Julian+Iacono

I chose a knight because I think they get a lot of action.

**Name:** Julius Crescenzo
 * __About my Knight__ **

**Age:** 21

**Gender:** Male

**Marital Status:** Single

**Location:** Montagnana, Italy

**Religion:** Catholic

**Role in Feudal Society:** Lower nobility, middle class

**Reason:** I chose a knight because I like their heroics, the armor and different types of weapons that they use.

**Activities:** Testing weapons for the King, practice sword fighting and jousting, battlefield advisor to the King

**Interests:** Jousting in tournaments, swordplay, reading, playing chess (my favorite piece is the Knight!)

**Education Level:** Basic education, able to read and write well

**Occupation (job):** Protecting Montagnana from enemies, bodyguard for the King, and leading sieges against enemy villages.

6:00 - I woke up and got dressed, and then I polished my armor. I made myself a breakfast of bread, grapes and pork. Since I am the King's Bodyguard and his highest ranking knight, I have three Pages, Hugo, Rupert, and Marco, assigned to me that help me with my duties. By 7:00, my three Pages arrived at my house. I told Hugo and Marco to care for the horses while I had Rupert gather my weapons and armor. I have three horses: one for everyday traveling, one battle horse, and one for carrying my extra weapons. At 7:45, we set out for the castle. We got to the castle at 8:15. Then Rupert, Marco and Hugo went to the training grounds, while I in full armor, went to start my shift as the King's bodyguard. About half-way through my shift at 9:45, a traveling jester came to entertain the King. I really didn't think he was a very good jester, but the King liked him. During the second half of my shift, the King challenged me to a game of chess. I was about to make a move that would put the King in Checkmate, but I decided since he was in a somewhat of a bad mood, it was probably wise to let him win. At 11:15, I finished my shift and went to see how my Pages were doing at the training grounds. I invited them back to my house for lunch as a reward for doing a good job and coming out on top of the training courses they went through in the morning.
 * //__A day in the life of__//** **//__Sir Julius Crescenzo.__//**
 * //Morning//**

12:00 - When we got back to my house for lunch, we had a lunch of ale, goose, and wheat bread. At 1:00 I heard from Marco that there was an out-of-town knight that was challenging other knights of the manor to a jousting tournament. So I decided to meet his challenge. I had Marco saddle up my battle horse and Rupert help me put my armor on. I asked Hugo to practice his archery with Lance Hartman, since he was falling behind Marco and Rupert. At 1:30, I found the out-of-town challenger in the Market Square. He was a well-trained knight, but I noticed when he was mounting his horse, one of the straps of his armor was not properly attached. When our horses charged at each other, I aimed my lance under his arm where the strap was loose. If I could just get my lance inside the armor, that would probably end the tournament quickly. After ten rounds to get the angle right, I got the lance in between the armor and the knight and I heard a loud crack, and I realized that my wood lance had snapped in two. The good thing was that the speed and power of the lance and the way that his armor came off, broke a couple of his ribs. Since I beat him, I won his armor and horse, but I let him keep his horse so he could ride home because I'm a nice guy. Another good thing was that he had a better lance than I did. It was metal, so winning it might give me an edge in future battles. Another good thing about me beating him was that he couldn't take anyone's land in our manor. 3:30 I sent Rupert with my old and my newly won armor to the blacksmith, Adam Smith, to have it fixed because it was damaged in the fight. I felt sorry for Hugo that he missed the fight. Although, when I got home, I found out he didn't exactly practice archery, because he wanted to see the fight and he was worried I would get hurt, so he watched the fight from the crowds. I sent Marco and Hugo to brush and feed the horses, while I rested and read __Don Quixote.__
 * //Afternoon//**

5:00 - I received a message from the King that because of my amazing performance earlier today, I was invited to dinner in the castle with him and the royal family. By the time I saddled my horse, and got dressed into my finest clothes, and got to the castle, it was already 6:00. When I entered the Great Hall of the castle, they had one long table with lots of Lords and Ladies from the manor. There was one empty chair near the head of the table next to the King. I realized this spot was for me, so I sat down and asked the King what we were having for dinner. He told me that we were having venison. I was surprised because I had never had venison in my whole life because it was a very expensive meat that was reserved only for Kings. I thought the venison tasted like ... chicken! After dinner it was 7:30. Most of the guests had left and I was about to leave as well, when the King called me over. He asked how my Pages were doing. I replied and said that they were doing very well and will soon become knights. Then I asked the King if I could take the leftover venison to my parents who lived in the kingdom, because I thought they'd really like it. By the time I dropped off the venison at my parents house and got home, it was 9:00. My Pages had already gone home, so I was alone. Then I finished a chapter in __Don Quixote__. I decided it was time to go to bed. 9:30 - I woke up to the sound of bells and realized that the castle was under seige. Marco and Hugo had already saddled my battle horse and Rupert already had my armor fixed and my new lance ready. Quickly with Rupert's help, I got my battle armor on and rode off to defend the kingdom against the Kingdom of Florence, Italy.
 * //Evening//**

