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Falconry
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/1/4/101454400/bayeux-hawking_orig.jpg)
Falconry is the art of training birds of prey, falcons or hawks, to hunt along with a person. It was often considered the sport of royalty because the members of the lower class could not afford to train and keep the birds. Falconry was also displayed during hunting parties between kings, lords, and nobles. Only certain people had the ability to train birds, these people were referred to as falconers. Falconers would take young birds from their nests. The falconers would raise and train these birds to become used to human contact, to perch on their arms, and to hunt prey. The birds were trained to hunt small game or even other birds. The falcons often return to the falconer simply because it is being well fed and well cared for. If those were not happening, the bird would likely fly off and not return during a hunt.
In the Middle Ages, falconry was more of a means to provide food for family than it was a sport. Although the most common name for it is falconry, the men in the Middle Ages preferred hunting with hawks. A hawk's incredible eyesight, speed, and accuracy were extremely useful when it came to providing food for the family. It was still very expensive though because the birds required special cages, hoods, and bells.
Falconry was so important in medieval England that the first laws protecting birds of prey were made there. In England, falconry was strictly for the upper class. Peasants could be hung if they were caught raising a bird of prey. During the Middle Ages, falcons were seen as symbols for power, strength, and superiority. They even started showing up in coat of arms and banners. The picture to the left is the first meters of a bigger work, The Bayeux Tapestry. It depicts the use of falconry in the hunt of Harold Godwinson (Grethe). The tapestry is 70 meters long and 50 centimeters tall. It illustrates the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.
Barrington, Katherine. "Falconry & Hunting in the Middle Ages: Important Medival Jobs." Bright Hub Education. N.p., 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 May 2017. <http://www.brighthubeducation.com/history-homework-help/107330-falconry-and-hunting-in-the-middle-ages/>.
"Bayeux Tapestry." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 07 May 2017. Web. 07 May 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_Tapestry>.
Grethe. "Falconry in the Middle Ages." Falconry in the Middle Ages. N.p., 3 Nov. 2005. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <http://www.shm-qa.net/monograph/grethe_Falcons.shtml>.
Winn, Don M. "Falconry Part One – Medieval and Modern Falconry." Author Don Winn's Blog. N.p., 07 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 May 2017. <https://cardboardboxadventures.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/falconry-part-one-medieval-and-modern-falconry/>.