What a Medieval Duel Really Looked Like

so [Music] the beloved charles the good is found cold at the altar in a dark pool of blood the count of flanders has been murdered by a group of treacherous knights bound together in their crime by blood and oath the knights are each arrested and tortured to death before cheering crowds of locals but a suspect remains the famed knight gee of steinborg after the murder he provided a place of refuge for one of the lead conspirators his brother-in-law isaac and then attempted to help him escape before a group of nobles a strong knight called hermann the iron steps forward ever loyal to the slain charles the knight accuses gee of his complicity in the murder of the count and challenges gee to defend himself against the charge of treason outside a manner gather the crowds of meager peasants and haughty nobles and perched on their mounts the two knights in chainmail raise their shields and steady their lances since the fall of the roman empire germanic legal customs have crept back into a fractured europe in cases lacking trusted witnesses a variety of grisly ordeals can be chosen to place justice in the hands of god he has accepted a judicial duel a trial by combat in which victory will prove his innocence just as easily as defeat will reveal his dark sin and provoke the wrath of justice the knights break forward in the stampede gee throws herman the iron from his horse and each time herman attempts to gather to his feet gee circles him thrusting his lance to knock him down sensing the taunting lance of his challenger once more herman the iron charges and swings his sword viscera spill from ghee's horse and the beast stumbles dead he reels in the red grass staggering to his feet he unsheathes his blade and rushes herman the knights collide with locked blades savagely swinging and chopping until the gasping fighters throw down their shields and fall upon each other losing their swords and resorting to fists and jammed fingers gee scrambles onto hermann and smashes his gauntlet against herman's face the crowds hear the thud of iron against bone as he batters him about the eyes and forehead and nose with each blurred strike herman the iron grows limp [Music] gee of steinborg sits atop the dazed night reveling in his own divine vindication but the vanquished knight stirs beneath him gently moving his hand down to the lower edge of the kiras where ghee was not protected herman seized him by the testicles in summoning all his strength for the brief space of one moment he hurled ghee from him by this tearing motion all the lower parts of the body were broken so that ghee now prostrate gave up crying out that he was conquered and dying the bleeding knight is brought back into town and dragged beside the swaying corpse of another convicted conspirator gee of steinborg is hanged medieval europe is a land humming with the divine and replete with profane contradictions the magnificent castles of kings and queens loom over towns of wood and stone farther out are the thatched roof villages and cropland which hosts the servile peasants bound to their lord's domain the many polities of this continent are governed and policed by distinct groups of nobles clergy and knights oath sworn to chivalry they are expected to clear the land of evil witches and sorcerers and criminals of all stripes thus a trial by combat is not an arena for knights to prove their valor but a terrifying last resort for the accusers and accused a seemingly religious ritual maligned and outlawed by many in the church who deny god's involvement in such a merciless business even those fighting on behalf of monks have no qualms about seizing victory by gouging out the eyes of their opponents and although women clerics and children are often required to hire so-called champions to fight in their stead this isn't always the case in marital duels a wife could fight her husband who would be subject to handicaps that included standing in a ditch with a hand tied behind his back when husbands are defeated they are executed wives are buried alive in duel's triumph begets carnage herman the iron survives as a heroic knight who has defended his count's honor while the castrated corpse of gee of steinborg dangles from a tree the rotting subject of mockery for the passing peasantry stripped of shimmering armor and professions of piety the medieval duel is as simple as it is brutal two people fighting for their lives if you're like me and want to know exactly how knights like herman the iron would have lived how they fought or you just want to see someone shoot chainmail with an arrow you're in luck the knights in 4k series from magellan tv shows all of those things in vivid detail and all history dose viewers can go watch the three part series for free right now in fact click the link in the description and you'll get an exclusive free month of membership to magellan tv you'll have access to knights in 4k as well as magellan's huge catalog of 3 000 history 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Channel: History Dose

Views: 3,933,965

Keywords: the last duel, medieval, trial by combat, judicial, ordeal, dark ages, europe, history, knights, battle, joust, tournament, reenactment, swords, realistic, fight, armor, deadliest, versus, chainmail, helmet, claymore, duellists

Id: 8uJM5LXvkMM

Length: 6min 46sec (406 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 31 2021