Knight

:For the chess piece, see knight (chess).

History

The word knight derives from Old English cniht, meaning page boy, or servant (as is still the case in the cognate Dutch and German knecht), or simply boy. Knighthood, as Old English cnihthad, had the meaning of adolescence, i.e. the period between childhood and manhood. The sense of (adult) follower of a king or other superior dates to ca. 1100. During the 13th century, the concept became tied to cavalry, mounted and armoured soldiers, and thus to the Roman equites (see esquire). Because of the cost of equipping oneself in the cavalry, the term became associated with wealth and social status, and eventually knighthood became a formal title. The verb "to knight", i.e. to bestow knighthood, dates to that time (late 13th century). From the time of Henry III, a knight bachelor was a member of of the lower nobility, preceded by the knight banneret, a "full" knight who could lead a company under his own banner, in turn ranking below a baron. The concept, together with the notion of chivalry came to full bloom during the Hundred Years' War. During the same period, however, the importance of heavy cavalry was rendered obsolete by improved pikemen tactics (a bitter lesson for the nobility, learned throughout the 14th century at battles like those of Crécy, Bannockburn and Laupen), so that during the 14th century, the notion of chivalry became a nostalgic reconstruction almost as soon as it came into fashion. The "knights in shining armour" (the phrase dates to 1965) of the 15th and 16th centuries, by now in full plate armour, were mostly confined to the jousting grounds, and the romantic Pas d'Armes. The chess piece was named in this period, around 1440. Via the transitional Cuirassiers of the 16th century, cavalry resurfaced once again in light, unarmoured form, in the 17th century, but by now useless for attacking entrenched infantry, and not any longer associated with knighthood.

Related Topics:
Old English - Page boy - Servant - Dutch - German - Old English - Adolescence - 1100 - 13th century - Cavalry - Armour - Soldier - Roman - Equites - Esquire - Henry III - Knight bachelor - Knight banneret - Baron - Chivalry - Hundred Years' War - Pikemen - Crécy - Bannockburn - Laupen - 1965 - Plate armour - Jousting - Pas d'Armes - Chess piece - 1440 - Cuirassier

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Knighthood as a purely formal title bestowed by the British monarch unrelated to military service was established in the 16th century.

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