In the Middle Ages, one of the best-known themes was knights. Of course, not just anyone can be a knight. Typically the boy was a member of the aristocracy or related to a knight. Becoming and being a knight was very challenging and depended on many factors. Knights were expected to show mercy to the weak, loyalty, show courage in danger, and protect the innocent. All their lives these brave men lived and trained for their kingdom. It took many years of training and learning to be knighted. The young boys, who were eight or seven years old, "were sent to the nearby lord's castle where he was trained" to become a knight. A boy in training was called a page. Pages had to train, run errands, learn manners, learn education, and many other things. Although the page did many things, they usually spent their time “strengthening his body, wrestling, and riding horses.” Furthermore, they had to know how to fight with weapons. Typical weapons were swords and spears, as those were the most popular weapons used by knights. The boys had to practice fighting with a quintana, which is a "wooden dummy". Even if sometimes it was just a very large bag. Furthermore, he had a shield and was standing next to a pole. The trainee had to hit the center of the shield and, after being hit, he would spin around; and the page should avoid being hit. A schoolmaster also taught the page to read, write and sometimes speak different languages ​​such as French and Latin. He would also be taught "how to sing, dance and how to behave in the king's court". When the page is between fourteen and sixteen years old he becomes a squire and "was apprenticed to a knight". His job was to assist the knight, which included dressing, serving meals, taking... half the paper... let's say thirty-two pounds. It was set in a pouch, which was worn on the knights' left hip and fastened around the man's waist with a belt. Spears were also used, but they were only for jousting or tournaments. Knights had to learn and do many things to become and be one. They trained for approximately thirteen years to protect their kingdom. It was very difficult and also expensive. You had to have certain qualities that were often difficult to have. These men had to be mentally and physically ready to protect the innocent. Becoming and being a knight was very challenging and consisted of many factors. Works Cited Gravett, Christopher and Brett Breckon. The world of the medieval knight. New York: Peter Bedrick, 1996. Print. "THE MIDDLE AGES: THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHT". ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation and Web. March 23. 2014. .