The word knight, from Old English cniht ("boy" or "servant"), is a cognate of the German word Knecht ("servant, bondsman, vassal"). … See more

Training
The institution of knights was already well-established by the 10th century. 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 … See more

By the mid to late 16th century, knights were quickly becoming obsolete as countries started creating their own standing armies that were faster to train, cheaper to equip, … See more

• Adrian von Bubenberg
• Andrew Moray
• Baldwin of Boulogne
• See more

Pre-Carolingian legacies
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 … See more

Knights and the ideals of knighthood featured largely in medieval and Renaissance literature, and have secured a permanent place in … See more

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