(Fr. Chevalier, It. Cavaliere, Sp. Caballero, Port. Cavaleiro, Ger. Ritter, Russ. Rycer, Lat. Eques)
A knight is a member of a chivalric or equestrian order, both of which terms being derived from the Latin (eques) and Romance (chevalier) word for horseman. Ritter, a horseman, is also the German word for knight. The origin of knighthood in fact may be traced as far back as Ancient Rome, more specifically to the class of Equites or Cavalry . With the advent of Christianity, the knight became a champion of the poor and oppressed and, as knight -errant, set out to right wrongs and offer protection to the Church and its members. Orders of chivalry were formed for specific Christian purposes, notably the Knights of St John or Knights Hospitaller, who provided a hospital in Jerusalem to cater for the needs of pilgrims to the Holy Land and the Knights Templar, whose mission was to protect the temple in Jerusalem. Whereas the latter was suppressed in 1312, the former grew in stature and power to the extent that the Grandmaster was considered a sovereign in his own right during the Order's apogee in Malta.
The fons honorum or source of knighthood is the head of a monarchic state, be it king, queen, pope or grandmaster and, in modern times, only orders of chivalry created or upheld by the relevant fons honorum are regarded as legitimate. In the middle ages, however, the rulers of sovereign states headed by princes, dukes, etc. such as Lombardy and Ferrara in Italy, and Burgundy in France also possessed the fons honorum to create their own orders of chivalry.
Most Orders of knighthood are hierarchic in form headed by the Grandmaster and generally followed by Bailiffs, Grand Crosses, Commanders and various ranks of knights and dames, as well as non-chivalric members such as squires and donats. Instances of hereditary knights may also encountered, such as the Hereditary Commanders created by Emperor Paul I of Russia when Grandmaster of the Order of St John (1997-1801).
In the United Kingdom, the dignity of knighthood may be conferred only by the sovereign, entitling the holder to the title of Sir prefixed to his name. Unlike a baronet, however, the dignity is not hereditary. The wife of a knight is legally entitled to the designation of dame, but by common usage is addressed as Lady.
This title, the value of which is not so great now as it has been at other times, was formerly the next step below the peerage, and is now the lowest honour which the king confers as reward for services performed. The origin of the word knight, in fact, is the German knecht, which signifies a servant and is also used for a soldier or man of war. The only instance of the use of the word in its first signification is in the expression knight of the shire, where knight meant a person chosen to serve in parliament for some county.
Knights were formerly of two kinds, knights banneret and knights bachelor. The name of banneret is most probably derived from banner, a square flag. In Latin writings, milites vexilliferi and vexillarii are used as synonymous with bannerarii, bannarii, banderisii, and banerisi. Spelman says that the jus vexilli, or privilege of the square flag, properly belongs to a baron only, and that a banneret is therefore sometimes called vexillarius minor, and occupies a middle rank between the baron and simple knight: this seems to coincide with the opinion of those who believe the name to have been first given to such as had some portion of a barony assigned them, with the same prerogative as the baron himself. In all disputed subjects, every author will maintain that view of the case to which his prejudices incline him, and thus some authors attribute the origin of bannerets to France, others to England; the name does not occur in either country till about the time of Edward I.
Some sources claim that the origin of banneret can be traced to AD 383 when Conan, the Lieutenant of Maximus, who commanded the Roman legions in Britain under Gratian, revolted. He divided England into forty cantons, and in these cantons distributed forty knights, to whom he gave a power of assembling, on occasion, under their several banners, as many of the effective men as were found in their districts.
Whatever the general qualifications for the distinction and however it arose, the established form in which it appears, on the best historical testimony, is as a military honour, which was always conferred on the field of battle in the following manner. The person to be thus rewarded presented his flag to the king or general, who received it, and having the train or skirt of it cut off, returned it to its owner square, in which form it was the badge of his new dignity. The title gave a right to bear supporters, and as a badge to distinguish them, their arms were emblazoned on a banner placed in the paws of the supporters. In England the title lasted only during the lifetime of the first owner, but in France it was hereditary.
After the establishment of the title of baronet by James I, the distinction of knights banneret became of less importance, for there was too much resemblance in the degree of honour conferred by the two to render both necessary. The last person on whom the title of banneret was conferred in keeping with the ancient custom, was Sir John Smith, as a reward for recovering the royal standard, after the battle of Edgehill. Something like a restoration of the rank, though not on the battlefield, took place in 1773 at a naval review at Portsmouth, when George III conferred, under the royal standard, the title of knights banneret on two admirals and three captains. The order is now extinct.
Knight Bachelor was the lowest rank of knights when the title banneret was in existence, and the word bachelor is said to be formed from bas chevalier. It is now applied to a knight who does not belong to a particular order of chivalry. Formerly a Bacheloralso meant a knight without a sufficient number of vassals to have his banner carried before him in battle.
See Nobleman.
