Friesach
The Prince Leopold of Austria sent a messenger to the two princes with the request to allow him to mediate between them. And both agreed that, a day for the action of the princes was convened specifically to Friesach on the day Sancti Philippi (First of May). “When I heard that, I was glad of heart, went to my brother and said, There comes a Friesach to large amount of men together. Their chivalry we should consider. You have a good guess, he replied. Since we want to create with knights in the forest and all the every day, desires the fight, give him also. And so you come to us, we want to announce it. Many will come. Because then Maytime, to which one is not like at home." Pretty much every decent knight from all over Central Europe came to this tournament.
The tournament began with a haphazard joust between one member of each team in the field between the two armies, and was followed by the melee, the principle event. The two teams would make an initial charge with lances couched. When the lances were broken, one could draw another weapon, including sword and mace, as the weapons used were weapons of war as opposed to abated weapons , which came to be used later in the tournament's history.
First, there were the Prince Leopold and the Margrave of Istria, then Duke Bernhard of Carinthia, Margrave of Diepoldsberg Boheburg, Count Albrecht of Count Meinhard of Tyrol and Gorizia. Then we saw the Liebenau, one of Heunburg, who arrived with several knights, Count Hermann of places castle. Count Ulrich of Pfannberg was there - then Hugo of Tures and the brothers of Schauenbergstrasse. Chivalrous found their way to the Domvogt of Regensburg, Mr. Otto of Lengenbach that. Von Auersperg, Konrad Sonneck, Dietmar pot of stone Of the vassals I call you Hartnid of place Hartnid of Wildon, the exchange of mountain men of Murreck Reinprecht, who came with many knights, Rudolf Ras, a Königsperg, Hermann of Crane Mountain (Krainverg?) Men Offo and two Henry of Pitten, Heinrich and colleagues from Truhsen (Trixen?), Otto von Graz and his brother Ortolf, a Wolkensteiner, Gundacker of Steyr and his brother Dietmar , Mr Ekkehard of fir, Gundacker of Stark Mountain, Albrecht of Nußberg, Hadmar of Kuenring with thirty knights, Wölfelin of Gars, Otto von Schoenkirchen, Rüdiger von Antschowe (Anjou), Ulrich von Steunze and of Ottenstein, Hadmar of Schoenberg, the men of hook mountain, Mr. Heinrich of [Fußnote]
In addition, about 600 knights were present, and more than ten spiritual masters who wanted to help to settle the dispute. . Often the knights clashed together so that both fell and lay unconscious on the ground. The knights were divided into two teams, one led by the Duke of Austria, and the other by The Margrave of Istria.
The Styrian minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein appeared dressed and equipped all in green. His Tabard, horse blanket were made of green velvet, shield, helmet, the 12 spears were grass green. Green were my servants, the green ceiling of their horses. I even took a green spear in his hand, and rode to the square. The first day he broke 30 lances.
The next morning, attracted the champions again happy and high-spirited approach. Since I was already ready with shield and crest apparel. At first I ran to Konrad Sonneck. He was followed by Mr. Leutold Pettach, the Königsperger and Mr. Ulrich von Steunze. At these fours I (Ulrich) broke 13 lances. Now came against me Lord Wolfger of Gars, who, like me, spent two lances. Then I stabbed Men Leupold Lengenbach castle of the helmet from his head - then I retreated to my tent. The Knight's game lasted 10 days. More than 1000 spears broken; probably 150 Knights lost their horses. Ulrich alone broke 53 of his adversaries’ lances.
(The story of Ulrich von Liechtenstein provides us with a very important contrast between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and acts as a stepping stone to other developments in the tournament's history. The distinction between joust and tournament emerges clearly in Ulrich’s account of the tournament of Friesach. The brothers Ulrich and Dietmar decided to use the opportunity for a martial game. “Let us both, together with a retinue of knights, lie in foreis, so that anybody who may have the desire, while the assembly of princes lasts, can fight us in knightly fashion.” This foreis refers to a special form of the tournament, where a single knight or a group of knights take up position outside the camp. This was a challenge to others to try their strength with them in single combat. The Liechtensteiner brothers were so successful that all the knights at the tournament spent the ten days riding jousts (rather than the usual melee) The duke of Carinthia did not like this new form of tournament and put a stop to it.)
(To be continued)
