Squire



"There were many mounted warriors who, having progressed from being a page to becoming a Squire, remained squires into mature adulthood, and even for their whole lives, because they where never formally dubbed into Knighthood. Many had all the skill, bravery and chivalric accomplishments of their Knightly Counterparts."

- Charles Phillips, "The Complete Illustrated History of Knights & The Golden Age of Chivalry", page 40

Squires where young lads to grown men who had previously served 7 years as a Page (age 7-14). Squires were "shield bearers" to Knights, yet served many other functions for their masters: keeping and caring for horses and weapons, training Pages in the arts of Knightly combat and ways, and even serving alongside Knights and other warriors in Dark age combat. Though Squires where but a step behind being Knights themselves, they where not all to become a Knight: some lived to be mature men before being Knighted, if at all, due to ancestry, money (unable to afford richness of usual Knighting ceremonies, unable to afford weapons and armor needed for the profession), Yet those that stayed Squires could become warrior Squires, which served as support cavalry for the Knights. These warriors were usually, if not always, less armored than Knights, and rode on inferior war horses, yet they could be just as skilled in combat and horsemanship as their better armored societal superiors.

Squires served their Knights very well, being their companions, students, and even protectors when needed.