The Medieval Tournament

For those who love arms and armor, Clephan supplies a well-researched book complete with excellent black-and-white illustrations and diagrams. The photographs of suits of armor are especially detailed and well-presented. Clephan gives real insight into the military life of the European nations and covers such varied topics as pieces of armor, jousting techniques, famous tournaments, heraldry and rules of the game.

For anyone seeking to understand the forms and function of the Medieval tournament Clephan's book is considered to be a standard reference. First published under the auspices of the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London in 1919, this text makes extensive use of primary sources: books of rules of the list, descriptions of the pageantry and spectacles involved in specific tourneys, the training of knights, and letters detailing the planning of such events. Clephan draws on both French and English sources and explains the development of the tournament from the eleventh century through the sixteenth, not only translating and interpreting the primary sources but offering commentary on the how the knightly ideal was shaped by and in turn shaped such popular entertainments.