Final answer:
Tournaments were public contests of skills between knights open to those with requisite equipment. These events allowed knights to display their combat prowess and were a part of the chivalric tradition, which eventually evolved with the changes in military technology and strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is A) Tournaments. Tournaments were public contests of skills between knights where anyone with the right equipment - armor, a horse, a sword, and a shield - could enter. These events were part of the feudal chivalric traditions and often included various martial games, including the joust, which was a competition where two knights on horseback would try to dismount each other using lances. Though related, jousts could also be part of the bigger event known as a tournament. These public contests provided knights with a venue to practice their combat skills and gain honor and recognition.
In the historical context, such events and the social structures they supported were eventually altered by changes in military technology and organization, evidenced during periods like the Hundred Years' War. New weapons, like the longbow, reduced the effectiveness and prestige of mounted knights. Additionally, social mobility increased as peasants could serve in professional armies, offering them regular wages and a chance at the spoils of war.