View source for The Concept of Knighthood

{{short description|Honorary title awarded for service to a church or state}}
{{redirect|Knights|the Roman social class also known as "knights"|Equites{{!}}''Equites''|other uses|Knight (disambiguation)|and|Knights (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-pc1}} 
[[File:Codex_Manesse_Hartmann_von_Aue.jpg|thumb|A 14th-century depiction of the 13th-century German knight [[Hartmann von Aue]], from the [[Codex Manesse]]]]
{{Ranks of Nobility}}
A '''knight''' is a person granted an honorary title of '''knighthood''' by a [[head of state]] (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Almarez|first=Felix D.|title=Knight Without Armor: Carlos Eduardo Castañeda, 1896-1958|year=1999|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|isbn=9781603447140|page=202}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Diocese of Uyo|year=2000|publisher=El-Felys Creations|isbn=9789783565005|page=205}}</ref> 

The concept of knighthood may have been inspired by the ancient Greek ''[[hippeis]]'' (ἱππεῖς) and Roman ''[[equites]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paddock|first=David Edge & John Miles|title=Arms & armor of the medieval knight : an illustrated history of weaponry in the Middle Ages|year=1995|publisher=Crescent Books|location=New York|isbn=0-517-10319-2|pages=3|edition=Reprinted.}}</ref> In the [[Early Middle Ages]] in [[Western Christian]] Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors.<ref>Clark, p. 1.</ref> During the [[High Middle Ages]], knighthood was considered a class of [[petty nobility]]. By the [[Late Middle Ages]], the rank had become associated with the ideals of [[chivalry]], a code of conduct for the perfect [[Royal court|courtly]] Christian warrior. Often, a knight was a [[vassal]] who served as an elite fighter or a bodyguard for a lord, with payment in the form of land holdings.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carnine|first=Douglas|title=World History:Medieval and Early Modern Times|url=https://archive.org/details/mcdougallittellw00mcdo|url-access=registration|date=2006|publisher=McDougal Littell|location=US|isbn=978-0-618-27747-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/mcdougallittellw00mcdo/page/300 300]–301 |quote=Knights were often vassals, or lesser nobles, who fought on behalf of lords in return for land.|display-authors=etal }}</ref> The lords trusted the knights, who were skilled in [[Horses in warfare|battle on horseback]]. Knighthood in the Middle Ages was closely linked with horsemanship (and especially the [[Jousting|joust]]) from its origins in the 12th century until its final flowering as a fashion among the [[Imperial, royal and noble ranks|high nobility]] in the [[Duchy of Burgundy]] in the 15th century. This linkage is reflected in the etymology of ''chivalry'', ''cavalier'' and related terms such as the French title ''chevalier''. In that sense, the special prestige accorded to mounted warriors in [[Christendom]] finds a parallel in the ''[[furusiyya]]'' in the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]]. The [[Crusades]] brought various [[Military order (religious society)|military orders of knights]] to the forefront of defending [[Christian pilgrimage|Christian pilgrims]] traveling to the [[Holy Land]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Crusades |url=https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/crusades#:~:text=The%20Crusades%20set%20the%20stage,to%20and%20from%20the%20region. |publisher=[[History (American TV network)|History]] |access-date=11 March 2022 |date=21 February 2020 |quote=The Crusades set the stage for several religious knightly military orders, including the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights, and the Hospitallers. These groups defended the Holy Land and protected pilgrims traveling to and from the region.}}</ref>

In the Late Middle Ages, [[military history|new methods of warfare]] – such as the introduction of the [[culverin]] as an anti-personnel, gunpowder-fired weapon – began to render classical knights in armour obsolete, but the titles remained in many countries. [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I]] (1459–1519) is often referred to as the "last knight" in this regard;<ref>[https://www.tt.com/artikel/15198515/der-letzte-ritter-500-todestag-von-kaiser-maximilian-i "Der letzte Ritter": 500. Todestag von Kaiser Maximilian I]</ref><ref>[[Sabine Haag]] "Kaiser Maximilian I.: Der letzte Ritter und das höfische Turnier" (2014)</ref> however, some of the most iconic battles of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], such as the [[Siege of Rhodes (1522)|Siege of Rhodes]] and the [[Great Siege of Malta]], took place after his rule. The ideals of chivalry were popularized in [[medieval literature]], particularly the literary cycles known as the [[Matter of France]], relating to the legendary companions of [[Charlemagne]] and his [[Man-at-arms|men-at-arms]], the [[Paladin|paladins]], and the [[Matter of Britain]], relating to the legend of [[King Arthur]] and his [[Knights of the Round Table]].

Today, a number of orders of knighthood continue to exist in Christian Churches, as well as in several historically Christian countries and their former territories, such as the Roman Catholic [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]], the Protestant [[Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)|Order of Saint John]], as well as the English [[Order of the Garter]], the Swedish [[Order of the Seraphim|Royal Order of the Seraphim]], the Spanish [[Order of Santiago]], and the Norwegian [[Order of St. Olav]]. There are also dynastic orders like the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]], the [[Order of the Rose|Imperial Order of the Rose]], the [[Order of the British Empire]] and the [[Order of St. George (Habsburg-Lorraine)|Order of St. George]]. In modern times these are orders centered around charity and civic service, and are no longer military orders. Each of these orders has its own criteria for eligibility, but knighthood is generally granted by a head of state, monarch, or [[prelate]] to selected persons to recognise some meritorious achievement, as in the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|British honours system]], often for service to the Church or country. The modern female equivalent in the English language is [[Dame]]. Knighthoods and damehoods are traditionally regarded as being one of the most prestigious awards people can obtain.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mason |first1=Christopher |title=Has Being Knighted Lost Its Prestige? |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/news/a3918/whats-in-a-dame/ |publisher=[[Town & Country (magazine)|Town & Country]] |access-date=11 March 2022 |date=13 October 2015}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word ''knight'', from [[Old English]] ''cniht'' ("boy" or "servant"),<ref name="Etymo">{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/knight |title=Knight |work=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=2009-04-07}}</ref> is a [[cognate]] of the [[German language|German]] word ''Knecht'' ("servant, bondsman, vassal").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dict.leo.org/ende?lp=ende&p=KO6ek.&search=Knecht |title=Knecht |work=LEO German-English dictionary |access-date=2009-04-07}}</ref> This meaning, of unknown origin, is common among [[West Germanic languages]] (cf [[Old Frisian]] ''kniucht'', Dutch ''knecht'', Danish ''knægt'', Swedish ''knekt'', Norwegian ''knekt'', [[Middle High German]] ''kneht'', all meaning "boy, youth, lad").<ref name="Etymo" /> [[Middle High German]] had the phrase ''guoter kneht'', which also meant knight; but this meaning was in decline by about 1200.<ref>William Henry Jackson. "Aspects of Knighthood in Hartmann's Adaptations of Chretien's Romances and in the Social Context." In ''Chretien de Troyes and the German Middle Ages: Papers from an International Symposium'', ed. Martin H. Jones and Roy Wisbey. Suffolk: D. S. Brewer, 1993. 37–55.</ref>

The meaning of ''cniht'' changed over time from its original meaning of "boy" to "household [[Affinity (medieval)|retainer]]". [[Ælfric of Eynsham|Ælfric]]'s homily of St. [[Swithun]] describes a mounted retainer as a ''cniht''. While ''cnihtas'' might have fought alongside their lords, their role as household servants features more prominently in the Anglo-Saxon texts. In several Anglo-Saxon wills ''cnihtas'' are left either money or lands. In his will, King [[Æthelstan]] leaves his cniht, Aelfmar, eight [[Hide (unit)|hides]] of land.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Combined Books| last = Coss| first = Peter R| title = The knight in medieval England, 1000-1400| location = Conshohocken, PA| access-date = 2017-06-18| date = 1996| isbn = 9780938289777| url = http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/34564952.html}}</ref>

A ''rādcniht'', "riding-servant", was a servant on horseback.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark Hall |first1=John R. |title=A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary |date=1916 |publisher=Macmillan Company |page=238 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31543/31543-h/files/dict_os.html |access-date=18 January 2019}}</ref>

A narrowing of the generic meaning "servant" to "military follower of a king or other superior" is visible by 1100. The specific military sense of a knight as a mounted warrior in the [[heavy cavalry]] emerges only in the [[Hundred Years' War]]. The verb "to knight" (to make someone a knight) appears around 1300; and, from the same time, the word "knighthood" shifted from "adolescence" to "rank or dignity of a knight".

