Squire#England
{{Short description|Shield- or armour-bearer of a knight}}
{{Other uses|Squire (disambiguation)|Squires (disambiguation)}}
{{wikt | squire | squireen}}
File:Codex Manesse 149v Wolfram von Eschenbach.jpg and his squire (Codex Manesse, 14th century)]]
File:The Squire - Ellesmere Chaucer.jpg
In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight.{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squire|title=Definition of Squire|access-date=12 December 2016}} Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour.{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Craig |title=Historians on Chaucer: The ‘General Prologue’ to the Canterbury Tales |date=2014 |page=63-76 |url=https://www.academia.edu/36442304/The_Squire |access-date=7 February 2025}}
Terminology
Squire is a shortened version of the word esquire, from the Anglo-French {{lang|fro|esquier}} itself meaning ("shield bearer").{{cite web |title=Squire |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squire |website=Merriam-Webster}} Other terms include scutifer and the Latin {{lang|la|armiger}} ("arms bearer").{{cite journal |last1=Cross |first1=Peter |title=Knights, Esquires and the Origins of Social Gradation in England |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |date=1995 |volume=5 |page=155-178 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3679332?read-now=1&seq=24#page_scan_tab_contents}}
Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire could be a knight's servant that fought with his lord. It could also refer to sub-knightly Men-at-Arms and was used interchangeably with valet. Over time it referred to a broad social class of men, just below the rank of knight.{{cite journal |last1=Cross |first1=Peter |title=Knights, Esquires and the Origins of Social Gradation in England |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |date=1995 |volume=5 |page=155-178 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3679332?read-now=1&seq=24#page_scan_tab_contents}} Eventually, a lord of the manor might come to be known as a "squire".
Duties
A squire was typically a young boy, training to become a knight. A boy became a page at the age of 7, then a squire at age 14.{{Cite web |date=2015-09-20 |title=Medieval Squire |url=https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-knights/medieval-squire/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=Medieval Chronicles}}{{Cite web |title=How did a boy get to be a knight? What was the training for becoming one? |url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sll/disciplines/english/lion/training.shtml |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.abdn.ac.uk}} Squires were the second step to becoming a knight, after having served as a page.{{Cite web |title=page {{!}} rank {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/page-rank |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}} A squire was responsible for taking care of the horse and arms of his knight. He was to take care of the knight’s armor, ensuring it was well-maintained, cleaned, and ready for battle. This also included helping the knight put on his armor. The squire was also responsible for grooming and saddling the knight’s horses. Squires would accompany their knights into battle. Outside of battle, a squire would serve his lord by making his bed, waiting on him during meals, and carving the knight's meat. A lord with multiple squires would give each squire a specific role such as squire of the chamber.{{cite book |last1=Robbins |first1=Royal |title=The World Displayed, in Its History and Geography Embracing a History of the World from the Creation to the Present Day ... To which is Added an Outline of Modern Geography |date=1831 |page=349 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/The_World_Displayed_in_Its_History_and_G/WtEGAAAAYAAJ?hl=de&gbpv=0}}
Many squires were hired servants with no known pedigree.{{cite web |last1=Schrader |first1=Helena |title=Squires: the Invisible Component in Medieval Armies |url=https://realcrusadeshistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/squires-invisible-component-in-medieval.html |website=Real Crusades History}} Despite being a servant, it was a high status job and could serve as training for future knights.{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Craig |title=Historians on Chaucer: The ‘General Prologue’ to the Canterbury Tales |date=2014 |page=63-76 |url=https://www.academia.edu/36442304/The_Squire |access-date=7 February 2025}}
While many squires were young men who would eventually become knights, others were of too low a rank to become a knight. These squires often still owned a manor. Some squires who were capable of becoming knights remained squires, resulting in two classes of landholding squires. A third class of squire were squires based on employment, their lord providing their military equipment. All three classes were official recognized by the tax law of 1379.{{cite journal |last1=Cross |first1=Peter |title=Knights, Esquires and the Origins of Social Gradation in England |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |date=1995 |volume=5 |page=155-178 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3679332?read-now=1&seq=24#page_scan_tab_contents}}{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Craig |title=Historians on Chaucer: The ‘General Prologue’ to the Canterbury Tales |date=2014 |page=63-76 |url=https://www.academia.edu/36442304/The_Squire |access-date=7 February 2025}}
See also
References
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