There does not seem to have been any formal ceremony that marked a boy's passage from page to squire, or knightin- training. Often there was not even a clear boundary between the two roles. Well before they reached their teens, most boys had begun honing their knightly skills—practicing with weapons, riding and caring for horses, and learning how to hunt and hawk. But when they made the transition from page to squire, these things became their primary occupation.

The Lance and the Sword

Because the knight was, above all, a mounted warrior, the most important weapon was the lance. Much of the squire's time was spent learning how to properly use the weapon. Around the time of the conquest of England, the lance seems to have been rather short— probably ten feet at the longest—and light, designed to be...