Knight Culture

Knight, and the culture surrounding them, is an important part of Illuskan society, but the word "Knight" has no singular meaning.

Cavalry Man

Cavalrymen are sometimes, due to linguistical differences with neighboring cultures that are not of Illuskan heritage, referred to as "Knights". As a direct result, Cavalrymen in the Illuskan lands tend to adopt a lot of Knightly customs to adhere to the public perception that they are related to, or part of the Knight Class. Due to the large amount of resources required to keep a cavalryman mounted, most cavalrymen are actually Knights in the Illuskan lands, as it is most common for a Cavalryman to be given a plot of land for them to raise horses on, and then essentially be given the means to begin breeding horses on a small scale on their own property, and then be responsible for maintaining their mounts themselves, having the ability to replace a mount immediately if it dies, disappears, falls injured or becomes lame. But many lords have spare horses and do occasionally loan them to men-at-arms who are not Knights, and make them cavalrymen, either permanently or temporarily, and some soldiers are not regulars, but may still choose to muster on horseback - this is fairly common when raising levies and certain levies may have higher standing than others.

Knight

A Knight is, plain and simple, a man-at-arms (a soldier who works for a Lord) who has signed a permanent contract (binding until their military career ends, usually terminated upon receiving an injury that prevents them from further service, or reaching a certain age or having served a certain number of years, usually 20 or so). Depending on which kind of Knight, the benefits of Knighthood differ, though they are not necessarily considerable, and Knights do not have to come from High Birth, but the honor of becoming Knights is usually reserved for those who come from established families that the Lord has known for some time.

Knight-Bachelor

Before any of the other types of Knights can exist, a Knight-Bachelor must have existed first, as they are given a plot of land (usually no less than 100 acres), whereupon the Lord will have their residence built for them, and assign serfs to become their tenants and tend the land in their absence. The land functions as a pension for the Knight. Knights are traditionally gifted a sword, a shield, a suit of metal armor, several horses and a set of gilded spurs when they sign on. The Knight-Bachelor is responsible for breeding more horses and maintaining his equipment as well as replacing any equipment that they lose or damage. Knights generally do not receive a salary, but live off the rent from their lands.

Landed Knight

A landed Knight differs from a Knight-Bachelor, in that he already has lands. While the Lord may allow the son of a previous Knight, or anyone who already owns land, to become a Knight Bachelor, there are usually laws in place that require the first born son (or heir apparent) to a plot of land of 100 acres or larger, to enter service as a Landed Knight, meaning the family has to sponsor the Knight's equipment out of pocket, as they are gifted nothing. The family is required to financially support the heir-apparent until they actually inherit their lands. A Landed Knight's brother could become a Knight-Bachelor, but the landed knight himself is also likely to be granted more lands for their service, as Lords are always interest in creating Knight Bannerets in their domain.

Knight-Banneret

A Knight-Banneret is a Baronet who serves as a Knight, and is expected to maintain a militia of military aged and trained individuals who can be levied into service under the Lord that the Knight-Banneret serves. A Baronet usually owns no less than 500 acres, and typically has enough tenants to raise at least a squad of men (6-12 soldiers). It is extremely attractive for a Lord to create Knight-Bannerets, so Lords with land to spare often work with their Landed Knights to expand their territories to be able to promote them to Baronets. Knight-Bannerets are always trained sergeants and junior officers at the very least, but may not be required to lead their men themselves.

Knight-Errant

Knight-Errants are essentially people of no particular background, who arm themselves in a fashion that compares to that of a Knight and joins some sort of cause, or travels around championing whichever people or causes they come across. Knight-Errants often hail from among nobility.

Hedge-Knight

Hedge-Knights are Knights that are not in service to a Lord - technically, Knight-Errants are Hedge-Knights, but Knight-Errants commonly hail from nobility and do not lack for allegiances, while a Hedge-Knight is typically just a mercenary who is particularly well equipped.

Knight-Cavaliers

A Knight-Cavalier, styled as "Sir" if male and "Ser" if female, is a warrior who has been granted the honor of being considered a Cavalier by a Court-Holding Lord. Theoretically, any Cavalier can name any other person a Cavalier, but this immediately makes them a Hedge-Knight, as they serve no Lord. Knight-Cavaliers commonly serve as officers or form elite cavalry units. Traditionally, Knight-Cavaliers hail from the High Gentry or higher, and begin their careers as paiges, advancing to positions as Squires-at-arms and then finally receive their title of Cavalier through a ceremony.

Hereditary Cavaliers

Certain nations may create special honors (i.e. "the Green Knight") that are hereditary, and primarily, honorary positions - though despite being honorary, and having their own set of (often tradition-based and minor) duties (it could be that tradition holds that "the green knight" always opens the annual joust in the Country Capital by having a staged bout against a wagon with a wooden effigy of a green dragon mounted on top of it) in place of the one's a Knight-Cavalier would commonly have, being a Hereditary Cavalier does come with all the benefits traditionally associated with being a Knight Cavalier.

Knight-Errant Cavalier

Cavaliers very commonly go erranting for the first few years of their careers, many seeking to join minor Crusades against the abominable evils, or champion some other cause.

Hedge Knight-Cavalier

Hedge-Knight Cavaliers are commonly Knight-Errant Cavaliers who failed to find a permanent place in the world for themselves, and thusly end up in the awkward, but sometimes lucrative position, of being an independent mercenary.

Related Ethnicities

• Illuskan