An [[Equites|Equestrian]] ([[Latin]], from ''eques'' "horseman", from ''equus'' "[[horse]]")<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Equestrian |encyclopedia=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=2000}}</ref> was a member of the second highest [[social class]] in the [[Roman Republic]] and early [[Roman Empire]]. This class is often translated as "knight"; the medieval knight, however, was called ''miles'' in Latin (which in classical Latin meant "soldier", normally infantry).<ref>D'A. J. D. Boulton, "Classic Knighthood as Nobiliary Dignity", in Stephen Church, Ruth Harvey (ed.), ''Medieval knighthood V: papers from the sixth Strawberry Hill Conference 1994'', Boydell & Brewer, 1995, pp. 41–100.</ref><ref>Frank Anthony Carl Mantello, A. G. Rigg, ''Medieval Latin: an introduction and bibliographical guide'', UA Press, 1996, p. 448.</ref><ref>Charlton Thomas Lewis, ''An elementary Latin dictionary'', Harper & Brothers, 1899, p. 505.</ref>

In the later Roman Empire, the [[classical Latin]] word for horse, ''equus'', was replaced in common parlance by the [[vulgar Latin]] ''caballus'', sometimes thought to derive from Gaulish ''caballos''.<ref>Xavier Delamarre, entry on ''caballos'' in ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'' (Éditions Errance, 2003), p. 96. The entry on ''cabullus'' in the ''[[Oxford Latin Dictionary]]'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982, 1985 reprinting), p. 246, does not give a probable origin, and merely compares [[Old Bulgarian]] ''kobyla'' and [[Old Russian]] ''komoń<sub>b</sub>''.</ref> From ''caballus'' arose terms in the various Romance languages cognate with the (French-derived) English ''cavalier'': Italian ''cavaliere'', Spanish ''caballero'', French ''chevalier'' (whence ''chivalry''), Portuguese ''cavaleiro'', and Romanian ''cavaler''.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cavalier |encyclopedia=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=2000}}</ref>  The Germanic languages have terms cognate with the English ''rider'': German ''Ritter'', and Dutch and Scandinavian ''ridder''. These words are derived from Germanic ''rīdan'', "to ride", in turn derived from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root ''*reidh-''.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Reidh- [Appendix I: Indo-European Roots] |encyclopedia=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=2000}}</ref>

==History and evolution of medieval knighthood==
<!-- 'Feudal Society' section in the 'Middle Ages' article links here -->

===Pre-Carolingian legacies===
{{further|Bucellarii}}
In [[ancient Rome]], there was a knightly class ''[[Ordo Equestris]]'' (order of mounted nobles). Some portions of the armies of [[Germanic peoples]] who occupied Europe from the 3rd century AD onward had been mounted, and some armies, such as those of the [[Ostrogoths]], were mainly cavalry.<ref>Petersen, Leif Inge Ree. ''Siege Warfare and Military Organization in the Successor States (400–800 A.D.)''. Brill (September 1, 2013). pp. 177–180, 243, 310–311. {{ISBN|978-9004251991}}</ref> However, it was the Franks who generally fielded armies composed of large masses of [[infantry]], with an infantry elite, the [[comitatus (classical meaning)|comitatus]], which often rode to battle on horseback rather than marching on foot. When the armies of the Frankish ruler [[Charles Martel]] defeated the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] Arab invasion at the [[Battle of Tours]] in 732, the Frankish forces were still largely infantry armies, with elites riding to battle but dismounting to fight.

===Carolingian age===
In the [[Early Middle Ages|Early Medieval]] period, any well-equipped horseman could be described as a knight, or ''miles'' in Latin.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen |last=Church|title=Papers from the sixth Strawberry Hill Conference 1994|year=1995|publisher=Boydell|location=Woodbridge, England|isbn=978-0-85115-628-6|pages=51}}</ref> The first knights appeared during the reign of [[Charlemagne]] in the 8th century.<ref name="Duck">{{cite web |url=http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/history_of_knights.php|title=Middle Ages: History of the Medieval Knight|last=Nelson |first=Ken |publisher=Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI) |date=2015}}</ref><ref name="OrignsOsu">{{cite web |url=http://origins.osu.edu/review/knighthood-it-was-not-we-wish-it-were|title=Knighthood As It Was, Not As We Wish It Were|last=Saul |first=Nigel |publisher=Origins |date=September 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.{{cite web |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/knight.htm|title=How Knights Work|publisher=How Stuff Works |date=January 22, 2008}}</ref> As the [[Carolingian]] Age progressed, the Franks were generally on the attack, and larger numbers of warriors took to their [[Horses in the Middle Ages|horses]] to ride with the Emperor in his wide-ranging campaigns of conquest. At about this time the Franks increasingly remained on horseback to fight on the battlefield as true cavalry rather than mounted infantry, with the discovery of the [[stirrup]], and would continue to do so for centuries afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=307&HistoryID=aa89&gtrack=pthc|title=The Knight in Armour: 8th–14th century|publisher=History World }}</ref> Although in some nations the knight returned to foot combat in the 14th century, the association of the knight with mounted combat with a spear, and later a lance, remained a strong one. The older Carolingian ceremony of presenting a young man with weapons influenced the emergence of knighthood ceremonies, in which a noble would be ritually given weapons and declared to be a knight, usually amid some festivities.<ref>{{cite book|title=Courtly Culture: Literature and Society in the High Middle Ages|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Bmpw8LIwMUgC|first=Joachim|last=Bumke|year=1991|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, US and Los Angeles, US|isbn=9780520066342|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Bmpw8LIwMUgC/page/n238 231]–233}}</ref> [[File:Bayeux Tapestry scene57 Harold death.jpg|thumb|A Norman knight slaying [[Harold Godwinson]] ([[Bayeux tapestry]], c. 1070). The rank of knight developed in the 12th century from the mounted warriors of the 10th and 11th centuries.]] These mobile mounted warriors made Charlemagne's far-flung conquests possible, and to secure their service he rewarded them with grants of land called [[benefices]].<ref name="Duck" /> These were given to the captains directly by the Emperor to reward their efforts in the conquests, and they in turn were to grant benefices to their warrior contingents, who were a mix of free and unfree men. In the century or so following Charlemagne's death, his newly empowered warrior class grew stronger still, and [[Charles the Bald]] declared their fiefs to be hereditary, and also issued the [[Edict of Pîtres]] in 864, largely moving away from the infantry-based traditional armies and calling upon all men who could afford it to answer calls to arms on horseback to quickly repel the constant and wide-ranging Viking attacks, which is considered the beginnings of the period of knights that were to become so famous and spread throughout Europe in the following centuries. The period of chaos in the 9th and 10th centuries, between the fall of the Carolingian central authority and the rise of separate Western and Eastern Frankish kingdoms (later to become [[France]] and [[Germany]] respectively) only entrenched this newly landed warrior class. This was because governing power and defense against [[Vikings|Viking]], [[Hungarians|Magyar]] and [[Saracen]] attack became an essentially local affair which revolved around these new hereditary local [[lord]]s and their ''[[demesne]]s''.<ref name="OrignsOsu" />

===Multiple crusades and military orders===
[[File:OsmanenDeutscheKavallerie-1-.jpg|thumb|Hungarian knights routing Ottoman sipahi cavalry during the [[Battle of Mohács]] in 1526]]
Clerics and the Church often opposed the practices of the Knights because of their abuses against women and civilians, and many such as St. [[Bernard de Clairvaux]] were convinced that Knights served the devil and not God, and needed reforming.<ref>{{cite book|author=Richard W. Kaeuper|title=Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-m4zosAOchQC&pg=PA76|year=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-924458-4|pages=76–}}</ref> 

In the course of the 12th century, knighthood became a social rank with a distinction being made between ''milites gregarii'' (non-noble cavalrymen) and ''milites nobiles'' (true knights).<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen |last=Church|title=Papers from the sixth Strawberry Hill Conference 1994|year=1995|publisher=Boydell|location=Woodbridge, England|isbn=978-0-85115-628-6|pages=48–49}}</ref> As the term "knight" became increasingly confined to denoting a social rank, the military role of fully armoured cavalryman gained a separate term, "[[man-at-arms]]". Although any medieval knight going to war would automatically serve as a man-at-arms, not all men-at-arms were knights. 

The first military orders of knighthood were the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre|Knights of the Holy Sepulchre]] and the [[Knights Hospitaller]], both founded shortly after the [[First Crusade]] of 1099, followed by the [[Order of Saint Lazarus]] (1100), [[Knights Templar]]s (1118), the [[Order of Montesa]] (1128), the [[Order of Santiago]] (1170) and the [[Teutonic Knights]] (1190). At the time of their foundation, these were intended as [[Monasticism|monastic orders]], whose members would act as simple soldiers protecting pilgrims. 

It was only over the following century, with the successful conquest of the Holy Land and the rise of the [[crusader states]], that these orders became powerful and prestigious.

The great European legends of warriors such as the [[paladin]]s, the [[Matter of France]] and the [[Matter of Britain]] popularized the notion of [[chivalry]] among the warrior class.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.themiddleages.net/people/charlemagne.html |title=The Middle Ages: Charlemagne |access-date=2015-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109080754/http://themiddleages.net/people/charlemagne.html |archive-date=2017-11-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Arty">{{cite web |url=http://www.nobleworld.biz/images/Hermes.pdf|title=King Arthur in the Lands of the Saracen|last=Hermes|first=Nizar |publisher=Nebula |date=December 4, 2007}}</ref> The ideal of chivalry as the ethos of the Christian warrior, and the transmutation of the term "knight" from the meaning "servant, soldier", and of ''chevalier'' "mounted soldier", to refer to a member of this ideal class, is significantly influenced by the [[Crusades]], on one hand inspired by the [[Military order (society)|military orders]] of monastic warriors, and on the other hand also cross-influenced by Islamic ([[Saracen]]) ideals of ''[[furusiyya]]''.<ref name="Arty" /><ref>[[Richard Francis Burton]] wrote "I should attribute the origins of love to the influences of the Arabs' poetry and chivalry upon European ideas rather than to medieval Christianity." {{Cite book| editor=Charles Anderson Read |year=2007 |title=The Cabinet of Irish Literature, Vol. IV |last=Burton |first=Richard Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93XtaGIOPhMC&q=antar+2007+chivalry |page=94 |publisher=Read Books |isbn=978-1-4067-8001-7}}</ref>

==Knightly culture in the Middle Ages==
===Training===
The institution of knights was already well-established by the 10th century.<ref name="Fact">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Knights.aspx|title=Knight.|publisher=The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. |date=November 15, 2015}}</ref> While the knight was essentially a title denoting a military office, the term could also be used for positions of higher nobility such as landholders. The higher nobles grant the [[Vassal|vassals]] their portions of land ([[fief]]s) in return for their loyalty, protection, and service. The nobles also provided their knights with necessities, such as lodging, food, armour, weapons, horses, and money.<ref name="Craig">Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.{{cite web |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/knight2.htm|title=How Knights Work|publisher=How Stuff Works |date=22 January 2008}}</ref> The knight generally held his lands by military tenure which was measured through military service that usually lasted 40&nbsp;days a year. The military service was the ''[[quid pro quo]]'' for each knight's [[fief]]. Vassals and lords could maintain any number of knights, although knights with more military experience were those most sought after. Thus, all [[Petty nobility|petty noble]]s intending to become prosperous knights needed a great deal of military experience.<ref name="Fact" /> A knight fighting under another's banner was called a ''[[knight bachelor]]'' while a knight fighting under his own banner was a ''[[knight banneret]]''.

