Knight

The historical knight

In Medieval times, a knight was a mounted warrior in the service of a Lord. The word 'knight' is derived from the German word 'knecht', which means 'servant'.

In later periods, being made a knight was a great honour. A knight's behavior, both in battle and normal life, was guided by a code of conduct.

See also: Chivalry

Knights in the SCA

In the SCA, a knight is a fighter who shows great prowess at heavy fighting (heavily armoured hand to hand fighting) as well as behaving in a chivalrous manner.

Knights are made by the current king, to whom they swear fealty. They are recommended by a council of the other knights, but the final decision to elevate a person to the Order is the perrogative of the Crown. Good fighters who do not wish to swear fealty may become masters of arms.