What associations immediately arise with the words "knight", "chivalry"? Someone will immediately remember the good, albeit not entirely accurate from a historical point of view, S. Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky” with his dog knights. Someone will have associations with a noble, cultured person who behaves impeccably in society and is especially gallant with ladies.
How did the word "knight"
Chivalry as an estate played a large role in the life of many countries and for a long time was the main military force deciding the outcome of battles.
The term "knight" itself has Germanic roots. The word "ritter" in German means "rider". Thus, the main meaning of this term is an equestrian warrior. Since ancient times, cavalry has played a huge role in military affairs. Horse detachments conducted reconnaissance, carried out long-distance raids behind enemy lines, attacked his foragers. But most importantly, they could decide the outcome of the battle, since the cavalry has tremendous penetration power. Therefore, the presence of combat-ready cavalry in each state was given a very large role.
Not every man who is fit for military affairs could go horseback riding. After all, the contents of a war horse cost a lot of money, and training in riding and attack in close formation required a lot of time and effort. It was accessible only to fairly wealthy people. So gradually in many states, including Ancient Rome, a special estate arose - the "horsemen". It was obliged in wartime to send a certain number of cavalrymen to the service, arming them and supplying them with everything necessary.
It was the estate of horsemen with the beginning of the Middle Ages that became the prototype of the knightly. Gradually, as the technology developed, the weapons and armor of the knights became more powerful, light chain mail with patch plates replaced the shells that covered almost the entire body. A full set of armor could weigh about 40-45 kilograms. Horses were also often protected with armor covering the front of the hull. The attack of the closed formation of such heavily armed horsemen could have broken through any infantry defense, even the brave and well-trained. And only with the advent of firearms did the knightly cavalry gradually begin to lose its significance.
