Medieval Falconry

Medieval Falconry: The Sport of Kings (and the falconers who served them) In Medieval England, falconry was perhaps the most prominent sport among the aristocracy. Owning a falcon or hawk, and the imperative falconer to go along with it, was a status symbol among the nobles of medieval Europe, for the sport required extensive amounts of expenditures and a good deal of leisure time. The year is 1066, William I, not yet known as the conqueror, was leading his forces into England in attempt to take what he believed was rightfully his, the throne of Enlgand. His opponent and past acquiantance Harold Godwinson, whose forces were recently weakened from the Norweigan attempt to take England, would meet him on the battlefield in a decisive battle that would determine the future of western civilization. William would ultimately be triumphant over Godwinson, and succeed to claim the throne and title of King of England. This battle would be known as the battle of hastings, and would be the most significant battle of the Norman Conquest.William I, the conqueror, would retire form the battle back to Normandy, where he would immediately instill numerous political policies and decide upon the creation of the most influential and intricate census in world history, the Domesday Book. Recorded within this book was the first historical account of the presence of falconry in Medieval Europe, despite numerous prior architectural and literary accounts. The earliest accounts of falconry are seen from architectural evidence and oral history passed down through generations of Asian hill and mountain tribes. The art is said to have formed as a result of an abundance of birds of prey and a sophisticated peoples, seamingly simplistic thought. It was developed around the ideology that a bird was obviously a more efficient hunter, and due to the mountainous terrain of the land, the bird was developed, both physically and mentally to adapt