Dec 19, 2009
A knight was an armed and horse-mounted warrior who was also a landholder under a political and economic system called feudalism that was practiced during the Middle Ages (A.D. c. 450–c. 1500). A knight was a nobleman and often lord of his own manor (a large self-sufficient estate) who took up arms to fight for the feudal lord (the lord of a fief, a collection of several manors). During the Carolingian Age (eighth and ninth centuries), when a monarchy was established in Western Europe, a feudal lord often performed the duties of a knight in service to the king. In times of war, any man who pledged loyalty to his lord and took up arms on behalf of the lord would become a knight. Later, he might receive lands from the lord or king as repayment. During the Crusades (1096–1291; religious wars waged by Christians to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims) knights were not landowners—they were designated by...
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