A Collection of Accounts
of Formal Deeds of Arms of the Fourteenth Century
edited by Steven Muhlberger
stevem@nipissingu.ca
Excerpt from Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Chroniques, Book I, chapter ii.
Translation by Will McLean. Translation copyright 2001.
Deeds of Arms Index -- Historical Materials on Knighthood and Chivalry -- KCT Library
“In the name of God and of the blessed Virgin
Mary, Saint Michael and Saint George, I Michel d’Oris, to exalt my name,
knowing full well the renown of the prowess of the
English chivalry, have, from the date of this present
letter, taken a piece of a greave to bear upon my leg until I be delivered
from it by an English knight performing a deed of arms as follows:
First, to enter the lists on foot, each armed
as seems best to them, having their dagger and sword upon their body as
they wish, and having a pollaxe of such length as I shall give. And
this shall be the number of blows for all the different weapons and arms:
ten strokes with the pollaxe, without repairs (sans reprendre);
and when these ten strokes shall have been performed, and the judge shall
say, ‘Ho!' we will give ten strokes with the sword without repairs, or
parting from each other, or changing our harness. When the judge
shall say, 'Ho!' we will take to our daggers in hand , and give ten strokes
with them. Should either one lose or drop his weapon, the other will
be able to do as he pleases with the one he holds until the judge shall
say, 'Ho!' When the combat on foot shall be finished, we will mount our
horses, each arming his body as he shall please, but with two similar chapeaux
de fer, which I will provide, and my companion shall have the choice: each
shall have what sort of gorget he pleases. I will also provide two saddles,
for the choice of my companion.
There shall also be two lances of equal
length, and with them in hand we shall make twenty strokes without repairs,
and we shall be able to strike in front or behind, from the bottom of
the ribs upward. This combat with lances being done and accomplished,
we shall do the following combat: That is to say, should it come to pass
that neither of us is wounded, we shall be bound to run,on that or on the
following day, courses on horseback on a triple field (a trois rangs)
until one or the other falls to earth, or is wounded so that he can do
no more. And each shall arm his head and body as he pleases. The
targets shall be of horn or sinews, not of iron or steel, and without any
trickery. And we will run the said courses with the before-mentioned saddles,
on horseback; but each may settle his stirrups as he pleases, but without
any trickery.
To add greater faith and security to this
letter, I Michel d'Oris have sealed it with the seal of my arms, written
and dated from Paris, Friday the 20th day of August in the year 1400."