Tournament Galleries

The gallery is a sort of structure, usually raised and covered, where spectators would watch the tournament – usually notable spectators, like the tournament's sponsor, honorees, ladies, or marshalls. (The Middle English term seems to be “scaffold.”)

See these links for ideas on constructing temporary structures made to resemble galleries.

• Tournament scenes on fols. 150v-151r and 214v-215r, Roman du Roy Meliadus de Leonnoys (British Library Additional 12228), c. 1352
• Knights jousting, Roman de Tristan (British Library Harley 4389, fol. 26), last quarter of the 13th century or first quarter of the 14th century
• Tournament of the Giant's Pine, Guiron le Courtois (BNF NAF 5243, fol. 55r), c. 1370-1380
• Tournament of Camelot, The Quest for the Holy Grail (BNF Fr. 343, fol. 4v), c. 1380-1385
• Tournament of Camelot, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 119, fol. 421), beginning of the 15th century
• Ladies watch knights jousting, Le Duc des vrais amants (British Library Harley 4431, fol. 150), c. 1410-1414
• Allegory: tournament of the vices, The Book of Modus and Ratio (BNF Fr. 1297, fol. 112), first quarter of the 15th century
• Combat of Tristan & Blanor, Tristan de Léonois (BNF Fr. 100, fol. 65v), first quarter of the 15th century
• Combat of Palamede & two serfs (fol. 109) and Tristan & Palamede (fol. 252), Tristan de Léonois (BNF Fr. 101), first quarter of the 15th century
• Scenes from a tournament, book of hours (Douce 93, fol. 100v), middle of the 15th century
• Tournament of Compiègne, Jean d'Avesnes (BNF Fr. 12572, fol. 57v), third quarter of the 15th century
• Cassone with a tournament scene, c. 1455-1465
• The enclosed field (fols. 48v-49), the competitors' oath (fols. 76v-77), the competitors are gathered (fols. 97v-98), and the tournament (fols. 100v-101), The book of the tournament of René d'Anjou (BNF Fr. 2695), c. 1460
• Fols 104v, 110v, and 114r, Roman de Girart de Nevers (Bibliothèque Royale Albert ler MS 73), c. 1460
• Tournamnet, Chartre de Gaige de Bataille' (Douce 182, fol. 2r), c. 1460-1470
• Tournament, Composition de la Sainte Escriture (Bibl. Royale Alber Ier MS 9017, fol. 240), 1462
• Tournaments of the Castle of the Maidens (fol. 265v), the Hard Rock (fol. 313v), Sorelois (fol. 384), Leverzep (fol. 472v), Camelot (fol. 561), Tristan de Léonois (BNF Fr. 99), 1463
• Jousting, History of Alexander the Great (British Library Burney 169, fol. 84), c. 1468-1475
• Tournament of Sorelois, Tristan de Léonois (BNF Fr. 112 (1), fol. 184), c. 1470
• Tournament of King Richier of Acre to honor Renaud, Renaud de Montauban (Pommersfelden Castle Library 312, fol. 37v), c. 1470
• The Harley Froissart (British Library Harley 4379), c. 1470-1472, fols. 19v and 23v
• Tournament at the Pastoral Fountain, Perceforest (BNF Fr. 348, fols. 200 and 258), second half of the 15th century
• Knights jousting at a tournament to win the hand of Iolante, daughter of the king of Sicily, Romance of the Three Kings’ Sons (British Library Harley 326, fol. 113), c. 1475-1485
There was a fayre medow, and therein was many knyghtes and squyres to beholde, scaffoldis and pavylons, for there, uppon the morne, sholde be a grete turnemente.

The Tale of Sir Gareth by Sir Thomas Malory

• Combat of Dioxippe and Horratas, History of Alexander the Great (BNF Fr. 257, fol. 186), fourth quarter of the 15th century
• Tournament at Camelot, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 111, fol. 91), c. 1480
• Closed field (fol. 34v-35), the competitors' oath (fols. 52v-53), the competitors are gathered (fols. 62v-63), and tournament (fols. 67v-68), The book of the tournament of René d'Anjou (BNF Fr. 2692), c. 1488-1489
• The enclosed field (fols. 29v-30r), the competitors' oath (fols. 46v-47r), the competitors are gathered (fols. 56v-57r), and the tournament (fols. 60v-61r), The book of the tournament of René d'Anjou (BNF Fr. 2693), c. 1488-1489
• Nicholas Clifford jousting (fol. 81r) and the joust of John de Holand and Regnault de Roye (fol. 293v), Chronique d'Angleterre (British Library Royal 14 E IV), late 15th century
Whan the kynge Ban and Guynebans his brother were entred in to the foreste, thei ne were but lx in her companye, and fill that thei entred in to a grete high wey, and rode till thei com depe in to the foreste, and than thei fonde a-uenture full merveillouse, ffor thei fonde a medowe that was closed a-boute with wode, and fonde with-ynne the feirest daunses of the worlde of ladies, and of maydenes, and knyghtes, the feireste that euer hadde thei seyn in her lyve; and on the tother side thei sigh a scaffolde, and in that scaffolde sette a knyght that was of a l wynter age, and ther satte also the feirest lady of the worlde.

Chapter XXI, The Prose Merlin

• A lady presents a knight with a ring, Perceforest (British Library Royal 19 E II, fol. 129v), end of the 15th century
• A tournament before King Arthur, Guiron le Courtois (Douce 383, fol. 16r), before 1500
• Tournament scene with two ladies watching, a prayerbook with calendar (Munich Staatsbibliothek Cod. Lat. 23 250, fol. 92), c. 1501-1515
• Tournament scene in the Netherlands (Göttingen University graphic collection H277), c. 1501-1525
• June, The Golf Book (British Library Add. 24098, fol. 23v), c. 1520-1530
• Tournament of Chambly-Bailleul, 1519, Tournoi de Chambly et Bailleul-sur-Cire (BNF Fr 1436, fols. 18-168), c. 1530-1540
• Tournament scene and a tournament in a fighting and tournament book (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Cod. icon. 393) made in Augsburg in 1567
• Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae by Antonio Lafreri, 1574