What makes warriors, warriors?
Knights in Medieval Europe were people who fought for their king and were warriors. Though to become one, you had to either be the son of a past knight, or a boy who has been chosen to learn the skills of a knight. The knight was supposed to live life under the rules of chivalry. The Samurai was also a warrior and followed the rules of Bushido. They treated honour more than wealth and believed that they will get rewards from their Daimyo.
There were different rules followed between the knights and Samurais. The knights followed rules known as chivalry. Unfortunately, knights could not have always lived up with these high expectations. The rules of chivalry were “to be loyal to the Catholic Church, dedicated to helping those who were weak and easily exploited, be brave in battle and willing to fight to protect women.” Some poems written, described knights as honest and followed the rules of chivalry while some others described knights as disloyal and not following the rules. The Samurai however followed the rules of Bushido. The rules of Bushido were, “to give his full loyalty, and were prepared to die for his lord.” In return the Samurai expected rewards and protection from their lord. Samurai women would even suicide rather than disobey their God.
The knights and Samurai used different weapons and wore different armour. The Samurai were skilled with swords, bows and arrows. There were 2 different swords they carried when they went to battle. The more important one was called the “Katana” which had a long curved blade and was used in battle. The smaller sword was called the “Wakizashi”. The Samurai’s armour is made up of a helmet and faceguard in which sometimes it was described as “Mounted Archers”. Another weapon the Samurai used was a spear. A spear called the Naginata was used by the Samurai. The spear has a long curve blade and was often used by women. Knights however took pride in their horses. They owned several of them and the horse which was used in battle was called the warhorse. Knights looked after carefully these horses as they were very valuable. The horse used for travelling was called the Palfrey and Sumpter horses were used the carrying baggage. The knight’s armour were constructed from iron and looked like a “Civil War Ball gown”. They wore iron helmets, body armour and a large wooden shield. Knights used swords, spears and shields in battle and sometimes bows and arrows.
The knights and Samurai believed in different religions. Knights believed in Christ and fought for God. “There was a story about God telling Gideon to make an army to defeat Midianites,” and because of this, knights believed in this religion and it motivated them to fight in battles. The Samurai however believed in Shinto and fought for man. Buddhism was another belief the Samurai believed in. “Family, simple living and disdain for wealth” was also highly regarded by the Samurai. The Samurai also practised to remove all their distractions to concentrate at battle.
The training skills and development of knights were different from the Samurai. “If a boy, wanted to become a knight, he had to leave his family at the age of seven and learn the skills of a Page. The skills he learns as a Page were to study, learn to be polite and to serve the God. He had to learn to read, write and hunt. By the age of fourteen, he will become a Squire. The skills he learns as a Squire are to look after armoury, weaponry and horses. He continues to train in military skills, social graces and cultural pursuits. Finally, when he is at the age of twenty-one, he is eligible to become a knight and will have to live life under the rules of chivalry.” The Samurai had a similar development to the knights. They turned from servants to military rulers to Samurais. The Samurai at training learnt skills in reading, writing, ceremonial behaviour and public service. In military services, they trained in archery and sword fighting.
In conclusion, I believe that knights in Medieval Europe had a better development than the Samurai. The Samurai and Knights believed in different religions. It was these religions which motivated these warriors at battle. Knights had armour made from iron and horses used for fighting or carrying luggages. The Samurai however only had armour on their head not on their body. The Samurai and knights learnt different things at training. Training to become a knight started at the age of seven and was different from the Samurai. Knights had a more complicated development than them. The Samurai and knights followed different rules. Knights followed the rules of chivalry while the Samurai followed the rules of Bushido. The Samurai had similar weapons to the knights. Overall, knights in Medieval Europe and Samurai in Feudal Japan were warriors with different lifestyles.
- This picture describes what knights looked like in Medieval Europe. The information is correct and exact as it describes the weapons and armour of them. This is a neutral perspective.
- This picture describes what the religion Shinto was. The information is correct and exact as this is where the Samurai prayed. This is a neutral perspective.
- This picture describes what the Samurai looked like in Feudal Japan. It is correct and exact as describes every aspect of a Samurai. This is a neutral perspective.
Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw15samuraiknights33100513.htm http://www.clemusart.com/educef/asianodyssey08/pdf/samuraimi.pdf http://www.samurai-archives.com/svk.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army Retroactive 1 textbook [pg 166,167,238,239]
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