Knights and there honor

[Sir Nate]

Knights should never fight to the death in a battle. they both hold a code of chivalry, they may fight but if they would want to uphold their honor and code of chivalry neither of the knights would kill each other.

[Sir Edward]

That's an aspect that a lot of folks don't know, is that a knight is much more valuable alive, for ransom. Back in the day when tournaments were actually mock battles, rather than sporting events, knights would sometimes die by accident, but even then it was an effort take ransom from one another. On the battlefield that was still largely the case, and on the occasion that they truly fought to kill the knights and nobles, it was recorded with a certain amount of surprise and disgust.

Having said that, they died quite frequently. The first goal in a fight is to make sure the other person stops attacking you, and often the first incapacitating blow ends up being lethal.

[Ian]

Hmmm... while it's true that a knight was more valuable alive than dead, I fear that the ransom itself was a great motivator as much as a sense of chivalric courtesy.

Did Henry V act without honor when he ordered the execution of the French prisoners at Agincourt?  The French, who greatly outnumbered the English were attacking with their 3rd wave, and the English had so many French prisoners that Henry feared they would rise up while  the English line was preoccupied with the battle.  Henry acted to save his own men, but had many of the French peerage executed in order to do so.

In pitched battle, which was quite rare in the medieval era, despite what movies would have us believe, I think just like today, you kill who you need to kill to stay alive and save your brothers in arms.  If that guys the Viscount of Umptysquatshire, and he's about to kill you, you're going to stick a poleaxe in his throat if you can and worry about capturing him afterwards.

[Thorsteinn]

As a minority westerner here I must say "Some folks just need shootin'".

... especially if they're French or English.

[Sir Wolf]

well lets see. remember during some of these battles you were fighting your cousins lol. also afterwards, only the heads of it got any reaction, the lesser men were let go with little more than a slap on the wrists. so ransom was often used.