomed to using powerful contingents, some of which comprised very well-equipped foot-soldiers. During the tournament he evidently kept these units skilfully behind the scenes as though he had no intention of their taking part in the game, and patiently waited for an opportune moment while groups of heavy cavalrymen rushed at each other. Then, when the contestants were worn out by the struggle and the units had lost their original cohesion, he gave the signal to charge and fell upon the enemy's flank. This meant victory for him and magnificent booty for his knights. As prince Henry's tutor, he taught him these tactics, first making him pay dearly for the knowledge in an actual tournament.
The Histoire de Guillaume le Maréchal mentions the dense conrois (seréement) in which the advance was made without disorder (disrei), in which the knights were arranged in close battle order (serré et bataillé se tindrent) and could fight in serried ranks (errèrent sagement et rangié e seréement) so that no one could get through them (onques nuls n' en trespassa outre) contrasting them to the units that advanced in disorder (a grant disrei), and in which knights recklessly broke rank in order to fight in front of the unit (poindre as premiers de la rote), which for that reason were severely censured (fols est qui trop tost se desrote). All this is clear evidence of real tactical units.
Philip of Alsace waited until the contestants were no longer fighting in steady ranks (desrengié), nor formed a fixed unit (destassé). He attacked them on the flank (lor moveit a la traverse) and made the foolish knights who had left their units his special prey. When Prince Henry's troops were in disorder (desrei) and his men exhausted, the count fell on them.
