Knightly Path

Medieval peasants didn't wear rags. Rough wool, russet, cheap woad blue, a red hood on feast days. In 1363 an English law even ordered ploughmen to stick to plain russet. They had little, but they mended what they owned. 🧵 #history #knightlypath

1240: Henry III orders the great tower in London whitewashed. That's why it's still called the White Tower. The gray stone we picture is just what 800 years of rain left behind. 🏰 #history #knightlypath

About 1,000 years ago a woman was buried at a small German monastery. In 2019, researchers found lapis lazuli, a blue that could cost more than gold, in her teeth. She was probably painting holy books. Her name is lost. Her work wasn't. 💙 #history #knightlypath

The Black Prince captures a French knight and lets him name his own ransom. He names a fortune. "Every woman in France who can spin will spin to pay it." 💰 Know your worth. #history #knightlypath

Every movie shows the Middle Ages gray, wet and muddy. The real thing was woad blue, madder red, whitewashed castles and painted cathedral statues. One medieval woman even had ultramarine, a blue worth more than gold, in her teeth. 🎨 #history #medievalhistory #knightlypath

Short, broad, "ugly." Kept away from the family table. Not knighted until his thirties. Bertrand du Guesclin still ended up commanding the armies of France. ⚔️ Your start doesn't decide your finish. #history #knightlypath

1380. A commander dies before the agreed surrender date. The story goes that the garrison surrendered anyway, laying its keys on his coffin. Bertrand du Guesclin’s reputation outlived him. What earns that kind of respect?

A knight didn’t become ready for battle by feeling motivated. Preparation meant equipment checked and armor fitted piece by piece, often with a squire’s help. What’s one daily habit you keep even when motivation disappears?

Poitiers, 1356. The French army was collapsing. Geoffroi de Charny stayed beside his king, carrying the Oriflamme. He was killed there. What does duty mean when walking away would be easier?

A knight wrote this around 1350: “He who does more is worth more.” Not the man who talks more. The man who does more. What’s one hard thing you did this week that nobody saw? #chivalry #bookofchivalry #discipline #medievalhistory #knightlypath