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A '''knight''' is a person granted an honorary title of '''knighthood''' by a [[head of state]] (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Almarez|first=Felix D.|title=Knight Without Armor: Carlos Eduardo Castañeda, 1896-1958|year=1999|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|isbn=9781603447140|page=202}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Diocese of Uyo|year=2000|publisher=El-Felys Creations|isbn=9789783565005|page=205}}</ref>
The concept of Knighthood may have been inspired by the ancient Greek ''[[hippeis]]'' (ἱππεῖς) and Roman ''[[equites]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paddock|first=David Edge & John Miles|title=Arms & armor of the medieval knight : an illustrated history of weaponry in the Middle Ages|year=1995|publisher=Crescent Books|location=New York|isbn=0-517-10319-2|pages=3|edition=Reprinted.}}</ref> In the [[Early Middle Ages]] in Christian Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors.<ref>Clark, p. 1.</ref> During the [[High Middle Ages]], knighthood was considered a class of [[petty nobility]]. By the [[Late Middle Ages]], the rank had become associated with the ideals of [[chivalry]], a code of conduct for the perfect [[Royal court|courtly]] Christian warrior. Often, a knight was a [[vassal]] who served as an elite fighter or a bodyguard for a lord, with payment in the form of land holdings.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carnine|first=Douglas|title=World History:Medieval and Early Modern Times|url=https://archive.org/details/mcdougallittellw00mcdo|url-access=registration|date=2006|publisher=McDougal Littell|location=US|isbn=978-0-618-27747-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/mcdougallittellw00mcdo/page/300 300]–301 |quote=Knights were often vassals, or lesser nobles, who fought on behalf of lords in return for land.|display-authors=etal }}</ref> The lords trusted the knights, who were skilled in [[Horses in warfare|battle on horseback]]. Knighthood in the Middle Ages was closely linked with horsemanship (and especially the [[Jousting|joust]]) from its origins in the 12th century until its final flowering as a fashion among the [[Imperial, royal and noble ranks|high nobility]] in the [[Duchy of Burgundy]] in the 15th century. This linkage is reflected in the etymology of ''chivalry'', ''cavalier'' and related terms such as the French title ''chevalier''. In that sense, the special prestige accorded to mounted warriors in [[Christendom]] finds a parallel in the ''[[furusiyya]]'' in the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]]. The [[Crusades]] brought various [[Military order (religious society)|military orders of knights]] to the forefront of defending [[Christian pilgrimage|Christian pilgrims]] traveling to the [[Holy Land]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Crusades |url=https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/crusades#:~:text=The%20Crusades%20set%20the%20stage,to%20and%20from%20the%20region. |publisher=[[History (American TV network)|History]] |access-date=11 March 2022 |date=21 February 2020 |quote=The Crusades set the stage for several religious knightly military orders, including the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights, and the Hospitallers. These groups defended the Holy Land and protected pilgrims traveling to and from the region.}}</ref>
In the Late Middle Ages, [[military history|new methods of warfare]] – such as the introduction of the [[culverin]] as an anti-personnel, gunpowder-fired weapon – began to render classical knights in armour obsolete, but the titles remained in many countries. [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I]] (1459–1519) is often referred to as the "last knight" in this regard;<ref>[https://www.tt.com/artikel/15198515/der-letzte-ritter-500-todestag-von-kaiser-maximilian-i "Der letzte Ritter": 500. Todestag von Kaiser Maximilian I]</ref><ref>[[Sabine Haag]] "Kaiser Maximilian I.: Der letzte Ritter und das höfische Turnier" (2014)</ref> however, some of the most iconic battles of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], such as the [[Siege of Rhodes (1522)|Siege of Rhodes]] and the [[Great Siege of Malta]], took place after his rule. The ideals of chivalry were popularized in [[medieval literature]], particularly the literary cycles known as the [[Matter of France]], relating to the legendary companions of [[Charlemagne]] and his [[Man-at-arms|men-at-arms]], the [[Paladin|paladins]], and the [[Matter of Britain]], relating to the legend of [[King Arthur]] and his [[Knights of the Round Table]].
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