All wars, even the longest, finally end. Knights who lacked fiefs moved on looking for new conflicts in which to enlist. The remainder went home to peacetime responsibilities and pleasures.

The Manor

The home to which a knight returned might be a castle on a huge estate, or it might be a modest house sitting on a few acres of land. For a household knight, or retainer, home was a room or barracks in his lord's holding.

Most knights, however, came back to a manor house on an average-sized estate. The house, made of wood or stone, was the largest structure on the manor, its two or three stories overshadowing the surrounding farm buildings and peasant huts. At the house's center was the great hall, which was as high as the house because it was not divided into stories. Here estate business was conducted...