Some knights were familiar with [[city]] culture<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Schama |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Schama |title=A History of Britain 1: 3000 BC-AD 1603 At the Edge of the World? |title-link=A History of Britain (TV series)#DVDs and books |publisher=[[BBC Worldwide]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-563-48714-2 |edition=Paperback 2003 |location=London |pages=155}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |author-link=Alison Weir |title=The Princes in the Tower |date=August 1995 |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |isbn=9780345391780 |edition=1st Ballantine Books Trade Paperback |location=New York City |pages=110, 126, 140, 228}}</ref> or familiarized with it during training. These knights, among others, were called in to end large [[Insurgency|insurgencies]] and other large uprisings that involved [[Urban area|urban areas]] such as the [[Peasants' Revolt]] of [[Kingdom of England|England]] and the [[1323–1328 Flemish revolt]].

====Page====
A knight had to be born of nobility &ndash; typically sons of knights or lords.<ref name="Craig" /> In some cases, commoners could also be knighted as a reward for extraordinary military service. Children of the nobility were cared for by noble foster-mothers in [[castle]]s until they reached the age of seven.

These seven-year-old boys were given the title of ''[[Page (servant)|page]]'' and turned over to the care of the castle's lords. They were placed on an early training regime of hunting with [[hunter|huntsmen]] and [[Falconry|falconer]]s, and academic studies with priests or chaplains. Pages then become assistants to older knights in battle, carrying and cleaning armour, taking care of the horses, and packing the baggage. They would accompany the knights on expeditions, even into foreign lands. Older pages were instructed by knights in [[swordsmanship]], [[equestrianism]], chivalry, warfare, and combat (using wooden swords and spears).

====Squire====
When the boy turned 14, he became a ''[[squire]]''. In a religious ceremony, the new squire swore on a sword consecrated by a [[bishop]] or [[priest]], and attended to assigned duties in his lord's household. During this time, the squires continued training in combat and were allowed to own armour (rather than borrowing it).{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}[[File:DavidI&squire.jpg|thumb|[[David I of Scotland]] knighting a squire]]Squires were required to master the ''seven points of [[Agility|agilities]]'' &ndash; riding, [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]] and diving, shooting different types of weapons, climbing, participation in tournaments, [[wrestling]], [[Historical European martial arts|fencing]], [[long jumping]], and dancing &ndash; the prerequisite skills for knighthood. All of these were even performed while wearing armour.<ref>Lixey L.C., Kevin. ''Sport and Christianity: A Sign of the Times in the Light of Faith''. The Catholic University of America Press (October 31, 2012). p. 26. {{ISBN|978-0813219936}}.</ref>

Upon turning 21, the squire was eligible to be knighted. {{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Accolade===
{{main|Accolade}}
The accolade or knighting ceremony was usually held during one of the great feasts or holidays, like [[Christmas]] or [[Easter]], and sometimes at the wedding of a noble or royal. The knighting ceremony usually involved a ritual bath on the eve of the ceremony and a prayer vigil during the night. On the day of the ceremony, the would-be knight would swear an oath and the master of the ceremony would dub the new knight on the shoulders with a sword.<ref name="Fact"/><ref name="Craig"/> Squires, and even [[soldier]]s, could also be conferred direct knighthood early if they showed valor and efficiency for their service; such acts may include deploying for an important quest or mission, or protecting a high diplomat or a [[Monarchy|royal]] relative in battle.

=== Chivalric code ===
[[File:Peraldus Knight.jpg|thumb|The ''[[miles Christianus]]'' allegory (mid-13th century), showing a knight armed with [[virtue]]s and facing the [[vice]]s in mortal combat.]]
{{Main|Chivalry}}
Knights were expected, above all, to fight bravely and to display military professionalism and courtesy. When knights were taken as prisoners of war, they were customarily held for ransom in somewhat comfortable surroundings. This same standard of conduct did not apply to non-knights ([[archer]]s, [[peasant]]s, [[foot-soldier]]s, etc.) who were often slaughtered after capture, and who were viewed during battle as mere impediments to knights' getting to other knights to fight them.<ref>See [[Marcia L. Colish]], ''The Mirror of Language: A Study in the Medieval Theory of Knowledge''; University of Nebraska Press, 1983. p. 105.</ref>

Chivalry developed as an early standard of [[professional ethics]] for knights, who were relatively affluent horse owners and were expected to provide military services in exchange for [[landed property]]. Early notions of chivalry entailed loyalty to one's [[Homage (feudal)|liege lord]] and bravery in battle, similar to the values of the [[Germanic Heroic Age|Heroic Age]]. During the Middle Ages, this grew from simple military professionalism into a social code including the values of gentility, nobility and treating others reasonably.<ref>Keen, Maurice Keen. Chivalry. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press (February 11, 2005). pp. 7–17. {{ISBN|978-0300107678}}</ref> In ''[[The Song of Roland]]'' (c. 1100), [[Roland]] is portrayed as the ideal knight, demonstrating unwavering loyalty, military prowess and social fellowship. In [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]]'s ''[[Parzival]]'' (c. 1205), chivalry had become a blend of religious duties, love and military service. [[Ramon Llull]]'s ''Book of the Order of Chivalry'' (1275) demonstrates that by the end of the 13th century, chivalry entailed a litany of very specific duties, including riding warhorses, [[jousting]], attending [[tournament (medieval)|tournament]]s, holding [[Round table (tournament)|Round Table]]s and hunting, as well as aspiring to the more æthereal virtues of "faith, hope, charity, justice, strength, moderation and loyalty."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INmdwCSkvIgC&pg=PA105 |editor-last1=Fritze |editor-first1=Ronald |editor-last2=Robison |editor-first2=William |year=2002 |title=Historical Dictionary of Late Medieval England: 1272–1485 |location=Westport, CT |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=105|isbn=9780313291241 }}</ref>

Knights of the late medieval era were expected by society to maintain all these skills and many more, as outlined in [[Baldassare Castiglione]]'s ''[[The Book of the Courtier]]'', though the book's protagonist, Count Ludovico, states the "first and true profession" of the ideal [[courtier]] "must be that of arms."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Deats |first1=Sarah |last2=Logan |first2=Robert |year=2002 |title=Marlowe's Empery: Expanding His Critical Contexts |location=Cranbury, NJ |publisher=Rosemont Publishing & Printing–Associated University Presses |page=137}}</ref> ''Chivalry'', derived from the French word ''chevalier'' ('cavalier'), simultaneously denoted skilled horsemanship and military service, and these remained the primary occupations of knighthood throughout the Middle Ages.

Chivalry and religion were mutually influenced during the period of the [[Crusades]]. The early Crusades helped to clarify the moral code of chivalry as it related to religion. As a result, Christian armies began to devote their efforts to sacred purposes. As time passed, clergy instituted religious vows which required knights to use their weapons chiefly for the protection of the weak and defenseless, especially women and orphans, and of churches.<ref>Keen, p. 138.</ref>

===Tournaments===
{{Main|Tournament (medieval)}}
[[File:Codex Manesse (Herzog) von Anhalt.jpg|thumb|left|[[Tournament (medieval)|Tournament]] from the ''[[Codex Manesse]]'', depicting the mêlée]]
In peacetime, knights often demonstrated their martial skills in tournaments, which usually took place on the grounds of a castle.<ref>Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.{{cite web |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/knight4.htm|title=How Knights Work|publisher=How Stuff Works |date=January 22, 2008}}</ref><ref>Johnston, Ruth A. ''All Things Medieval: An Encyclopedia of the Medieval World, Volume 1''. Greenwood (August 15, 2011). pp. 690–700. ASIN: B005JIQEL2.</ref> Knights could parade their armour and banner to the whole court as the tournament commenced. Medieval tournaments were made up of martial sports called ''[[hastilude]]s'', and were not only a major spectator sport but also played as a real combat simulation. It usually ended with many knights either injured or even killed. One contest was a free-for-all battle called a ''[[Melee (tournament)|melee]]'', where large groups of knights numbering hundreds assembled and fought one another, and the last knight standing was the winner. The most popular and romanticized contest for knights was the ''[[joust]]''. In this competition, two knights charge each other with blunt wooden lances in an effort to break their lance on the opponent's head or body or unhorse them completely. The loser in these tournaments had to turn his armour and horse over to the victor. The last day was filled with feasting, dancing and [[minstrel]] singing.

