History Main / Knighting

->''"In the name of the Warrior I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother I charge you to defend the young and innocent. In the name of the Maid I charge you to protect all women."''
-->-- '''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''', "Knighting rites"

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/accolade_by_edmund_blair_leighton_9.jpg]]

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' [[spoiler:Suzaku]] is knighted four times in total.

* One episode of ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'' is centered around it, when King Arthur realizes that [[TheDitz Perceval]] was never officially dubbed. Perceval also finds the word "adoubement" cumbersome and wish they would call it "[[PerfectlyCromulentWord knighterization]]".

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', Sam Vimes' status as a knight becomes very important, as it enables him to create his own military unit out of Watch members in a time of crisis. When a noble opposes his status he counters each argument, most notably the claim that a knight must spend the night watching his armor. It goes a bit like this.

* In ''Literature/DonQuixote'', this is parodied; the title character insists that [[ThePresentsWereNeverFromSanta an innkeeper (who he thinks is a castellan)]] knight him after he has watched his armor in the castle chapel -- that is, in the stable of the inn. (See also under ''Theatre''.) This shows that Don Quixote may be mad, but he knows exactly how the ceremony must go.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' has shown two short form knightings on page, once for Honor herself at the end of ''Honor of the Queen'' and again for Aivars Terekhov in ''Storm From the Shadows''. Interestingly, both Honor and Terekhov had no warning, although it's unlikely either was really surprised in light of their actions at Yeltsin's Star and Monica, respectively. Also notable is that Honor also becomes a landed noble at the same time. While her holdings aren't located in the Star Kingdom of Manticore (it's a gift from the people of Grayson for saving their planet from nuke-happy religious fanatics), Honor's noble rank is given a Manticoran equivalent (countess) by a personal order of the Queen. That's definitely more of a surprise than the knighting.

%%* ''Literature/SirAproposOfNothing'' -- guess who?

** There is also the Brotherhood Without Banners, a band of RobinHood types led by Ser Beric Dondarrion, a knight who uses this rule to promote his entire army, though few actually use the honorific of "ser" outside the band.

* In the third season of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', [[spoiler:Saito, having proven ''many'' times how valuable an asset to Tristain he is, is presented with a title of knighthood by Henrietta, formally making him a noble.]]

Originally the word knight was a job description with no connotation of high birth or status: it merely meant a warrior who was skilled and wealthy enough to fight on horseback, and owed their service to someone powerful. The English word knight is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word for "servant", while most other European languages use a word meaning "horseman" (e.g. German ''Ritter''[[note]]Cognate to English "rider"[[/note]] or French ''chevalier'').[[note]]Interestingly, many languages straight-up borrowed the German or French word; most Slavic and Celtic languages use words derived from ''Ritter''. Even more interestingly, some Slavic languages use a word that appears to have been based on a Proto-Slavic borrowing from the Proto-Germanic ancestor of the word ''[[UsefulNotes/TheVikingAge viking]]''.[[/note]] The word began to take on new meaning in response to social changes at the dawn of TheHighMiddleAges: the flourishing of merchants and cities gave them new wealth and power to compete with the nobility, while the increasingly powerful Church became more assertive in trying to curb the misbehavior of the warrior class. In order to maintain their distinction from the class of people who worked, and to reconcile the violent nature of war with the ideals of courtesy and piety, the nobility and gentry absorbed the military role of knighthood while turning it into a more exclusive and regulated order.

Originally the word knight was a job description with no connotation of high birth or status: it merely meant a warrior who was skilled and wealthy enough to fight on horseback, and owed their service to someone powerful. The English word knight is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word for "servant", while most other European languages use a word meaning "horseman" (e.g. German ''Ritter''[[note]]Cognate to English "rider"[[/note]] or French ''chevalier'').[[note]]Interestingly, many languages straight-up borrowed the German or French word; most Slavic and Celtic languages use words derived from ''Ritter''. Even more interestingly, some Slavic languages use a word that appears to have been based on a Proto-Slavic borrowing from the Proto-Germanic ancestor of the word ''[[UsefulNotes/TheVikingAge viking]]''.[[/note]] The word began to take on new meaning in response to social changes at the dawn of TheHighMiddleAges: the flourishing of merchants and cities gave them new wealth and power to compete with the nobility, while the Church became more assertive in trying to curb the misbehavior of the warrior class. In order to maintain their distinction from the class of people who worked, and to reconcile the violent nature of war with the ideals of courtesy and piety, the nobility and gentry absorbed the military role of knighthood while turning it into a more exclusive and regulated order.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the first recoverable memory shows Zelda "knighting" [[note]]He was already a member of the Royal Guard and a knight beforehand[[/note]] Link as a member of the Champions and as her personal bodyguard in a ceremony on the suggestion of the Goron Champion [[BigBrotherMentor Daruk]]. Though she is so somber because of her own [[InadequateInheritor insecurities]] and [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex jealousy of Link's apparent ease in meeting his destiny]] during the ceremony that Daruk admits that she's "making it sound like we've already lost" against Ganon.
** While not actually a knighting ceremony, Link receiving his license to become a Royal Engineer in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' is treated the same way, complete with Princess Zelda personally handing him his certificate. Trains are SeriousBusiness in New Hyrule.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'':

