The term “squire” has evolved over time. Historically, squires were young apprentices who served knights on their path to knighthood. They acted as personal attendants, kept armor and weapons in order, and were responsible for the knight’s needs. In modern times, an esquire is a member of the landed gentry in England.
The meaning of the term “squire” has changed considerably over the centuries. When people use this term in reference to historical squires, they are usually talking about the apprentices who served the knights on the road to their own knighthood. In the modern sense, an esquire is a member of the landed gentry in England; the term is also sometimes used in familiar slang, usually in an ironic sense.
Historical squires were young people, usually around the age of 12 or 13, who were interested in becoming knights. Initially such men worked as pages, glorified messengers who carried messages, waited tables, and performed an assortment of other menial tasks. While working as a page, a prospective knight would also begin training in the use of weapons, often absorbing this knowledge as he watched the practice of older pages, squires, and knights.
Once a page reached an appropriate age or level of training, he would be promoted to equerry. Squires acted as personal attendants for knights; they were also known as men-at-arms. A squire was responsible for keeping a knight’s armor, weapons, and other supplies in order. Squires also accompanied their knights on journeys to ensure their needs were met, and were offered advice and training in exchange for their service. Squires also had a symbolic duty to carry the knight’s shield.
Once a squire was trained enough, he would have the opportunity to qualify as a knight. If he was deemed fit for knighthood, he would start a career and sometimes be assigned his own squire. As a general rule, squires were members of the nobility and were part of a long tradition of learning through service, with an emphasis on using real experience, rather than classroom learning, to educate young men and women who wished to pursue a career.
In the Middle Ages, the concept of chivalry began to change. Previously, knights were simply well-trained warriors who fought for specific lords. In the Middle Ages, however, knighthood became a rank bestowed by the king, as part of a general change intended to centralize power in the hands of the monarch, rather than allowing regional lords to maintain their own private armies. Since knighthood was no longer an automatic rank, squire was recognized as a distinct social rank, and squires were entitled to privileges such as their coats of arms.
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