Besides formal tournaments, there were also unformalized [[Trial by combat|judicial duels]] done by knights and [[Squire|squires]] to end various disputes.<ref name="Dav">David Levinson and Karen Christensen. ''Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present''. Oxford University Press; 1st edition (July 22, 1999). pp. 206. {{ISBN|978-0195131956}}.</ref><ref>Clifford J. Rogers, Kelly DeVries, and John Franc. ''Journal of Medieval Military History: Volume VIII''. Boydell Press (November 18, 2010). pp. 157–160. {{ISBN|978-1843835967}}</ref> Countries like [[Germany]], [[Britain (country)|Britain]] and [[Ireland]] practiced this tradition. Judicial combat was of two forms in medieval society, the feat of arms and chivalric combat.<ref name="Dav"/> The feat of arms were done to settle hostilities between two large parties and supervised by a judge. The chivalric combat was fought when one party's [[honor]] was disrespected or challenged and the conflict could not be resolved in court. Weapons were standardized and must be of the same caliber. The duel lasted until the other party was too weak to fight back and in early cases, the defeated party were then subsequently executed. Examples of these brutal duels were the judicial combat known as the [[Combat of the Thirty]] in 1351, and the [[trial by combat]] fought by [[Jean de Carrouges#Trial by combat|Jean de Carrouges]] in 1386. A far more chivalric duel which became popular in the Late Middle Ages was the ''[[pas d'armes]]'' or "passage of arms". In this [[hastilude]], a knight or a group of knights would claim a bridge, lane or city gate, and challenge other passing knights to fight or be disgraced.<ref>Hubbard, Ben. ''Gladiators: From Spartacus to Spitfires''. Canary Press (August 15, 2011). Chapter: Pas D'armes. ASIN: B005HJTS8O.</ref> If a lady passed unescorted, she would leave behind a glove or scarf, to be rescued and returned to her by a future knight who passed that way.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

===Heraldry===
{{main|Heraldry}}
One of the greatest distinguishing marks of the knightly class was the flying of coloured banners, to display power and to distinguish knights in battle and in tournaments.<ref>{{cite book|last=Crouch|first=David|title=The image of aristocracy in Britain, 1000–1300|year=1993|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0-415-01911-8|pages=109|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zdzILRmW54wC|edition=1. publ.|access-date=4 December 2011}}</ref> Knights are generally ''armigerous'' (bearing a [[coat of arms]]), and indeed they played an essential role in the development of [[heraldry]].<ref>Platts, Beryl. ''Origins of Heraldry''. (Procter Press, London: 1980). p. 32. {{ISBN|978-0906650004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/feud/hd_feud.htm|title = Feudalism and Knights in Medieval Europe|last = Norris|first = Michael|publisher = Department of Education, The Metropolitan Museum of Art|date = October 2001}}</ref> As heavier armour, including enlarged shields and enclosed helmets, developed in the Middle Ages, the need for marks of identification arose, and with coloured shields and [[surcoat]]s, coat armoury was born. [[Roll of arms|Armorial rolls]] were created to record the knights of various regions or those who participated in various [[Tournament (medieval)|tournaments]].

=== Equipment ===
[[File:Gothic armour parts.png|thumb|Elements of a harness of the late style of [[Gothic plate armour]] that was a popular style in the mid 15th to early 16th century (depiction made in the 18th century)]]
{{see|List of medieval armour components}}
Knights used a variety of weapons, including [[Mace (bludgeon)|maces]], [[Battle axe|axes]] and [[sword]]s. Elements of the knightly armour included [[helmet]], [[cuirass]], [[Gauntlet (glove)|gauntlet]] and [[shield]].

The sword was a weapon designed to be used solely in combat; it was useless in [[hunting]] and impractical as a [[tool]]. Thus, the sword was a status symbol among the knightly class. Swords were effective against lightly armoured enemies, while [[Mace (bludgeon)|maces]] and [[War hammer|warhammers]] were more effective against heavily armoured ones.<ref name="metmuseum" />{{Rp|85–86}}

One of the primary elements of a knight's armour was the [[shield]], which could be used to block strikes and projectiles. Oval shields were used during the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]] and were made of wooden boards that were roughly half an inch thick. Towards the end of the 10th century, oval shields were lengthened to cover the left knee of the mounted warrior, called the [[kite shield]]. The [[heater shield]] was used during the 13th and the first half of the 14th century. Around 1350, square shields called bouched shields appeared, which had a notch in which to place the [[Lance|couched lance]].<ref name="metmuseum">{{cite web|title=The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_Art_of_Chivalry_European_Arms_and_Armor_from_The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art?Tag&title&author&pt&tc&dept&fmt|access-date=2021-03-04|website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art }}</ref>{{Rp|15}}

Until the mid-14th century, knights wore [[Chain mail|mail armour]] as their main form of defence. Mail was extremely flexible and provided good protection against sword cuts, but weak against blunt weapons such as the [[Mace (bludgeon)|mace]] and piercing weapons such as the [[lance]]. Padded undergarment known as [[Gambeson|aketon]] was worn to absorb shock damage and prevent [[Chafing (skin)|chafing]] caused by mail. In hotter climates metal rings became too hot, so sleeveless [[surcoat]]s were worn as a protection against the sun, and also to show their [[Coat of arms|heraldic arms]].<ref name="metmuseum" />{{Rp|15–17}} This sort of coat also evolved to be [[tabard]]s, [[waffenrock]]s and other garments with the arms of the wearer sewn into it.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Black Prince: achievements of The Black Prince at Canterbury|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004124356_emdt_com_157|access-date=2021-07-05|journal=Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles|date=23 April 2012|doi=10.1163/9789004124356_emdt_com_157|last=Watts|first=Karen}}</ref>

Helmets of the knight of the early periods usually were more open helms such as the [[nasal helmet]], and later forms of the [[spangenhelm]]. The lack of more facial protection lead to the evolution of more [[Enclosed helmet|enclosing helmets]] to be made in the late 12th to early 13th centuries, this eventually would evolve to make the [[great helm]]. Later forms of the [[bascinet]], which was originally a small helm worn under the larger great helm, evolved to be worn solely, and would eventually have pivoted or hinged visors, the most popular was the [[Bascinet#Hounskull|hounskull]], also known as the "pig-face visor".<ref>{{cite book|last=David.|first=Lindholm|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/137244800|title=The Scandinavian Baltic crusades, 1100-1500|date=2007|publisher=Osprey Pub|isbn=978-1-84176-988-2|oclc=137244800}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Mann|first=James G.|date=October 1936|title=The Visor of a Fourteenth-century Bascinet found at Pevensey Castle|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0003581500084249|journal=The Antiquaries Journal|volume=16|issue=4|pages=412–419|doi=10.1017/s0003581500084249|s2cid=161352227|issn=0003-5815}}</ref>

[[Plate armour]] first appeared in the 13th century, when plates were added onto the torso and mounted to a base of leather. This form of armour is known as a [[coat of plates]], and was initially used over chain mail in the 13th and 14th centuries, at the time of [[Transitional armour]]. The torso was not the only part of the knight to receive this plate protection evolution, as the elbows and shoulders were covered with circular pieces of metal, commonly referred to as [[Rondel (armour)|rondels]], eventually evolving into the plate arm harness consisting of the [[rerebrace]], [[vambrace]], and [[spaulder]] or [[pauldron]]. The legs too were covered in plates, mainly on the shin, called [[schynbalds]] which later evolved to fully enclose the leg in the form of enclosed [[greave]]s. As for the upper legs, [[cuisses]] came about in the mid 14th century.<ref>{{cite journal|date=2010-01-01|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology|publisher=Oxford University Press|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195334036.001.0001|doi=10.1093/acref/9780195334036.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-533403-6}}</ref> Overall, plate armour offered better protection against piercing weapons such as [[arrow]]s and especially [[Crossbow bolt|bolts]] than mail armour did.<ref name="metmuseum" />{{Rp|15–17}}Plate armor reached his peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, but was still used at the beginning of the 17th century by the first [[Cuirassiers]] like the [[London lobsters]].

Knights' horses were also armoured in later periods; [[caparison]]s were the first form of medieval horse coverage and was used much like the surcoat. Other [[Barding|armours]], such as the facial armouring chanfron, were made for horses.<ref>{{cite web|date=2015-03-24|title=Online Etymology Dictionary|url=http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=caparison%09&allowed_in_frame=0|access-date=2021-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324211817/http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=caparison%09&allowed_in_frame=0|archive-date=2015-03-24}}</ref>

==Medieval and Renaissance chivalric literature==
{{main|Knight-errant}}
{{further|Chivalry|Chivalric romance|Matter of Britain|Matter of France|Minnesang|Jinete}}
[[File:Traicitié de la forme et devis comme on fait les tournoys BNF Fr. 2695 f98r.jpg|thumb|Page from ''[[King René's Tournament Book]]'' (BnF Ms Fr 2695)]]
Knights and the ideals of knighthood featured largely in [[medieval literature|medieval]] and [[Renaissance literature]], and have secured a permanent place in literary [[Romance (heroic literature)|romance]].<ref>[[W. P. Ker]], ''Epic And Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature'' pp. 52–53</ref> While chivalric romances abound, particularly notable literary portrayals of knighthood include ''[[The Song of Roland]]'', ''[[Cantar de Mio Cid]]'', [[The Twelve of England]], [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Knight's Tale]]'', [[Baldassare Castiglione]]'s ''[[The Book of the Courtier]]'', and [[Miguel de Cervantes]]' ''[[Don Quixote]]'', as well as [[Thomas Malory|Sir Thomas Malory's]] ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' and other Arthurian tales ([[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'', the [[Pearl Poet]]'s ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]'', etc.).

[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s  ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (''History of the Kings of Britain''), written in the 1130s, introduced the legend of [[King Arthur]], which was to be important to the development of chivalric ideals in literature. [[Thomas Malory|Sir Thomas Malory's]] ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' (''The Death of Arthur''), written in 1469, was important in defining the [[Ideal (ethics)|ideal]] of chivalry, which is essential to the modern concept of the knight, as an elite warrior sworn to uphold the values of [[faith]], [[loyalty]], [[courage]], and [[honour]].

Instructional literature was also created. [[Geoffroi de Charny]]'s "[[Book of Chivalry]]" expounded upon the importance of Christian faith in every area of a knight's life, though still laying stress on the primarily military focus of knighthood.

In the early Renaissance greater emphasis was laid upon courtliness. The ideal courtier—the chivalrous knight—of Baldassarre Castiglione's ''[[The Book of the Courtier]]'' became a model of the ideal virtues of nobility.<ref>Hare (1908), p. 201.</ref>  Castiglione's tale took the form of a discussion among the nobility of the court of the Duke of Urbino, in which the characters determine that the ideal knight should be renowned not only for his bravery and prowess in battle, but also as a skilled dancer, athlete, singer and orator, and he should also be well-read in the [[humanities]] and classical [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]] literature.<ref>Hare (1908), pp. 211–218.</ref>

Later Renaissance literature, such as [[Miguel de Cervantes]]'s ''[[Don Quixote]]'', rejected the code of chivalry as unrealistic idealism.<ref>{{cite book|author=Eisenberg, Daniel|title=A Study of "Don Quixote"|location=Newark, Delaware|publisher=Juan de la Cuesta|date=1987|isbn=0936388315|pages=41–77|quote=Revised Spanish translation in Biblioteca Virtual Cervantes}}</ref>  The rise of [[Christian humanism]] in [[Renaissance literature]] demonstrated a marked departure from the chivalric romance of late medieval literature, and the chivalric ideal ceased to influence literature over successive centuries until it saw some pockets of revival in post-Victorian literature.

