Knights were fighting men of the Middle Ages. They were “gentlemen soldiers” and formed a separate class of people below the higher nobility of the feudal system but above merchants and craftworkers. The first knights were soldiers who rode into battle on horseback rather than on foot. Their greater mobility made them very successful in combat. Noble lords secured their services by rewarding them with grants of land. Knights were expected to follow a code of chivalry, by which they had a duty to defend the weak and show courtesy, especially towards women. Many knights, however, failed to live up to these high standards.

The first knights

It was in the 9th or 10th century that the role of knight first developed in England. These knights were mounted soldiers who, under the feudal system, served a king or lord. Knights were then known by the Anglo-Saxon word cnihts, which meant “servants” or “retainers”.

Crusader knights

From the late 1000s to the 1200s, knights fought in the Crusades, wars in which Christian forces attempted to win the Holy Land from the Saracens. Among the Crusaders were knights who were also monks: the Knights Hospitaller, who also cared for the sick, and the Knights Templar who protected Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.

Armour and weapons

In the early years, a knight’s armour was made of chainmail, a body suit made of metal rings. By the 1300s, knights wore solid armour plates on their chest, arms and upper legs for extra protection. Their helmets also had a visor, which could be lifted. From the late 15th century onwards, knights began to wear a complete suit of metal armour plates. They were designed to make the sharp edges or points of weapons glance off their smooth surfaces. The suits were jointed together with metal rivets or leather straps so the knight could still bend his legs and swing his sword or mace.

​​​​​​​Hinges in his armour gave free movement to his arms and legs, allowing a knight some agility on foot, too. His armour-plated suit was strong enough to protect him against blows from hand-held weapons. But even armour could be pierced by a bolt from a crossbow or a metal-tipped arrow from a longbow.