The medieval knight was not the first man ever to hold special status for his job as a horse-mounted soldier. In Ancient Rome, the equites (mounted officers) held a special social position. But the Roman political structure differed markedly from that of medieval Europe. It is feudalism1 that gave the knight his unique status. The history of feudalism and the knight goes back to late antiquity.
After the Roman Empire fell, western Europe had to adapt to new circumstances. Kingdoms struggled to survive, constantly faced by the threat of invasion by nomadic tribes and aggressive neighbors, including Magyars and Vikings.
The European leaders formed armies consisting of ordinary men -- peasants and tenant farmers -- who were used to standing up for their homes and community, and when they fought other foot soldiers they often held their own. But the invaders brought a new element of warfare for which they could not cope: The Mounted Warrior.
To fight fire with fire, it was necessary for the western European armies to create cavalries of their own. But an ordinary citizen could not afford the maintenance and care of a trained war-horse, let alone its purchase. Furthermore, horsemanship skills needed practice, and the average citizen had no time for that, because he had to feed his family. This usually involved working the land, which not only put food on the tenant farmer's table but put money in his landlord's pocket.
It was the Roman practice of commendation that brought on the birth of knighthood. A Roman soldier would attach himself to a superior officer, promising military service in return for some kind of support, usually a grant of land known as a benefice. European leaders such as Charlemagne adopted this practice; they would grant parcels of land (complete with serfs) to their best warriors.
In return, each warrior (who was now a lord himself) would use the income from his land to equip himself with a horse and weapons. And, now that he had the leisure time of a land-owner, he would practice horsemanship and horse weaponry so that he might better serve his liege-lord.
The land grants did not end with one distribution -- each warrior-cum-lord would divide up his land and grant parcels of it to retainers, who would then follow the same procedure. The land would be divided and re-divided until what was left was the minimum required amount of land to support a knight. This was usually 12 hides (about 1500 acres), but it depended on the quality of the specific land and how much food or other natural resources it could produce. It cost 30 marks a year to support a knight.
The knight of Europe therefore had his origins in military and economic need. His role was as a warrior, and in some cases he was little more than a thug rewarded for his viciousness. But if a knight was to succeed, he had to take his role in the military seriously. As time went on, success required more than brawn: it required loyalty to his liege-lord in society as well as strategy and ingenuity on the battlefield.
Note
1 The entire concept of "feudalism" is under review by academics. Find out more in The F-Word: The Problem with Feudalism by your Guide.Check out Issue #3 of Knight Life: The
Tourney.
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