{{clear}}

==Decline==
{{see also|Military history}}
[[File:Manif. di bruxelles su dis.di bernart von orley, IGMN144483, 1526-31.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|The [[Battle of Pavia]] in 1525. [[Landsknecht]] mercenaries with [[arquebus]].]]
By the mid to late 16th century, knights were quickly becoming obsolete as countries started creating their own [[Standing army|standing armies]] that were faster to train, cheaper to equip, and easier to mobilize.<ref name="End">Gies, Francis. ''The Knight in History''. Harper Perennial (July 26, 2011). pp. Introduction: What is a Knight. {{ISBN|978-0060914134}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knight-medieval.com/history-knight-medieval-templars.htm|title=The History of Knights|publisher=All Things Medieval|access-date=2015-11-15|archive-date=2020-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223081742/http://knight-medieval.com/history-knight-medieval-templars.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The advancement of high-powered firearms contributed greatly to the decline in use of plate armour, as the time it took to train soldiers with guns was much less compared to that of the knight. The cost of equipment was also significantly lower, and guns had a reasonable chance to easily penetrate a knight's armour. In the 14th century the use of infantrymen armed with [[Pike (weapon)|pikes]] and fighting in close formation also proved effective against heavy cavalry, such as during the [[Battle of Nancy]], when [[Charles the Bold]] and his armoured cavalry were decimated by Swiss pikemen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/middle-ages/knights4.htm|title=History of Knights|date=4 September 2008|publisher=How Stuff Works }}</ref> As the feudal system came to an end, lords saw no further use of knights. Many landowners found the duties of knighthood too expensive and so contented themselves with the use of squires. [[Mercenaries]] also became an economic alternative to knights when conflicts arose.

Armies of the time started adopting a more realistic approach to warfare than the honor-bound code of chivalry. Soon, the remaining knights were absorbed into professional armies. Although they had a higher rank than most soldiers because of their valuable lineage, they lost their distinctive identity that previously set them apart from common soldiers.<ref name="End"/> Some knightly orders survived into modern times. They adopted newer technology while still retaining their age-old chivalric traditions. Examples include the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre|Knights of the Holy Sepulchre]], [[Knights Hospitaller]] and [[Teutonic Knights]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carnaval.com/malta/history/knights/|title=Malta History 1000 AD–present|publisher=Carnaval.com|access-date=2008-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204113517/http://www.carnaval.com/malta/history/knights/|archive-date=2012-02-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Types of knighthood==

===Hereditary knighthoods===
====Continental Europe====
In continental Europe different systems of hereditary knighthood have existed or do exist.

In the [[Kingdom of Spain]], the [[Royal House of Spain]] grants titles of knighthood to the successor of the throne. This knighthood title, known as [[Order of the Golden Fleece]], is probably the most prestigious and exclusive [[chivalric order]]. This order can also be granted to persons not belonging to the Spanish Crown, as the former [[Emperor of Japan]] [[Akihito]], [[Queen of United Kingdom]] [[Elizabeth&nbsp;II]] or the relevant Spanish politician of the Spanish democratic transition [[Adolfo Suárez]], among others.

''[[Ridder (title)|Ridder]]'', [[Dutch language|Dutch]] for "knight", is a hereditary noble title in the [[Netherlands]]. It is the lowest title within the nobility system and ranks below that of "[[Baron]]" but above "[[Jonkheer]]" (the latter is not a title, but a Dutch honorific to show that someone belongs to the untitled nobility). The collective term for its holders in a certain locality is the Ridderschap (e.g. Ridderschap van Holland, Ridderschap van Friesland, etc.). In the Netherlands no female equivalent exists. Before 1814, the history of nobility is separate for each of the eleven provinces that make up the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]. In each of these, there were in the early Middle Ages a number of feudal lords who often were just as powerful, and sometimes more so than the rulers themselves. During this period, knights ranked below the ruler and above the feudal barons (Dutch: ''[[Heerlijkheid|heren]]''). In the Netherlands only 10 knightly families are still extant, a number which steadily decreases because in that country ennoblement or incorporation into the nobility is not possible anymore.
[[File:Schloß Hart Kindberg Hadersdorf.JPG|thumb|[[Fortified house]] – a [[family seat]] of a knight ([[Schloss Hart]] by the Harter Graben near [[Kindberg]], Austria)]]
Likewise ''[[Ridder (title)|Ridder]]'', [[Dutch language|Dutch]] for "knight", or the equivalent [[French language|French]] ''Chevalier'' is a hereditary noble title in [[Belgium]]. It is the second lowest title within the nobility system above [[Jonkheer|''Écuyer'']] or [[Jonkheer|''Jonkheer/Jonkvrouw'']] and below ''[[Baron]]''. Like in the Netherlands, no female equivalent to the title exists. Belgium still does have about 232 registered [[List of noble families in Belgium#Knights|knightly families]].

The [[Germany|German]] and [[Austria]]n equivalent of an hereditary knight is a ''[[Ritter]]''. This designation is used as a title of nobility in all German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second lowest rank within the nobility, standing above "[[Edler]]" (noble) and below "[[Freiherr]]" (baron). For its historical association with warfare and the [[landed gentry]] in the Middle Ages, it can be considered roughly equal to the titles of "Knight" or "Baronet".

The [[House of Braganza|Royal House of Portugal]] historically bestowed hereditary knighthoods to holders of the highest ranks in the Royal Orders. Today, the head of the Royal House of Portugal Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, bestows hereditary knighthoods for extraordinary acts of sacrifice and service to the Royal House. There are very few hereditary knights and they are entitled to wear an oval neck badge with the shield of the house of Braganza. As there are two classes of hereditary knights in Portugal, the highest grade is the hereditary knight with [[Collar (order)|grand collar]]. Portuguese hereditary knighthoods confer nobility.<ref name="Evaristo">{{cite web |last1=Evaristo |first1=Carlos |title=The Fons Honorum, Prerogatives and Privileges of the Portuguese House of Bragança |url=http://www.academiasanctiambrosii.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Fons-Honorum-Prerogatives-and-Priviliges-of-the-Portuguese-Royal-House-of-Bragan%C3%A7a-INGLESE.pdf |publisher=Real Academia Sancti Ambrosii Martyris |access-date=2 March 2024 |language=English}}</ref> 

In [[France]], the hereditary knighthood existed similarly throughout as a title of nobility, as well as in regions formerly under [[Holy Roman Empire]] control. One family ennobled with a title in such a manner is the [[house of Hauteclocque]] (by letters patents of 1752), even if its most recent members used a [[Black Nobility|pontifical title]] of count. In some other regions such as [[Normandy]], a specific type of [[fief]] was granted to the lower ranked knights ({{langx|fr|chevaliers}}) called the ''fief de haubert'', referring to the [[hauberk]], or chain mail shirt  worn almost daily by knights, as they would not only fight for their [[liege lords]], but enforce and carry out their orders on a routine basis as well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fief de haubert |url=https://medieval_terms.enacademic.com/1311/Fief_de_haubert |website=Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases |publisher=enacademic.com |access-date=January 2, 2020}}</ref> Later the term came to officially designate the higher rank of the [[French nobility|nobility]] in the [[Ancien Régime]] (the lower rank being Squire), as the romanticism and prestige associated with the term grew in the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

[[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Italy]] and [[Kingdom of Poland|Poland]] also had the hereditary knighthood that existed within their respective systems of nobility. Just as with the Royal House of Portugal, the Royal House of Italy - [[House of Savoy]], continue to confer their dynastic orders of chivalry on both Italian and non-Italian citizens, these dynastic orders include the; [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation]], [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]] and the [[Civil Order of Savoy]]. Additionally the Royal [[House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]] confers their dynastic orders of chivalry on both Italian and non-italian citizens, including the dynastic orders of; [[Order of Saint Januarius]], [[Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George]], and the [[Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit]].

====Ireland====
There are traces of the Continental system of hereditary knighthood in Ireland. Notably all three of the following belong to the [[Hiberno-Norman]] [[FitzGerald dynasty]], created by the [[Earls of Desmond]], acting as [[Earls Palatine]], for their kinsmen.
*[[Knight of Kerry]] or Green Knight (FitzGerald of Kerry) — the current holder is Sir [[Adrian FitzGerald]], 6th Baronet of Valencia, 24th Knight of Kerry. He is also a [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Knight of Malta]], and has served as President of the Irish Association of the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]].
*[[Knight of Glin]] or Black Knight (FitzGerald of Limerick) — now dormant.
*[[White Knight (Fitzgibbon family)|White Knight]] (''see [[Edmund Fitzgibbon]]'') — now dormant.

Another Irish family were the [[O'Shaughnessy]]s, who were created knights in 1553 under the policy of [[surrender and regrant]]<ref>[[John O'Donovan (scholar)|John O'Donovan]], "[http://www.libraryireland.com/articles/EarlsDesmondUJA6-1858/index.php The Descendants of the Last Earls of Desmond]", ''Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Volume 6''. 1858.</ref> (first established by [[Henry VIII of England]]). They were [[Attainder|attainted]] in 1697 for participation on the Jacobite side in the Williamite wars.<ref>''The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Kilmacduagh'' by Jerome Fahey 1893 p.326</ref>

====British baronetcies====
Since 1611, the British Crown has awarded a hereditary title in the form of the [[baronet]]cy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burke|first=Bernard & Ashworth Burke|title=General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire|year=1914|publisher=Burke's Peerage Limited|location=London|pages=7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pf8cAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR3|access-date=4 December 2011|quote=The hereditary Order of Baronets was erected by patent in England by King James I in 1611, extended to Ireland by the same Monarch in 1619, and first conferred in Scotland by King Charles I in 1625.}}</ref> Like knights, baronets are accorded the title ''Sir''. Baronets are not [[peers of the Realm]], and have never been entitled to sit in the [[House of Lords]], therefore like knights they remain [[commoners]] in the view of the British legal system. However, unlike knights, the title is hereditary and the recipient does not receive an accolade. The position is therefore more comparable with hereditary knighthoods in continental European orders of nobility, such as ''[[Ritter]]'', than with knighthoods under the British orders of chivalry. However, unlike the continental orders, the British baronetcy system was a modern invention, designed specifically to raise money for the Crown with the purchase of the title.

