Tournaments

The tournament is a martial sport that demonstrates the strength and skill of a knight in battle. In its present form, it comprises the Melee, in which groups of mounted knights engage in battle on a field, and the Joust, which is a contest between two mounted knights, armed with lance and shield.

Tournaments have been held for as long as feudalism has existed. Originally, they were simply mock battles between two groups of knights during peacetime. Such battles involved weapons of war and lacked any specific rules of conduct; hence, they were often difficult to distinguish from a real melee.

With the growing influence of Laranianism and popularity of the concept of chivalry, tournaments became more refined. Rules were introduced and enforced by Marshals and Judges, and blunted lances and swords replaced weapons of war. Tournaments began to focus more on pageantry and individual skill and the Joust developed to overtake the Melee in popularity.