In
medieval Europe the term knight referred to a mounted warrior
of secondary noble rank. The name is sometimes also applied
to the equites of ancient Rome, a similar class of mounted
soldiers who ranked below senators. The Roman class was
formed to provide a means of advancement for men who were not
born into a noble family (or gens). The medieval rank,
however, probably originated with the barbarian tribes of
northern Europe, and the English term was derived from the
Old English cniht, meaning "youth" or
"military follower." Often the younger son of a
hereditary peer, the knight began his training as a young boy
by entering the service of an overlord. At age 15 or 16 he
was raised to the rank of squire and began his period of
trial. When his overlord considered him worthy, the
prospective knight received his accolade, traditionally a tap
on the shoulder with a sword, which proclaimed him a knight.
Once knighted he was entitled to the honorific title
"Sir" and continued in the military service of his
overlord.
As Feudalism developed, the rank of knight (in French, chevalier; in German, Ritter) became a landholding rank. The knight held his land by what was known as military tenure. That is, in return for a land grant the knight was expected to render military service to his overlord. Knighthood also took on a religious significance, and a vigil before the altar became part of the initiation into knighthood.
At the time of the Crusades the great military and religious orders of knighthood were established. They included the Knights of St. Lazarus (formed as early as the 4th century but militarized during the 12th century); the Knights Hospitalers (formed in the 12th century); the Knights Templars (1118); the Teutonic Knights (1190); and the Knights of the Sword (Livonian Order; 1204). The Spanish orders of Alcantara, Calatrava, and Santiago were founded in the 12th century, and the Portuguese Order of Saint Benedict of Avis evolved during the following century.
Later secular knightly orders were established in Europe. They included the Order of the Garter (c.1349) in England, the Order of Saint Michael (1469) in France, and the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece (c.1430; later split into Austrian and Spanish branches). As modern weapons and battle techniques diminished the military effectiveness of the armored knight, his title became primarily honorary. Increasingly, the military service required of a landholding knight was converted to money payments to the overlord--known as scutage in England.
