Although Crusaders used the crossbow, there seemed something less than honorable about it. Chivalric values centered on personal combat. When there wasn't a war to fight, knights rode against each other in fierce and often deadly jousts.

The lance — a long, pointed weapon that a jousting knight tucked under his arm — delivered incredible force. Increasingly metal-clad riders balanced on their stirrups and braced against high-backed saddles as they used this variation on the ancient spear to try knocking each other off their horses. Heavier armor kept them from being pierced through.

Mock battles let knights win status and stay sharp for the real thing, but the mock battles were real, themselves. At a 1241 tournament in Neuss, Germany, about 80 men and boys died during the "games."