* Uryens (comedy name) knights Arthur in ''Film/{{Excalibur}}'', with {{Excalibur}}, [[DefeatMeansFriendship because he can't surrender to a mere squire]]. Arthur later knights Percival, hurriedly, in the same fashion.

Many medieval and fantasy stories in the European tradition feature a KnightInShiningArmour, who in the name of chivalry sets out on a heroic quest such as slaying a fire-breathing dragon that's been terrorizing the country, or rescuing a princess who’s been kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. But where do knights come from? Unlike ownership of a fief or the title of royal prince, knighthood is not something you receive at birth, or that you can inherit from a previous owner. First you have to earn it, and then the person in charge has to give it to you in a ceremony that follows the appropriate traditions and protocols.

* ''Film/AustinPowersInGoldmember'' begins with Austin about to be knighted by the Queen of England. He gets depressed when his father [[DaddyDidntShow doesn't come to the ceremony]].
* ''Film/BlackKnight2001'' ends with Creator/MartinLawrence's character being dubbed Sir Jamal "Sky" Walker, the Black Knight... just before the Queen shouts "clear!" and hits him with defibrillator paddles. It was AllJustADream... or [[OrWasItADream was it]]?

* In ''Film/TheCourtJester'', one of the most famous sequences has the lead character taking part in a grand formal ceremony with elaborate marches and chants. However, the King becomes impatient and orders the participants to speed it up. Suddenly, everyone goes into double time with every detail and Creator/DannyKaye's character can't keep up.
** His pants don't seem to be able to keep up either.

* ''Literature/SirAproposOfNothing'' -- guess who?
* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/AMidsummerTempest'', when Prince Rupert returns to King Charles, the king immediately knights the soldier who accompanied him. (He first asks him to swear loyalty to the throne -- and then explains it's just part of the ceremony and not a doubt of his loyalty.)
* Occurs in the ''Literature/TortallUniverse''. There's a vigil and a formal dubbing by the King--in between that, you get to be tested by the Chamber of the Ordeal, a [[EldritchAbomination sentient room]] that's somewhere between FaceYourFears and PsychologicalTormentZone. Squires who are mentally unsuitable (or rotten human beings) are broken by it, and even those who pass come away with mental scars. Alanna of ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' and Keladry of ''Literature/ProtectorOfTheSmall'' both undergo the ceremony.
* In Christopher Stasheff's ''[[Literature/AWizardInRhyme His Majesty's Wizard]]'', the protagonist undergoes the full ritual, with vigil, bath, and an examination on the laws of chivalry; finally he receives his sword tap from the [[KingInTheMountain Emperor in the Mountain]]. He does not have to take a punch.
* Stasheff's ''A Wizard in Chaos'' has the 'any knight can make another' with [[spoiler: Magnus Gallowglass]], the son of two noble lines, but without any official title other than the knightly 'sir', granting it to the companion who has traveled with him throughout his last three adventures. Also includes the extra 'final punch' option.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' uses a bit of both. After one major battle it's mentioned that so many people were knighted as a result it took ages for the three available knights of the PraetorianGuard to dub them all, and that those knights had stood vigil in roughspun robes at the church the whole night and then walked barefoot to the palace, leaving most if not all with bleeding feet (but they all still stood proudly). However, "any knight can make a knight", and the ritual of anointing a would-be knight with seven oils by a priest is just a formality.
** In an introspective mood, Jaime remembers how he was knighted by [[TheAce Ser Arthur Dayne, The Sword of the Morning]]. Dayne actually used his [[AncestralWeapon family's famed greatsword, Dawn]] to do the deed, and cut right through Jaime's tunic with even the lightest tap. He justified it, saying that 'blood is the seal of our devotion'.
** There is also the Brotherhood Without Banners, a band of RobinHood types led by Ser Beric Dondarrion, a knight who uses this rule to promote his entire army, though few actually use the honorific of "ser" outside the band.
** Officially, the North does not have many knights because most northmen follow the Old Gods, and knighthood in Westeros is very much a product of the Faith of the Seven. Not that this makes them any less worthy of honor on the battlefield (and in practical terms, Northern heavy cavalry fills the battlefield role of the knight just fine).
** In the short story ''The Hedge Knight'', the squire Raymun Fossoway volunteered to fight for Sir Duncan the Tall in the [[TrialByCombat trial of seven]]. The problem is, you have to be a knight to do that, [[IndyPloy so he had to be knighted on the spot by Ser Lyonel Baratheon, just before the start of the trial]]. ([[OriginStory And thus a new side-branch of his house, the Fossoways of New Barrel, was born.]]) Speaking of Ser Duncan, by the way, there is the strong implication that he was [[SelfProclaimedKnight never actually knighted]] (because the knight he was the squire of passed away before he could do that), which seems to be reason why Dunk was reluctant to knight Raymund ''himself'' in the aforementioned scene...

