Description
Hard-hitting, Medieval era heavy cavalry unit.
Historical Context
In the Middle Ages, a knight was usually the wastrel son of a noble family who, having served his apprenticeship in war as a page and squire, had been raised to honorable rank and bound to chivalrous conduct (more an ideal than a practice). Since the mounts and accoutrements and life-style of a knight were extremely expensive, it just wasn’t for the commoners (they got to be foot-soldiers). The knightly tradition arose from the Roman equites, an equestrian order that comprised the lower of the two aristocratic ranks of the Empire. Through the Dark Ages (and slightly beyond) knights dominated the open battlefield, able to trample the fleeing commoners. Unfortunately, not many battles were fought on dry, open ground. Too, eventually the unchivalrous commoners were armed with pikes and longbows, the bane of mounted knights. And so the day of the knight passed away, despite those archaic “knightly” orders still scattered about.