Thirteenth-century tournaments used the arms and fighting methods of war. Individual knights jousted, while groups fought in the tourney; commoners also practised with quarterstaffs, sword and buckler, and tilting exercises. William Marshal fought on the tournament circuit about once a fortnight for several years and made substantial profits from captures. In one tournament he took ten horses and twelve knights whom he held for ransom. Later rules reduced the danger, although Henry II of France was still accidentally killed in a tournament in 1559. Montgomery identifies the man responsible as an ancestor of his own.
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Tournaments trained fighters and rewarded captures
Medieval tournaments could rehearse real combat, build reputations, and reward successful fighters through captured horses and ransomed opponents.