The Tournament—Its Periods and Phases

The book traces the development and changing practice of the medieval and early modern tournament across Europe, examining types of contests, ceremonial rules, and evolving weapons and armour. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources—including Continental material rarely translated—it distinguishes myth and romanticized accounts from documentary evidence, highlights common anachronisms in illuminations and chronicles, and details how technical changes and regulations altered combat and spectacle. Chapters survey regional variations, armour construction, tilting technique, and the social and ceremonial functions of tournaments, concluding with an account of their later, more regulated and less combative phases.