===Chivalric orders===
{{details|Chivalric order}}

==== Military orders ====
{{details|Military order (religious society)}}

*[[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] founded to provide military medical services in 1048<ref>{{Cite web |title=Order of Malta - History: 1048 to the present day |url=https://www.orderofmalta.int/history/1048-to-the-present-day/ |website=Order of Malta - History: 1048 to the present day}}</ref>
*[[Order of the Holy Sepulchre]], founded very shortly after the [[First Crusade]] in 1099<ref>{{Cite web |title=Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem |url=https://dioceseofvenice.org/offices/organizations/equestrian-order-of-the-holy-sepulchre-of-jerusalem/ |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Diocese of Venice |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Order of Saint Lazarus]] established to serve and protect lepers on/about 1100<ref>{{Cite web |title=(PDF) The Order of Saint Lazarus - Cartulary: Vol. I - 12th - 14th centuries |url=https://dokumen.tips/documents/the-order-of-saint-lazarus-cartulary-vol-i-12th-14th-centuries.html |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=dokumen.tips |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Knights Templar]], founded 1118, disbanded 1307<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fonnesberg-Schmidt |first=Iben |date=2008 |title=Review of Knighthoods of Christ: Essays on the History of the Crusades and the Knights Templar. Presented to Malcolm Barber |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20108644 |journal=The English Historical Review |volume=123 |issue=503 |pages=1007–1009 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cen218 |jstor=20108644 |issn=0013-8266}}</ref>
*[[Teutonic Knights]], established about 1190,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nikolaus |title=The chronicle of Prussia: a history of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, 1190-1331 |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge Taylor & Francis Group |others=Nikolaus |isbn=978-1-032-17986-5 |editor-last=Fischer |editor-first=Mary |edition=First issued in paperback |location=London New York}}</ref> and ruled the [[Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights]] in [[Prussia]] until 1525<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Musiaka |first=Łukasz |date=2014 |title=Teutonic State Order's Cultural Heritage in Towns of Warmia-Masuria Province in Poland |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.17846/gi.2014.18.2.138-146 |journal=Geografické informácie |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=138–146 |doi=10.17846/gi.2014.18.2.138-146 |issn=1337-9453|hdl=11089/12551 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
Other orders were established in the [[Iberian peninsula]], under the influence of the orders in the Holy Land and the Crusader movement of the [[Reconquista]] and generally aligned with geographical area, for example:
{{Main|Spanish military orders}}

*[[Order of Aviz]], established in [[Avis (Portugal)|Avis]] (Portugal) in 1143<ref name="Anderson-2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=R. Warren |last2=Hull |first2=Brooks B. |date=2017 |title=Religion, Warrior Elites, and Property Rights |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1970260646 |journal=Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion |volume=13 |issue=5 |id={{ProQuest|1970260646}} |via=Proquest}}</ref>
*[[Order of Alcántara]], established in [[Alcántara]] (Spain) in 1156<ref name="Anderson-2017" />
*[[Order of Calatrava]], established in [[Calatrava la Vieja|Calatrava]] (Spain) in 1158<ref name="Anderson-2017" />
*[[Order of Santiago]], established in [[Santiago de Compostela|Santiago]] (Spain) in 1164.<ref name="Anderson-2017" />

====Honorific orders of knighthood====
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2021}}
[[File:Andrea del Castagno 004.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pippo Spano]], the member of the [[Order of the Dragon]]]]
After the [[Crusades]], the military orders became idealized and romanticized, resulting in the late medieval notion of [[chivalry]], as reflected in the [[chivalric romances]] of the time. The creation of chivalric orders was fashionable among the nobility in the 14th and 15th centuries, and this is still reflected in contemporary honours systems, including the term ''[[order (distinction)|order]]'' itself. Examples of notable orders of chivalry are:
* the [[Order of Saint George (Kingdom of Hungary)|Order of Saint George]], founded by [[Charles&nbsp;I of Hungary]] in 1326<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veszprémy |first=László |date=2023-08-19 |title=The Order of Saint George — The Oldest Secular Knightly Order in Hungary {{!}} Hungarian Conservative |url=https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/culture_society/order_saint-george_oldest-secular-knightly-order_angevin_kings_hungary/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=www.hungarianconservative.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
* the [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Order of the Most Holy Annunciation]], founded by Count [[Amadeus&nbsp;VI]] in 1362<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation |url=https://www.savoydelegation-usa.org/supreme-order-of-the-most-holy-annunciation.html |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=American Delegation of Savoy Orders |language=en}}</ref>
* the [[Order of the Garter]], founded by [[Edward&nbsp;III of England]] in 1348<ref>{{cite web |title=The Order of the Garter |url=https://www.royal.uk/the-order-of-the-garter |publisher=British Royal Family |access-date=30 November 2023}}</ref>
* the [[Order of the Dragon]], founded by King [[Sigismund of Luxemburg]] in 1408<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veszprémy |first=László |date=2023-04-18 |title=Political Networking in the Middle Ages: The Order of the Dragon {{!}} Hungarian Conservative |url=https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/culture_society/king_sigismund_order_of_the_dragon_diplomacy_strategy_networking/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=www.hungarianconservative.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
* the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]], founded by [[Philip&nbsp;III, Duke of Burgundy]] in 1430<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-18 |title=The Order of the Golden Fleece {{!}} Philip the Good, Burgundy, Charles V {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Order-of-the-Golden-Fleece |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
* the [[Order of Saint Michael]], founded by [[Louis&nbsp;XI of France]] in 1469<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-22 |title=Louis XI {{!}} King of France, Valois Dynasty, Reformer {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-XI |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
* the [[Order of the Thistle]], founded by King James&nbsp;VII of Scotland (also known as [[James&nbsp;II of England]]) in 1687<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-11 |title=The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle {{!}} British Peerage, History & Significance {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Most-Ancient-and-Most-Noble-Order-of-the-Thistle |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
* the [[Order of the Elephant]], which may have been first founded by [[Christian&nbsp;I of Denmark]], but was founded in its current form by [[Christian V of Denmark|King Christian&nbsp;V]] in 1693<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE HISTORY BEHIND THE ORDER OF THE ELEPHANT |url=https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/menu/news/the-history-behind-the-order-of-the-elephant |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=www.kongehuset.dk}}</ref>
* the [[Order of the Bath]], founded by [[George I of Great Britain|George&nbsp;I]] in 1725<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Most Honourable Order of the Bath {{!}} History, Ranks & Recipients {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Most-Honourable-Order-of-the-Bath |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Order of the Bath |url=https://www.royal.uk/the-order-of-the-bath#:~:text=The%20title%20of%20the%20Order,up%20to%20women%20in%201971. |access-date=April 13, 2024 |website=www.royal.uk}}</ref>

[[File:Admiral_Drake_knighted_by_Queen_Elizabeth%27_(Sir_Francis_Drake)_from_NPG.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.15|[[Francis Drake]] (left) being knighted by Queen [[Elizabeth&nbsp;I]] in 1581. The recipient is tapped on each shoulder with a sword.]]
From roughly 1560, purely honorific orders were established, as a way to confer prestige and distinction, unrelated to military service and chivalry in the more narrow sense. Such orders were particularly popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, and knighthood continues to be conferred in various countries:

* The [[United Kingdom]] using the [[British honours system]] and some [[Commonwealth of Nations]] countries such as [[New Zealand]];
* Some [[Europe]]an countries, such as The [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]] and [[Spain]] among others {{see below}}. The [[Order of Charles III]], the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]], and the [[Order of Civil Merit]] are Spain's highest civil honours.
* The [[Holy See]] implementing the [[Papal Orders of Chivalry]].

There are other [[monarchy|monarchies]] and also [[republic]]s that also follow this practice. Modern knighthoods are typically conferred in recognition for services rendered to society, which are not necessarily martial in nature. The British musician [[Elton John]], for example, is a [[Knight Bachelor]], thus entitled to be called Sir Elton. The female equivalent is a ''[[Dame (title)|Dame]]'', for example Dame [[Julie Andrews]].

In the [[United Kingdom]], honorific knighthood may be conferred in two different ways:

*The first is by membership of one of the ''pure'' [[orders of chivalry]] such as the [[Order of the Garter]], the [[Order of the Thistle]] and the dormant [[Order of Saint Patrick]], of which all members are knighted. In addition, many British [[orders of merit]], namely the [[Order of the Bath]], the [[Order of St Michael and St George]], the [[Royal Victorian Order]] and the [[Order of the British Empire]] are part of the [[British honours system]], and the award of their highest ranks (Knight/Dame Commander and Knight/Dame Grand Cross), comes together with an honorific knighthood, making them a cross between orders of chivalry and orders of merit. By contrast, membership of other British orders of merit, such as the [[Distinguished Service Order]], the [[Order of Merit]] and the [[Order of the Companions of Honour]] does not confer a knighthood.
*The second is being granted honorific knighthood by the British sovereign without membership of an order, the recipient being called [[Knight Bachelor]].

In the British honours system the knightly style of ''Sir'' and its female equivalent ''Dame'' are followed by the [[given name]] only when addressing the holder. Thus, [[Elton John|Sir Elton John]] should be addressed as ''Sir Elton'', not ''Sir John'' or ''Mr John''. Similarly, actress [[Judi Dench|Dame Judi Dench]] should be addressed as ''Dame Judi'', not ''Dame Dench'' or ''Ms Dench''.

