Female knight takes on the men at arms in jousting tournament
THIS is the dramatic moment a woman competed against men for the first time in a jousting tournament – and won.
The dramatic moment a woman competed against men for the first time in a jousting tournament and won
In medieval times all knights were male.
But this weekend English Heritage invited professional rider Nicky Willis to join the men competing at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire.
Hundreds of spectators braved thunderstorms to cheer her on.
Professional rider Nicky Willis was invited to join the men competing at Kenilworth Castle
It’s the perfect place to sort the women from the boys
Nicky, 46, who was wearing full armour and carried a red shield, managed to accumulate more points than her three male competitors before rain forced the contest to be suspended.
Afterwards she said: “Kenilworth is famed for some of the most elaborate tournaments in medieval England, as well as playing host to one of England’s strongest women, Queen Elizabeth I, so it’s the perfect place to sort the women from the boys.”
Nicky accumulated more points than her male competitors before rain forced stopped the contest
English Heritage’s change of policy follows the huge popularity of American TV drama Game Of Thrones, in which British actress Gwendoline Christie plays a knight.
Spectator Jemma Page, 36, said: “It’s great to see women can do exciting things like this.”