The ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature, particularly the literary cycles known as the Matter of France, relating to the legendary companions of Charlemagne and his men-at-arms, the paladins, and the Matter of Britain, relating to the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I is often referred to as the 'last knight' in this regard. In the Late Middle Ages, new methods of warfare began to render classical knights in armour obsolete, but the titles remained in many countries. In that sense, the special prestige accorded to mounted warriors in Christendom finds a parallel in the furusiyya in the Islamic world. This linkage is reflected in the etymology of chivalry, cavalier and related terms. Knighthood in the Middle Ages was closely linked with horsemanship (and especially the joust) from its origins in the 12th century until its final flowering as a fashion among the high nobility in the Duchy of Burgundy in the 15th century. The lords trusted the knights, who were skilled in battle on horseback. Often, a knight was a vassal who served as an elite fighter, a bodyguard or a mercenary for a lord, with payment in the form of land holdings. By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior. During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. In the Early Middle Ages in Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors.

Knighthood finds origins in the Greek hippeis and hoplite (ἱππεῖς) and Roman eques and centurion of classical antiquity. A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity.

Medieval knight images