During the Crusades the first orders of knights came into being: the Hospitallers of St. Knights dubbed at Christ’s tomb were known as knights of the Holy Sepulchre. The nearest that the ideal ever came to realization, however, was in the Crusades, which, from the end of the 11th century, brought the knights of Christian Europe together in a common enterprise under the auspices of the church. About.Īs knighthood evolved, a Christian ideal of knightly behaviour came to be accepted, involving respect for the church, protection of the poor and the weak, loyalty to one’s feudal or military superiors, and preservation of personal honour. If sources can be trusted, the Franks still fought mainly on foot when they defeated the Moors at Poitiers in 732 ad. A common element, however, was the use of the flat of a sword blade for a touch on the shoulder-i.e., the accolade of knighthood as it survives in modern times. The ceremonial of dubbing varied considerably: it might be highly elaborate on a great feast day or on a royal occasion or it could be simply performed on the battlefield and the dubbing knight might use any appropriate formula that he liked. When he was adjudged proficient and the money was forthcoming for the purchase of his knightly equipment, he would be dubbed knight. During this period of his apprenticeship he would be known as a damoiseau (literally “lordling”), or varlet, or valet (German: Knappe), until he followed his patron on a campaign as his shield bearer, écuyer, or esquire, or as the bearer of his weapons (armiger). A youth destined for the profession of arms might from the age of 7 or so serve his father as a page before joining the household of his father’s suzerain, perhaps at the age of 12, for more advanced instruction not only in military subjects but also in the ways of the world. ( See also knight service.) The process of entering knighthood often became formalized.
The first medieval knights were professional cavalry warriors, some of whom were vassals holding lands as fiefs from the lords in whose armies they served, while others were not enfeoffed with land.
SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.
Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them!