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Author: Bisected8

Mar 26th 2012 at 6:27:43 PM

@shimaspawn: Is this better?;

The image of a knight in fiction has evolved through history. The idea of a knight loyal to their king came from the simple fact that it referred to someone who serves a king in a military fashion (in contrast to the idea of a KnightErrant, which was mainly a construct of romantic literature). Similarly, the iconic image of an [[KnightInShiningArmour armour clad warrior on horseback]] came about because...knights were armour clad warriors on horseback; owning and riding horses was a sign of nobility, so knights always fought as mounted cavalry. Because they were wealthy (a knighthood always came with lands and with them, serfs to tithe) they could afford high quality armour and didn't have to worry about the weight of heavy armour (because their horse carried them into battle) they were also clad in metal (and probably owned a shinier set [[BlingOfWar for when they were showing off]]). The idea of a heroic do-gooder probably had its roots in the code of chivalry, which more or less ensured that knights fought one another fairly and wouldn't harm them when captured ([[WhatMeasureIsAMook commoners weren't so lucky]]). This also lead to another image; the idea of a [[ThePaladin holy warrior]], as many knights joined religious orders they converted them into knightly orders. Finally, the image of a knight's loyal squire is...pretty much as it was. While a knight would usually have more than one, for a time a squire would serve as a shield-bearer and general assistant to a particular knight and the knight would decide when they were ready to become an actual knight.