Wives of knights, however, are entitled to the honorific pre-nominal "Lady" before their husband's surname. Thus [[Paul McCartney|Sir Paul McCartney]]'s ex-wife was formally styled ''Lady McCartney'' (rather than ''Lady Paul McCartney'' or ''Lady Heather McCartney''). The style ''Dame Heather McCartney'' could be used for the wife of a knight; however, this style is largely archaic and is only used in the most formal of documents, or where the wife is a Dame in her own right (such as Dame [[Norma Major]], who gained her title six years before her husband Sir [[John Major]] was knighted). The husbands of Dames have no honorific pre-nominal, so Dame Norma's husband remained John Major until he received his own knighthood.

Up until 1965 it was not permitted to use these titles until after the knight concerned had received the [[accolade]]; but in that year the prohibition was lifted, and it is now permitted to use the titles immediately, from the time the award is [[gazetted]].<ref name="Galloway1996" />

[[File:Crécy - Grandes Chroniques de France.jpg|thumb|The English fighting the French knights at the [[Battle of Crécy]] in 1346]] 
With the award of a KCVO to the Rt Rev. [[Randall Davidson]] in 1902,<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27467/page/5461 The London Gazette, Issue 27467, Page 5461, 22 August 1902]</ref> the custom was established whereby a [[Anglican ministry|clerk in holy orders]] in the [[Church of England]], on being appointed to a degree of knighthood, does not received the accolade.<ref name="Galloway1996">{{cite book |editor1-last=Galloway |editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Stanley |editor2-first=David |editor3-last=Martin |editor3-first=Stanley |title=Royal Service (Volume I) |date=1996 |publisher=Victorian Publishing |location=London |page=22}}</ref> He receives the insignia of his honour and may place the appropriate letters after his name or title but he may not be called Sir<ref name="indyobit" /> and his wife may not be called Lady. This custom is not observed in Australia and New Zealand, where knighted Anglican clergymen routinely use the title "Sir". [[Clergy|Ministers]] of other Christian Churches are entitled to receive the accolade. For example, [[Norman Gilroy|Sir Norman Cardinal Gilroy]] did receive the accolade on his appointment as [[Order of the British Empire|Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] in 1969. A knight who is subsequently ordained does not lose his title. A famous example of this situation was [[Derek Pattinson|The Revd Sir Derek Pattinson]], who was ordained just a year after he was appointed [[Knight Bachelor]], apparently somewhat to the consternation of officials at Buckingham Palace.<ref name="indyobit">{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1879386.ece |title=Michael De-La-Noy, obituary in |work=The Independent |date=2006-10-17 |access-date=2009-11-19 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123110436/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1879386.ece |archive-date=2007-11-23 }}</ref> A woman clerk in holy orders may be made a Dame in exactly the same way as any other woman since there are no military connotations attached to the honour. A clerk in holy orders who is a [[baronet]] is entitled to use the title Sir.

Outside the British honours system it is usually considered improper to address a knighted person as 'Sir' or 'Dame' (notable exceptions are members of the [[Order of the Knights of Rizal]] in the [[Republic of the Philippines]].) Some countries, however, historically {{em|did}} have equivalent honorifics for knights, such as [[Cavaliere]] in [[Italy]] (e.g. ''Cavaliere'' [[Benito Mussolini]]), and [[Ritter]] in [[Germany]] and the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] (e.g. [[Georg von Trapp|Georg ''Ritter von Trapp'']]).

[[File:Battle of Montiel.jpg|thumb|right|Miniature from [[Jean Froissart]] ''[[Froissart's Chronicles|Chronicles]]'' depicting the [[Battle of Montiel]] (Castilian Civil War, in the [[Hundred Years' War]])]]
State knighthoods in the Netherlands are issued in three orders: the [[Order of William]], the [[Order of the Netherlands Lion]], and the [[Order of Orange Nassau]]. Additionally there remain a few hereditary knights in the Netherlands.

In [[Belgium]], honorific knighthood (not hereditary) can be conferred by the king on particularly meritorious individuals such as scientists or eminent businessmen, or for instance to [[astronaut]] [[Frank De Winne]], the second Belgian in space. This practice is similar to the conferral of the dignity of [[Knight Bachelor]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. In addition, there still are a number of hereditary knights in Belgium {{see below}}.

In [[France]] and Belgium, one of the ranks conferred in some [[orders of merit]], such as the [[Légion d'Honneur]], the [[Ordre National du Mérite]], the [[Ordre des Palmes académiques]] and the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] in France, and the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]], [[Order of the Crown (Belgium)|Order of the Crown]] and [[Order of Leopold&nbsp;II]] in Belgium, is that of ''Chevalier'' (in French) or ''Ridder'' (in Dutch), meaning Knight.

In the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] the monarchs tried to establish chivalric orders, but the hereditary lords who controlled the Union did not agree and managed to ban such assemblies. They feared the king would use orders to gain support for absolutist goals and to make formal distinctions among the peerage, which could lead to its legal breakup into two separate classes, and that the king would later play one against the other and eventually limit the legal privileges of hereditary nobility. But finally in 1705 King {{nowrap|August II}} managed to establish the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] which remains Poland's most prestigious order of that kind. The head of state (now the President as the acting Grand Master) confers knighthoods of the order to distinguished citizens, foreign monarchs and other heads of state. The order has its chapter. There were no particular honorifics that would accompany a knight's name, as historically all (or at least by far most) of its members would be royals or hereditary lords anyway. So today, a knight is simply referred to as "Name Surname, knight of the White Eagle (Order)".

In [[Nigeria]], holders of religious [[Order (distinction)|honours]] like the [[Knighthood of St. Gregory]] make use of the word ''Sir'' as a pre-nominal honorific in much the same way as it is used for secular purposes in Britain and the Philippines. Wives of such individuals also typically assume the title of Lady.

====Women====
=====England and the United Kingdom=====
Women were appointed to the [[Order of the Garter]] almost from the start. In all, 68 women were appointed between 1358 and 1488, including all consorts. Though many were women of royal blood, or wives of knights of the Garter, some women were neither. They wore the garter on the left arm, and some are shown on their tombstones with this arrangement. After 1488, no other appointments of women are known, although it is said that the Garter was conferred upon Neapolitan poet Laura Bacio Terricina, by [[Edward VI of England|King Edward VI]]. In 1638, a proposal was made to revive the use of robes for the wives of knights in ceremonies, but this did not occur. [[List of British consorts|Queens consort]] have been made [[List of Knights and Ladies of the Garter|Ladies of the Garter]] since 1901 ([[Alexandra of Denmark|Queens Alexandra]] in 1901,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 27284|date= 13 February 1901|page=1139|supp=y }}</ref> [[Mary of Teck|Mary]] in 1910 and [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Elizabeth]] in 1937). The first non-royal woman to be made Lady Companion of the Garter was [[Lavinia Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk|The Duchess of Norfolk]] in 1990,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 52120|date= 24 April 1990|page=8251}}</ref> the second was [[Margaret Thatcher|The Baroness Thatcher]] in 1995<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 54017|date= 25 April 1995|page=6023}}</ref> (post-nominal: LG). On 30 November 1996, [[Marion Fraser|Lady Fraser]] was made [[List of Knights and Ladies of the Thistle|Lady of the Thistle]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 54597|date= 3 December 1996|page=15995}}</ref> the first non-royal woman (post-nominal: LT). (See Edmund Fellowes, ''Knights of the Garter'', 1939; and Beltz: ''Memorials of the Order of the Garter''). The first woman to be granted a knighthood in modern Britain seems to have been Nawab Sikandar Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Bhopal, who became a Knight Grand Commander of the [[Order of the Star of India]] (GCSI) in 1861, at the foundation of the order. Her daughter received the same honor in 1872, as well as her granddaughter in 1910. The order was open to "princes and chiefs" without distinction of gender. The first European woman to have been granted an order of knighthood was Queen Mary, when she was made a Knight Grand Commander of the same order, by special statute, in celebration of the Delhi Durbar of 1911.<ref>Biddle, Daniel A. ''Knights of Christ : Living today with the Virtues of Ancient Knighthood'' (Kindle Edition). West Bow Press. (May 22, 2012). p.xxx. ASIN: B00A4Z2FUY</ref> She was also granted a [[Dame (title)|damehood]] in 1917 as a [[Grand Cross|Dame Grand Cross]], when the [[Order of the British Empire]] was created<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 30250|date= 24 August 1917|page=8794|supp=y }}</ref> (it was the first order explicitly open to women). The Royal Victorian Order was opened to women in 1936, and the [[Order of the Bath|Orders of the Bath]] and [[Order of St Michael and St George|Saint Michael and Saint George]] in 1965 and 1971 respectively.<ref name="heraldica1">{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/wom-kn.htm |title=Women Knights |publisher=Heraldica.org |access-date=2011-08-23}}</ref>

=====France=====
Medieval French had two words, chevaleresse and chevalière, which were used in two ways: one was for the wife of a knight, and this usage goes back to the 14th century. The other was possibly for a female knight. Here is a quote from [[Claude-François Ménestrier|Ménestrier]], a 17th-century writer on chivalry: {{quote|It was not always necessary to be the wife of a knight in order to take this title. Sometimes, when some male fiefs were conceded by special privilege to women, they took the rank of chevaleresse, as one sees plainly in Hemricourt where women who were not wives of knights are called chevaleresses.}}Modern French orders of knighthood include women, for example the Légion d'Honneur ([[Legion of Honor]]) since the mid-19th century, but they are usually called chevaliers. The first documented case is that of [[Angélique Brûlon]] (1772–1859), who fought in the Revolutionary Wars, received a military disability pension in 1798, the rank of 2nd lieutenant in 1822, and the Legion of Honor in 1852. A recipient of the Ordre National du Mérite recently requested from the order's Chancery the permission to call herself "chevalière," and the request was granted.<ref name="heraldica1"/>

