In medieval times, a young boy served as a page for seven years, from the age of seven (after cutting his hair) until he was fourteen. At age fourteen, he could graduate to become a squire, and by age 21, perhaps a knight himself. A squire acted as a personal servant to the knight, taking care of his master's armor, equipment, and horse. This was to uphold the knight’s code of Chivalry that promoted generosity, courtesy, compassion, and most importantly, loyalty. The knight acted as a tutor and taught the squire all he needed to know to become a knight. As the squire grew older, he was expected to follow his master into battle, and attend to his master if the knight fell in battle. Some squires became knights for performing an outstanding deed on the battlefield, but most were knighted by their lord when their training was judged to be complete. A squire could hope to become a knight when he had learned his lessons well. Once sufficient mastery of the required skills was established, he was dubbed a knight.
The night before his promotion to the rank of Officer, the squire leaves his personal belongings and dresses in white which is the symbol for purity. He has to read carefully the code of conduct and answer some questions. The day after, the Taskmaster will appoint him Officer saying "Be thou a knight"
Etichette: midshipman
