What age would a 3rd son get sent to the Monastery? Is "same age as a martial son became a squire" a fair bet? I only want to know for Knight-character background purposes; a hasty Google didn't throw up any informative links I could see.

It may vary, but I'd use the same age as the squirehood for convenience and consistency.

IIRC around 10-12 you would serve as an alter-boy, unless the church is your calling you become a senior alter-boy & assistant to the priest around 15 or off to the monastery at 15 if the church is your calling (as a novice or as kind of per-vocational for the priesthood), then about 17-18 it's your choice between Seminary or the Monastery as a Novice or as a Lay Brother.

Thanks for the replies.

Yes
Sir Taliesin pointed out to me that there was a tradition of 7-year stretches
age 7 become a page
age 14 become a squire
age 21 become a knight

Correct. The 7-7-7 convention is often cited in various books as the customary milestones. It has a nice symmetry to it and the additional virtue of being easy to remember. That said, it need not be considered an ironclad rule that can never be violated. My wife's character wasn't knighted until age 26! But 7-7-7 is the official "rule of thumb."


T.