Calling All Knights In Armour – Join The E-Joust!

Have you ever daydreamed about knights in armour? Played swordfighting? Imagined you're jousting on your trusty steed or facing a dreadful dragon? We certainly have.

If you live anywhere near Leeds this April you need imagine no more. The Royal Armouries are going to be host to a huge jousting tournament, sword fights, falconry displays, storytelling and even, we hear rumour, an enormous dragon!

Not near Leeds? Don't worry, there are loads of other places where you can find out more about the days of swords, shields, fair maidens and bows and arrows...

A great start are the Battle Dress and Castle Quest games made by the National Army Museum.

In Battle Dress you can see what clothes and armour knights, battle horses and archers had to wear and Castle Quest is a dangerous adventure to find hidden treasure.

Rich lords and knights would wear suits of metal armour in battle and practise their skills at tournaments. There was sword fighting and archery, but most important of all was the joust.

This was where two knights on horseback would wear full armour and charge at each other pointing huge lances (a long weapon like a spear) at each other.

This man has dressed up as a knight in armour.

© Roland Hancock

Sometimes knights used a sword or axe instead. They would both carry wooden shields, but a direct hit could knock a knight off his horse.

Here are some modern-day people having a go at jousting (don't try this at home!).

© Royal Armouries, Leeds

The Victoria and Albert Museum and The National Archives have made a great game called Joust! where you can see if you would have made it as a tournament champion.

© V&A Museum and The National Archives

Actual jousts still take place from time to time at castles around the country. English Heritage organised a big competition in 2006 called Knights Tournament. It used the original rules of jousting and was held in eight places across England. There are plans for another one in 2007.

When they went to war or jousted, knights wore special designs on their clothes so that people could see who they were. These became more complicated as the years went on and were known as coats of arms.

Some families still have coats of arms. Don't worry if you don't have one yourself - you can design one using the Design a Coat of Arms game from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Or check out Show Me's An Emblem For The Twenty-First Century - which symbols would represent your family?

© V&A Museum

Armour wasn't invented in the Middle Ages. People had been using different kinds of protective gear for hundreds of years before the Middle Ages.

The Roman army was famous for being well-equipped with big oblong shields and leather and metal armour.

Try the Dress the Roman Centurion game from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to see how they dressed up ready for battle.

© BMAG

There are loads and loads of castles all over the country where you can step back into the Middle Ages. Here's are just a few of the great locations you can visit:

Craigmillar Castle, Edinburgh
Royal Armouries, Leeds
Caernarfon Castle, Wales - one of the best places to imagine you are a knight
Tower of London
Banff Museum, Scotland - arms and armour
Bodiam Castle - try on armour on selected days during the school holidays

If you live near Chester you could even try on copies of Roman armour at Dewa Roman Experience - like the kids in this photo.

If you're in the north east, Segedunum Roman Fort always has loads of activities on and weapons to see.

So - get out and about and have fun. And don't forget to write in and tell us all about your visit!