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The history of jousting is full of rich stories about noble steeds, assassination attempts, romantic courtships, and deadly accidents. The term “jousting” itself likely originates from the Latin word “juxtare” which means “to meet.” Similarly, the French word “joster” means “to encounter.” Interestingly, the modern concept of jousting encapsulates both meanings, as knights charge down the joust list “ to encounter” one another, where their lances are destined “to meet” in the middle!

Jousting originated as a way for knights and nobles to retain their military skill at arms while off the battlefield. This quickly transformed to a form of entertainment and community sporting event, where knights could showcase their courage, skill, and pageantry in a large celebratory event. Historically, particularly under Elizabeth I, these events could include large parades, with heraldic displays and opportunities for knights to impress and woo the noble women who would be in attendance.

Despite being away from the battlefield and designed for sport, these tournaments still posed real dangers for the jousters. It is widely suggested that King Henry VIII became tyrannical only after suffering a severely broken leg in a horrific jousting accident, which caused significant lifelong pain. While we often think of chivalry and knights as going hand in hand, many rumors suggest that some knights would use these tournaments as a way to hide assassinations, modifying equipment and engineering “accidents” as a way of purposely injuring or killing their opponents.

The “tilt” or “list” refers to the roped off or designated are where a joust would occur. While the term joust itself originally referred to a type of organized combat, not solely mounted combat. Many elements of jousting still exist in various forms today. The mounted spear throw has evolved over the years to reduce the size of the spear and increase the requirement of accuracy. It may have escaped notice, but ancient spear throwing skill is a vital component of playing a game of darts in the modern day. More on that in the future!