=====Italy=====
As related in ''Orders of Knighthood, Awards and the Holy See'' by H. E. Cardinale (1983), the [[Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary]] was founded by two Bolognese nobles [[Loderingo degli Andalò]] and Catalano di Guido in 1233, and approved by [[Pope Alexander IV]] in 1261. It was the first religious order of knighthood to grant the rank of militissa to women. However, this order was suppressed by [[Pope Sixtus V]] in 1558.<ref name="heraldica1"/>

=====The Low Countries=====
At the initiative of Catherine Baw in 1441, and 10 years later of Elizabeth, Mary, and Isabella of the house of Hornes, orders were founded which were open exclusively to women of noble birth, who received the French title of chevalière or the Latin title of equitissa. In his Glossarium (s.v. militissa), Du Cange notes that still in his day (17th century), the female canons of the canonical monastery of St. Gertrude in Nivelles (Brabant), after a probation of 3 years, are made knights (militissae) at the altar, by a (male) knight called in for that purpose, who gives them the accolade with a sword and pronounces the usual words.<ref name="heraldica1"/>

=====Spain=====
[[File:Cantigas battle.jpg|thumb|A battle of the ''[[Reconquista]]'' from the ''[[Cantigas de Santa Maria]]'']]
To honour those women who defended [[Tortosa]] against an attack by the [[Moors]], [[Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona]], created the Order of the Hatchet ("''Orde de la Atxa" in [[Catalan language|catalan]]'') in 1149.<ref name="heraldica1"/>

{{Blockquote|The inhabitants [of Tortosa] being at length reduced to great streights, desired relief of the Earl, but he, being not in a condition to give them any, they entertained some thoughts of making a surrender. Which the Women hearing of, to prevent the disaster threatening their City, themselves, and Children, put on men's Clothes, and by a resolute sally, forced the Moors to raise the Siege. The Earl, finding himself obliged, by the gallentry of the action, thought fit to make his acknowlegements thereof, by granting them several Privileges and Immunities, and to perpetuate the memory of so signal an attempt, instituted an Order, somewhat like a Military Order, into which were admitted only those Brave Women, deriving the honour to their Descendants, and assigned them for a Badge, a thing like a Fryars Capouche, sharp at the top, after the form of a Torch, and of a crimson colour, to be worn upon their Head-clothes. He also ordained, that at all publick meetings, the women should have precedence of the Men. That they should be exempted from all Taxes, and that all the Apparel and Jewels, though of never so great value, left by their dead Husbands, should be their own. These Women having thus acquired this Honour by their personal Valour, carried themselves after the Military Knights of those days.|[[Elias Ashmole]]|The Institution, Laws, and Ceremony of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (1672), Ch. 3, sect. 3}}

==Notable knights==
[[File:Temple church 905.jpg|thumb|upright|Tomb effigy of [[William Marshal]] in [[Temple Church]], London]]
[[File:Scibor.jpg|thumb|upright|Late painting of [[Stibor of Stiboricz]]]]

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Adrian von Bubenberg]]
* [[Andrew Moray]]
* [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem|Baldwin of Boulogne]]
* [[Balian of Ibelin]]
* [[Bertrand du Guesclin]]
* [[Bohemond I of Antioch]]
* [[El Cid]]
* [[Francis Drake]]
* [[Francisco Pizarro]]
* [[Franz von Sickingen]]
* [[Blessed Gerard|Gerard Thom]]
* [[Geoffroi de Charny]]
* [[Geoffroy IV de la Tour Landry]]
* [[Gilles de Rais]]
* [[Godfrey of Bouillon]]
* [[Götz von Berlichingen]]
* [[Guy de Lusignan]]
* [[Henry Percy (Hotspur)]]
* [[Heinrich von Bülow (Grotekop)]]
* [[Heinrich von Winkelried]]
* [[Hernán Cortés]]
* [[Hugues de Payens]]
* [[Jean III d'Aa of Gruuthuse]]
* [[Jean Le Maingre]]
* [[Joanot Martorell]]
* [[John Hawkwood]]
* [[Oswald von Wolkenstein]]
* [[Philip Riedesel zu Camberg]]
* [[Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard]]
* [[Raymond IV of Toulouse]]
* [[Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk|Roger Bigod]]
* [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Roger Mortimer]]
* [[Roger of Lauria]]
* [[Saint George]]
* [[Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort, the Elder]]
* [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon V de Montfort]]
* [[Stefan Lazarević]]
* [[Stibor of Stiboricz]]
* [[Suero de Quiñones]]
* [[Vincenzo Anastagi]]
* [[William Clito]]
* [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|William Marshal]]
* [[William Wallace]]
* [[Zawisza Czarny]]
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Commons category|Knights}}
{{wiktionary}}
{{div col |colwidth=25em}}
* [[Accolade]]
* ''[[Auxilium ad filium militem faciendum et filiam maritandam]]''
* [[Chivalric orders]]
* [[Christian state]]
* [[Christian nationalism]]
* [[Military order (religious society)]]
* [[Spanish military orders]]
* [[Destrier]]
* [[Heavy cavalry]]
* [[Knightly virtues]]
* [[Knights of Alleberg]]
* [[Knight-errant]]
* [[Knight banneret]]
* [[Knight bachelor]]
* [[Black knight]]
* [[Imperial Knight]]
* [[Medieval warfare]]
* [[Nobility]]
* [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom]]
* [[Papal Orders of Chivalry]]
{{div col end}}

=== Counterparts in other cultures ===
{{div col |colwidth=10em}}
* [[Aswaran]]
* [[Baghatur]]
* [[Boyar]]
* [[Cataphract]]
* [[Condottieri]]
* [[Conquistador]]
* [[Eagle warrior]]
* [[Equites]]
* [[Eso Ikoyi]]
* [[Furusiyya]]
* [[Housecarl]]
* [[Hwarang]]
* [[Janissaries]]
* [[Juramentado]]
* [[Khalsa]]
* [[Kshatriya]]
* [[Kheshig]]
* [[Legion of Honour]]
* [[Maharlika]]
* [[Maccabees]]
* [[Medjay]]
* [[Mujahideen]]
* [[Royal Burmese Armed Forces|Myinsi]]
* [[Pasha]]
* [[Praetorian Guard]]
* [[Rajput]]
* [[Samurai]]
* [[Shi (class)|Shi]]
* [[Sipahi]]
* [[Timawa]]
* [[Youxia]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* Arnold, Benjamin. ''German Knighthood, 1050-1300''. Oxford: [[Clarendon Press]], 1985. {{ISBN|0-19-821960-1}} {{LCCN|85235009}}
* Bloch, Marc. ''Feudal Society'', 2nd ed. Translated by Manyon. London: Routledge & Keagn Paul, 1965.
* Bluth, B. J. ''Marching with Sharpe''. London: Collins, 2001. {{ISBN|0-00-414537-2}}
* Boulton, D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre. ''The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe, 1325–1520''. 2d revised ed. Woodbridge, UK: [[Boydell Press]], 2000. {{ISBN|0-85115-795-5}}
* Bull, Stephen. ''An Historical Guide to Arms and Armour''. London: Studio Editions, 1991. {{ISBN|1-85170-723-9}}
* Carey, Brian Todd; Allfree, Joshua B; Cairns, John. ''Warfare in the Medieval World'', UK: Pen & Sword Military, June 2006. {{ISBN|1-84415-339-8}}
* Church, S. and Harvey, R. (Eds.) (1994) Medieval knighthood V: papers from the sixth Strawberry Hill Conference 1994. Boydell Press, Woodbridge
* {{cite book |last=Clark|first= Hugh |title=A Concise History of Knighthood: Containing the Religious and Military Orders which have been Instituted in Europe|location= London|year= 1784 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJsOAAAAQAAJ }}
* Edge, David; John Miles Paddock (1988) ''Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight''. Greenwich, CT: Bison Books Corp. {{ISBN|0-517-10319-2}}
* Edwards, J. C. "What Earthly Reason? The replacement of the longbow by handguns." ''Medieval History Magazine'', Is. 7, March 2004.
* Embleton, Gerry. ''Medieval Military Costume''. UK: Crowood Press, 2001. {{ISBN|1-86126-371-6}}
* Forey, Alan John. ''The Military Orders: From the Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Centuries''. Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Macmillan Education, 1992. {{ISBN|0-333-46234-3}}
* Hare, Christopher. ''[https://openlibrary.org/details/courtscampsofita00hareuoft Courts & camps of the Italian renaissance]''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1908. {{LCCN|08031670}}
* Kaeuper, Richard and Kennedy, Elspeth ''The Book of Chivalry of Geoffrey De Charny : Text, Context, and Translation.'' 1996.
* Keen, Maurice. ''Chivalry''. Yale University Press, 2005.
* Laing, Lloyd and Jennifer Laing. ''Medieval Britain: The Age of Chivalry''. New York: [[St. Martin's Press]], 1996. {{ISBN|0-312-16278-2}}
* [[Ewart Oakeshott|Oakeshott, Ewart]]. ''A Knight and his Horse'', 2nd ed. Chester Springs, PA: Dufour Editions, 1998. {{ISBN|0-8023-1297-7}} {{LCCN|98032049}}
* Robards, Brooks. ''The Medieval Knight at War''. London: Tiger Books, 1997. {{ISBN|1-85501-919-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Shaw|first= William A. |author-link=William Arthur Shaw |url=https://openlibrary.org/details/knightsofengland01shawuoft |title=The Knights of England: A Complete Record from the Earliest Time|location= London |publisher=Central Chancery|year= 1906}} (Republished Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1970). {{ISBN|0-8063-0443-X}} {{LCCN|74129966}}
* Williams, Alan. "The Metallurgy of Medieval Arms and Armour", in ''Companion to Medieval Arms and Armour''. [[David Nicolle|Nicolle, David]], ed. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press, 2002. {{ISBN|0-85115-872-2}} {{LCCN|2002003680}}
{{div col end}}{{British nobility}}{{Social class}}
{{Orders}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Knights| ]]
[[Category:Titles]]