Throughout the middle ages military service remained the most celebrated avenue of social advancement. Chroniclers and poets alike delighted in recording the feats of warriors whose valour was rewarded with high estate. The drama of armed combat accounts in part for the interest shown in this form of self-improvement. In tournament and battle, the brave and the desperate could stake their lives for a better future. Yet there was more to it than the thrill of adventure. To contemporaries it was inconceivable that valiant feats of arms could go unrewarded. Through his accomplishments on the field, the young bachelor demonstrated his fitness to be accepted into the highest ranks of society. Chivalry and martial prowess were taken to reflect inner nobility of character. This notion was deeply rooted in late medieval English society. After all, the upper classes were almost by definition a military caste, most of whose members traced their descent from Norman adventurers and prided themselves on the personal performance of knight's service. In this climate of opinion it was hard to deny the claims of the warrior who proved himself in the sport of kings.

While contemporary attitudes generally approved this form of advancement, the able soldier of humble birth had major obstacles to surmount. The considerable investment required in training and equipping a mounted man-at-arms effectively excluded the vast majority of men from the pursuit of chivalry.