The Medieval Knight of Europe: Origins and History

Whenever we talk about a medieval knight our reveries cling to the resplendent image of a chivalrous warrior incredibly armored from head to toe, while being mounted atop a great warhorse. Now while the reality is not far from this imagery, there was historically more to the scope of knighthood than just mowing down the ‘lesser’ infantrymen on battlefields of the middle ages. In fact, the very term ‘medieval knight’ is a pretty generic one, and their roles across the realms and fiefs of Europe differed considerably, especially when it came to the administrative and land-holding side of affairs.