In medieval history, a knight was an armed and mounted warrior belonging to the elite class of nobility, today it refers to a person who has been given a royal recognition. Knighthood training was a long and rigorous process, and began at an early age, when a basic education and good manners were taught right at home. At the end of their knight training, the knight would pledge service to a king in military service. Essentially this meant that the knight was a military officer; in feudalism, this term denoted not only a position of nobility, but also in a rank of a landlord. This essay will discuss many different aspects of knights, including training, feudalism, and their creation and decline. The purpose of knights came out of landlords using private warfare to gain more land and subjects under his rule. This in turn created a permanent military class, and before the 10th century, the process of knighthood was already established. There were generally two ways to become a knight: the first way was …show more content…
During the knighthood ceremony, the steps taken to becoming a knight were highlighted, and led up to the knight being dubbed. This ceremony marked the final knighthood of a medieval squire. Once dubbed knights, these men were considered landholders, but the only way they could hold their land was through military service under the king. Therefore a knight would make a pact saying that for forty days in a year he would dedicate himself in military service to the king. Knights were still considered part of the elite class, but at the lower end, usually tended to by the peasants. Knights were also in charge of taking care and protecting the manor. For the rest of their lives, knights spent time in war, and the rest around their master’s manor, after climbing up the 5 steps to knighthood lived out the rest of his life on his own