Medieval Occupations -- Lesser Nobility

Now on to Lesser Nobility.

Lesser Nobility
Adventurer -- A minor scion of a noble house who's chosen to wander the world

Not sure if that's an actual historical rank there, but it's cool anyway, and useful for IGs and LARPs.

Dilettante -- A minor scion of a noble house who dabbles in various interests

Now here's another interesting occupation. This is the dictionary definition:
Dil-et-tante
n. (pl. dilettanti or dilettantes)
A person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.
Archaic a person with an ameteur interest in the arts.

That sounds somewhat frivolous and unreliable, but perhaps consider that such a person could be very useful when speaking with others who are unfamiliar with a certain topic. Without being confined to learning one topic really well, dilletantes can know enough cursory facts on a given subject to be able to give simple explanations, then later introduce those more interested in a certain field to some of the masters for more in depth discourses. Handy, I think.

Diplomat -- A representative of his house in dealings with other noble houses
Knight -- A well trained warrior, skilled with sword or lance

A note on lances.

The weapons used during the Middle Ages include the Lance - A long, strong, spear-like weapon, designed for use on horseback. The description of the Lance which provides basic facts and

information about the weapon is as follows:

• Lance - History saw the spear develop into the Medieval Lance used during warfare during the Middle Ages and was also a popular weapon used during jousting tournaments
• The lance was made of wood, usually ash, with a metal tip made of iron or steel similar to a spear head
• Knights would paint their lance to match the colors of their livery or coats of arms
• The weapon measured from 9 to 14 feet in length
• A lance-rest was developed in the form of a projection on the side of a suit of armor where the lance was supported to help the Knight in combat
• Later a piece of armor called a vamplate which was a round of iron on the shaft of the weapon which was designed to protect the hand and arm
• During jousts at Tournaments the head of the weapon was fitted with a Coronal instead of the sharp point used for war
• A blow could apply tremendous force and could apply significant injury to a knight in armor
• The Medieval horse, called a Destrier was the favored horses of knights in the Middle Ages
• Knights who used lances were also armed with a dagger and a sword to enable them to battle enemies who had been unhorsed. This lengthy weapon was far too unwieldy to use in close combat
• Type or group of weapons - Polearm - A group of pole-mounted weapons. Were all variations of poles measuring between 4 and 14 feet long with different 'heads' - spikes, hammers, spears, axe etc. [www.lordsandladies.com/lance]

Minister -- A political figure appointed by the ruler to govern a specific area or to oversee a domain; also lesser but important officials, such as reeve or judge
Page -- A very young noble beginning his training to be a knight
Squire -- A young noble progressing on the path to knighthood, perhaps himself a capable warrior

So there you have it. Tune in next time for Professionals!

Dia duit,
~Penny