Tournament rankings functioned as public fitness displays monitored by noblewomen
Evidence
Judges and scribes meticulously recorded outcomes and consolidated results from tourneys across the land, ranking the knights accordingly, and noblewoman studied these standings. Knights emblazoned their armor with colorful plumes and tassels, and bore their family heralds on their shields and breastplates (coats of arms, incidentally, provided information on the genetic quality of a male—his bloodline—not unlike the colorful trains of peacocks). Women inspected the contestants beforehand, watched the battles from front-row seats, and awarded the prizes. And a knight who proved his worth in tournaments could occasionally earn the hand of an heiress. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 176
Categorization
- XREF: Direct analogy: knight rankings and coats of arms map onto peacock trains — the human analog of armament display.