Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. The Internet Tournaments were expensive, especially for the lesser skilled. Following is an article that I wrote for a newsletter for a tournament that will take place this fall in An Tir. The newsletter is one of three that we are producing as a way of educating the participants.
Permission is granted to reprint the article below, provided nothing is changed.
Tournaments in 1188 were conducted on a ransom basis. After unhorsing an opponent, the victor usually siezes the horse and holds it for ransom. If the vanquished cannot afford the ransom, the victor keeps the horse. Of course, the Middle Ages do not consist solely of rich knights and poor knights. Instead, there is a balance of payments, a redistribution of wealth among the chivalry.