![]() Knighthood as known in Europe was characterized by the combination of two elements, feudalism and service as a mounted warrior. In Ancient Rome there was a knightly class Ordo Equestris (order of mounted nobles) from which European knighthood may have been derived. the period between childhood and manhood) by 1300. Old English cnihth ("knighthood") had the meaning of adolescence (i.e. A kniht (meaning "riding-servant") was a servant delivering messages or patrolling coastlines on horseback. Anglo-Saxon cniht had no particular connection to horsemanship, referring to any servant. This meaning, of unknown origin, is common among West Germanic languages (cf: Old Frisian kniucht, Dutch knecht, Danish knigt, Swedish knekt, Norwegian knekt, Middle High German kneht, all meaning "boy, youth, lad", as well as German Knecht "servant, bondsman, vassal"). The word knight, from Old English cniht ("boy" or "servant"), is a cognate of the German word Knecht ("servant, bondsman"). The special prestige given to mounted warriors finds a parallel in the furusiyya in the Muslim world, and the Greek hippeus and the Roman eques of Classical Antiquity. This linkage is reflected in the etymology of chivalry, cavalier and related terms (see Etymology section below). Knighthood in the Middle Ages was closely linked with horsemanship (and especially the joust) from its origins in the 12th century until its final flowering as a fashion among the high nobility in the Duchy of Burgundy in the 15th century. Each of these orders has its own criteria for eligibility, but knighthood is generally granted by a head of state to selected persons to recognise some meritorious achievement. Today, a number of orders of knighthood continue to exist in several countries, such as the English Order of the Garter, the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim, and the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Some orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar, have become the subject of legend others have disappeared into obscurity. In the late medieval period, new methods of warfare began to render classical knights in armour obsolete, but the titles remained in many nations. This novel explored the ideals of knighthood and their incongruity with the reality of Cervantes' world. Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur ("The Death of Arthur"), written in 1485, was important in defining the 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.ĭuring the Renaissance, the genre of chivalric romance became popular in literature, growing ever more idealistic and eventually giving rise to a new form of realism in literature popularised by Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote. ![]() ![]() Historically, the ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature, especially the Matter of Britain and Matter of France, the former based on Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain"), written in the 1130s. Since the Early Modern period, the title of knight is purely honorific, usually bestowed by a monarch, as in the British honours system, often for non-military service to the country. By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior. Historically, in Europe, knighthood has been conferred upon mounted warriors.ĭuring the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. The mission is to help form a foundation of such membership and understanding of the family lines source for below:Ī knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a monarch or other political leader for service to the monarch or country, especially in a military capacity. This project is a beginning introduction study of knights in genealogy.
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