tournament

A 16th-century engraving of the tournament to celebrate the marriage of Philip II of Spain to Isabella, daughter of Henry II of France. It was in this tournament that Henry received the wounds from which he subsequently died. In wars against England and against the Holy Roman Empire, Henry had succeeded in expanding his country.

Knights jousting before a king, queen, and nobles. The picture is from the French Roman de Petit Jean de Saintre, dating from 1470. Jean de Saintre was a French chevalier, or knight. In order to carry not only a lance-bearing knight in full armour, but also its own body armour, the war-horse was an extremely heavy animal similar to the shire horse of today.

In medieval England, martial competition between knights. Until the accession of the Stuarts to the English throne, chivalric contests were a feature of court life. Jousting and hand-to-hand combat took place, and a lord might dedicate himself to one of the ladies present. In the early part of his reign, Henry VIII participated in tournaments personally, much to the consternation of his counsellors.