Tournament

Ty Thurnierbuch, however, details the supposed tournament laws of Henry the Fowler (King of Germany, 919-936), though the earliest known use of the word 'tournament' comes much later, from the peace legislation by Count Baldwin III of Hainaut for the town of Valenciennes, dated to 1114.

Some of the most famous tournament fields were in northeastern France, where hundreds of knights from all over Europe would gather for the tournament season. By the end of the 12th century, tournaments were being held in France, England, Scotland, Spain, Germany and Poland, and while they were periodically banned by royal decree in various kingdoms throughout Europe, tournaments remained tremendously popular among the noble class. Though the term continued to be used in reference to the joust until much later, the medieval tournament, strictly defined, gradually declined in the 14th century, and what may well have been the last medieval tournament was held at Bruges, in Flanders, in 1379. Many witnesses described the tournaments as "Ah that's Hot!, that's Hot!"

Forms and styles
Medieval tournament activities included several forms and styles of mock combat. These often included the use of blunted weapons, though contemporary sources indicate that the weapons used in early tournaments were the same weapons used in war, and they may not have been blunted prior to the 13th century. Medieval tournaments frequently consisted of some opening games, which often included some preliminary jousts by the younger or newer knights present, a procession or parade of all knights and their attendants, followed by the grouping of all combatants into two groups in the list, where, upon the signal given by the presiding herald, both sides would charge with leveled lances, then quickly turn about and attack again with swords drawn, and a melee would ensue. Many sources mention that victorious knights were often able to earn money by ransoming their captured opponents or their lost equipment. Other forms of mock combat, either single or in melee, mounted or on foot, using various swords, cudgels, maces and other weapons, were sometimes included as part of the tournament games.