**__//I wish I was an Archer//__** There are a lot of advantages and rights in being a knight. You got to eat better food than most people because you were in the upper middle class. You had more money than most people, so you could have 3 horses when usually only lords and noble people had them. Another advantage to being a knight was that you had 3 pages to assist you in your daily life. One of the disdvantages to being a knight was that you didn't have a choice to go to battle. You had to do what the king told you to do. When you did go to battle, you could be killed, ransomed, or captured and executed. Another disadvantage for a knight was that you had to wear about 60 pounds of battle armor when you fought, which was really heavy.

Knights also had many responsibilities. You had to go to war and fight on the king's command. You were in charge of all of the people who live on your fief, and had to supply them with food, shelter, and protection. You also had to take care of your own horse and pay your pages. A knight was also responsible for getting all his armor for battle. This could be very expensive, which is why only the wealthier people could be knights. You also had the right to take other knights armor if you beat them in a tournament, the right to go to the castle, and the right to marry other people in the same social class.

If I couldn't be a knight, I'd want to be an archer because it wasn't as expensive as being a knight. Archers were part of the lower class. A good advantage to being an archer was that it was cheap to make their weapons, especially the longbow. Another advantage to being an Archer was that their weapons were some of the most dangerous weapons in Medieval times. They could kill a knight in full armor from very far away. You just had to be good at it. An archer also had a large shield or was standing behind a defensive line of soldiers during battle so they had protection while they were reloading. Because a group of them could turn the tide of battle very quickly, they were a valued soldier during Medieval times. A big disadvantage of being an archer was that they could be killed easily because they didn't wear much armor. If you used a crossbow, you could only fire two shots per minute, so you could be killed easily. Another big disadvantage was that it took a lot of training and practice to be a good archer. An archer had many rights. They had the right to hunt for their food. They also had the right to make their own weapons. An archer also had many responsibilities. There was a law called the Medieval Archery Law that made peasants between the ages of 15 and 60 have a bow and arrow and practice archery every week. They had to practice until they were good enough and were hired as a soldier. Archers also had to protect the castle walls or defend the town they lived in. Because of these reasons, I am happy that I with the role that I have as knight. __**//Modern Day Knight//**__ is... William Rodriguez. My knight, Sir Julius, has many good qualities. He is strong, athletic, and kind. He is a skilled sword fighter and jouster. And he is the king's battlefield adviser, so that makes him a good leader. He is also smart, brave and courageous, which is why he is the king's bodyguard. My knight is also selfless because he thinks of his kingdom first before himself.

My modern day knight is William Rodriguez. He is one of the many heroes of 9/11. He was a custodian of the North Tower, who was the only person at the time who had one of the five master keys to the inner stairwell of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. When the first plane hit, he first saved 15 people. He then helped the firefighters evacuate hundreds of people by unlocking doors for the firefighters as they climbed the tower. He went back into the tower when it was on fire three times. He was also the last person to leave the North Tower alive. He survived the tower's collapse by diving under a firetruck. William had many qualities like a knight because he was very brave to lead the firefighters up the tower instead of just giving them the key and leaving. William was very patriotic by helping to save the people of his country. He was also selfless by risking his life to save the people in the North Tower. After getting medical attention for his injuries, he went back to Ground Zero to help with the rescue efforts. Now, he fights for money and help for victims of 9/11. My knight is better than William Rodriguez because Will put his life on the line for his country once, where my knight does that on a daily basis. William was brave and courageous helping to save the people in the North Tower, but my knight had to help save people of his whole kingdom in many battles. William worked for the World Trade Center, so he only had to do his job. My knight had more responsibilities because he had to take care of the people on his land and provide food for them. Even though William was brave and selfless, my knight has these great qualities and more.