War was the ultimate test of a knight's military training. His skill with a lance and a sword and his ability to meet the physical demands of medieval combat determined whether he could survive on the battlefield.

Knights saw nothing wrong with war. Rather, they regarded it as a natural, and desirable, part of human existence. The fourteenthcentury writer Honoré de Bonet described war as "good and virtuous; for war... seeks nothing other than to set wrong right... in accordance with Scripture."

Honor and Glory

Knights also saw war as desirable because it offered a path to honor and glory. Individual glory was so eagerly sought by most knights that its pursuit often overruled common sense. Experienced veterans, instead of opposing an attack against overwhelming odds, often enthusiastically favored such an action, if it presented a great opportunity for personal glory.

In 1167, for...