FACTS ABOUT KNIGHTS

1. They were supposed to be religious, so many started each day with a Mass.
2. The code of conduct for knights was called chivalry.  It was intended to keep knights under control.  Some of its provisions were:

                        –  don’t hurt priests

                        –  no stealing livestock

                        –  no robbing

                        –  no kidnapping

                        –  no killing except in battle

                        –  no burning down houses

                        –  no attacking women

            The list is basically a list of things knights did.  It applied only to the nobility.  A knight could kill a peasant with no consequences.  They  only rescued noble ladies from dragons.

3. They ate a lot of bread, cheese, and meat. The higher up in society, the better the bread. Knights would eat wheat bread, but peasants ate rye or barley. A common meal was stew (pottage) made with mutton or beef.  They would throw in vegetables like cabbage, leeks, peas, and beans. Some vegetables were thought to be dangerous if eaten raw, so they would cook them.
4. Everyday clothing sometimes included a codpiece.  This was a triangular cloth covering his groin.  The bigger the codpiece, the more impressed the ladies were.
5. Wine, beer, or ale were their main drinks.  Milk was considered to be fit only for children. It is a myth that water was considered unsafe, but if the local source tasted bad, it could be used to brew ale or beer.
6. They could only be called out by their lord for up to 40 days a year.
7. They participated in tournaments when there was no war going on.  These were like medieval rodeos.  Knights got to show off their skills.  Crowds came from all around.  Knights would display something, like a ribbon, from a noble lady in the stands to represent her.  Originally, the tournaments consisted of a melee where it was every knight for himself.  Deaths were not supposed to occur, but some did.  If you defeated a knight, you got to keep his horse, armor, and weapons.  Some knights became rich.  Sometimes it was two teams of knights fighting.  The greatest knight was William Marshal.  He never lost a tournament.  And he went on to serve Kings Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, and John.
8. Tournament melees evolved into jousting. Originally, the competitors used their lance to strike a blow on the chest. The idea was to unhorse your opponent, but later points were given for striking various targets, such as the shield. The two knights galloped at each other with a barrier called a tilt separating them. Since jousting caught on in the Later Middle Ages, most knights who jousted wore plate armor and helmets. The jousting lances (as opposed to the ones used in battle) were blunt and made to splinter, this reduced the number of injuries and deaths. But deaths still occurred due to being unhorsed or a splintered lance penetrating the body.
9. Knights originally wore chain mail.  When the longbow proved arrows could penetrate chainmail, plate armor evolved.  Plate armor did not become common until the mid-14^th century.  (Although Hollywood often puts plate armor in much earlier movies.)   These suits could be heavy, but it is a myth that knights had to be hoisted onto their horses.  It was also a myth that once knocked down, they could not get up. The armor was not that heavy and it was flexible enough for ease of movement.  The helmets had faceguards that could be raised or lowered.
10. A knight’s armor and weapon weighed about 50-60 pounds.  This amount of weight has been pretty standard since the Greek hoplites.  It remains true for modern warriors.
11. A knights training began around age 7 when he was sent to another noble family to be raised.  He was called a page.  A page was like a serving boy.  They did chores, but also got weapons training.  They were taught to read and write.  When they reached around age 14, they started their real training. Now they were called squires.  Squires were taught to ride, shoot arrows, and the use of number of different weapons.  They accompanied a knight into battle and helped him put on his armor.  They waited for the battle to be over and might have to nurse him. 
12. The accolade was the knighting ceremony. Around age 21, he was dubbed a knight.  He prepared by bathing, then spending the night in a chapel praying.  Dubbing involved a slap on the cheek.  This was the last time he would let someone strike him without a fight.  The knight was kneeling and was now touched on each shoulder by a sword.
13. Many slept half the night, then woke up to pray, write, or join a lady in bed.  They would then get the other half of sleep.
14. Knights were the lowest rung of the nobility.  They were vassals who were pledged to serve their lord.  The lord gave them a parcel of land (fief), which included the serfs on it.  A knight would never work in the fields.  The knight owed his lord loyalty, protection, and service.
15. Knights enjoyed feasting, dancing, and listening to minstrels.  Minstrels were sometimes paid by a knight to write a song praising him.  Their favorite sport was falconry.  A falcon would be trained to attack other birds while the knights and ladies watched.
16. Coat of arms developed because when the knights wore plate armor and helmets that covered their faces, it was hard to tell friend from foe.  The coat of arms would appear on their shield or on a surcoat they wore over their armor.
17. The main weapon was the lance.  The sword was a symbol of their power.  It was used against soft targets, but ineffective against another armored knight.  In that case, a war hammer or mace might work.  Or at least give your opponent a terrible headache.
18. In battle, knights tried to capture rather than kill.  A captive could be ransomed.

https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-a-medieval-knight/jordan-breeding?utm_source=newsletters&utm_medium=weirdhistory&utm_campaign=wh_active&utm_content=%7Bdate%28%27yyyyMMdd%27%29%7D&lctg=

https://www.history.co.uk/articles/6-lesser-known-facts-about-medieval-knight 

https://www.casematepublishing.co.uk/blog/2017/10/09/knights-8-facts-you-probably-dont-know-about-knights/

https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-knights/medieval-knights-10-interesting-facts/