Ceremonies

The West Kingdom College of Heralds is currently revising our kingdom ceremonies to make them sound better. However, there are some... interesting ceremonies from period.

"A Knight who betrays his honor for gain befouls the good name of chivalry, and when this happens, all the kings of arms, heralds, and pursuivants must approach the king. If they have the knight with them, he should be armed from head to foot, as though he were about to enter a battle or joust. They should place him on a scaffold for all to see, while thirteen priests recite prayers for the dead. As they pray, first his helmet should be removed, since a knight's head is the most important part of his body, and it was with his eyes that he first erred and shamed his worthy order. Next they should strip off the gauntlet from his right hand, as that is his striking hand, and if he betrayed his vows for gold, that is the hand he took it with. Then they should strip off his left gauntlet, for he defends himself with his left hand and it is the right hand's accomplice. Finally, they should strip off the rest of his armor and weapons, throwing each of them on the ground while the kings of arms, heralds, and then the pursuivants call out their names.

'This helmet belonged to a treacherous defrauder of the blessed knightly order.' As these words are spoken, a gold or silver basin of hot water must be brought forth. Next the heralds will shout: 'What is this knight's name?' to which the pursuivants should answer: 'So and so,' saying his title. The kings of arms should reply: 'Not so, for this recreant knight has disgraced his order!' Then the priests will cry: 'Let us give him a name!' while the messengers should ask: 'What name shall he have?' The king must answer: 'Let this wicked knight, who disgraced his order, be banished from all my lands and dominions.' Once the king has uttered these words, the heralds and kings of arms should throw hot water in the knight's face, saying: 'From now on, traitor, you shall be known by your family name.' The king will be dressed in mourning, making a great show of grief with twelve other knights all dressed in blue tunics and cowls, and each time they strip off part of the traitor's armor, they will pour hot water over his head. When he is completely disarmed, they must remove him from the scaffold, not leading him down the stairs but flinging him to the ground. Then they should take him to Saint George's Church, abusing him as they go, and throw him down in front of the altar. As he lies there, priests will recite the psalm of malediction before the king and the twelve knights, who represent Christ and the twelve apostles. Finally, they must sentence him to death or life imprisonment, cursing him all the while."

The book is fiction, so we can't prove this ceremony was actually performed. But it gives some fun mental images,  doesn't it?

Source: Tirant Lo Blanc,  Joanot Martorell and Marti Joan de Galba, translation David Rosenthal, Shocken Books, 1984.