Knights

Who and what were the knights? How did they live? Castle-builders, royal henchmen, battle-enthusiasts and holy warriors all rolled into one, they are among history's enigmas. The lives of men like Heinrich Thangeln and Reinbold von Rappoldstein vividly illustrate how an ordinary rider could eventually become a knight. They were like the Grand Prix drivers of the Middle Ages: celebrities, risk-takers, and showmen. Yet, theirs was not just a man's world: female knights were not unheard of, including Joan of Arc and the almost forgotten ladies of the Ordre de la Hache of Spain. The realities of life as a knight are often staggering, tough and more than a little surprising.

Gaining honour, respect and glory is all-important to the medieval knight - and embarking on a crusade to the Holy Land in pursuit of the infidels is one way of getting it. Of course, there's also the promise of land and untold riches. By demonstrating their love of God in this way, the crusaders believed they could secure their access to paradise. But how did the fabled knights fare on their way to Jerusalem? Choosing to cross the Mediterranean by boat rather than enduring the long and challenging overland route came with serious challenges: Which boats should they use? How would they cope with the crossing? And how could they keep their essential war-horses alive? The story of Heinrich von Neuffen provides unprecedented insights into this largely unknown aspect of the crusades. But beyond the pious motives of the crusades, courtly love also played an important role in the life of a knight. Fighting for a lady's favour in the joust could elevate him to superstar status. Impressive fighting prowess would be rewarded with admiration and popularity everywhere. Only the glory of fictional superheroes like King Arthur, Percival, Roland or Tristan could surpass that of a successful knight.

He can kiss my behind - the famous quote of Götz von Berlichingen to a bailiff, immortalised by the young Goethe. It's a sign of changing times. Like his ancestors, the young Imperial Knight Götz is destined to fight for his emperor to gain honour and defend the rights of his people. But who is to pay for all this fighting and fanfare? There's no place in modern times for the dashing life of the knights, the expensive armour, the horses, and the indispensable castle. Many Imperial Knights lose their jobs and fall into poverty by the early 1500s. Götz tries something new: feuds, robbery and extortion are to pay for his lavish lifestyle. His fall into lawlessness stands for the demise of the time of the knights and leads us to explore the rise of the robber knights and the end of an era. Peasant revolts, armies of mercenaries, and a new way to fight wars using muskets and canons make the mounted knight in his cumbersome armour a thing of the past. Emperor Maximilian I describes himself as the last knight, yet he is one of the catalysts for this new society and revolutionised art of war, which eventually puts an end to the time of the knights.