--> '''Vimes:''' A man who doesn't watch his armor around here he's got none left in the morning.\\

* The appointment of Dominion Lords in ''Literature/TheSovereignStone'' trilogy is largely drawn from this. New elements would probably be the magic armor and the gods descending from heaven personally appoint them.

* In ChivalricRomance ''Guy of Warwick'', after his love Felice scorns the notion that she would marry a lowly mewling squire -- she would marry a great knight, mind you, without even asking his father's name -- Guy is knighted before he sets out on adventures to become a great knight.
* In the [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden]]verse, the Knighting of the Winter Knight is... unusual to say the least. [[spoiler: Mab screws him on a table in front of all the Fae after he kills the previous Knight in cold blood and drips his blood on said table.]]
* In Debra Doyle and James [=MacDonald's=] ''Knight's Wyrd'', Will's knighting is one of the opening events of the story.
* In ''Literature/TheDinosaurLords'', after they distinguish themselves in the battle against [[spoiler:the horde]] and save the day, all commanders of [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits the Fugitive Legion]] are made peers of the Empire.

* At the end of ''Literature/BaptismOfFire'', [[Franchise/TheWitcher Geralt]] is knighted by Queen Meve of Rivia after Geralt's [[TrueCompanions hanse]] wanders into the middle of the battle at the bridge of the Yaruga river and turns the tide of the battle against Nilfgaard. Fittingly, Geralt is dubbed as Sir Geralt Of Rivia, basically ascending his AppropriatedAppellation.

** In the original series story arc [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E6TheCrusade "The Crusade"]], the Doctor's companion Ian Chesterton is knighted as "Sir Ian of Jaffa" (Jaffa being where the knighting took place) by King UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionheart.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E2ToothAndClaw "Tooth and Claw"]], the Doctor and Rose are knighted as "Sir Doctor of TARDIS" and "Dame Rose of the Powell Estate" by UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria... then immediately exiled.
* One episode of ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'' is centered around it, when King Arthur realizes that [[TheDitz Perceval]] was never officially dubbed. Perceval also finds the word "adoubement" cumbersome and wish they would call it "[[PerfectlyCromulentWord knighterization]]".

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Parodied in one short story arc where Calvin renames himself "Calvin the Bold" and refuses to answer to people who omit the descriptor. His dad quickly puts an end to this nonsense by using his authority to give him a much less endearing title.
-->'''Calvin's Dad:''' By the finite patience vested in me, I hereby dub thee "Mud." You may rise.\\
'''Calvin:''' My name is ''MUD?!''
[[/folder]]

** ''"By the sword Rhiannon, I dub thee Isaac the Chivalrous, Knight of Odyssey, Keeper of the Scriptures, Defender of the Faith. Rise, '''Sir''' Isaac."''

* It's not uncommon for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' {{Player Character}}s (particularly in the Rules Cyclopedia) to be knighted if the game goes on for long enough. Usually the knighting happens when a PC hits 9th level, which in those days was considered "Name Level."

* Parodied in the song "Knight of the Woeful Countenance" in ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha''. Don Quixote insists that an innkeeper (who he thinks is a king) knight him.

* At the end of ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight'', the Asian (aka the player character) gets knighted by the King of the country he fought for as a mercenary, in recompense for winning the war. The Knight Title he gets depends of his Level and number of Medals : from highest title to lowest, there's Holy Knight, Silver Knight, White Knight, Black Knight, Red Knight, Purple Knight, Blue Knight, and Semi-Knight.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' has the Spectre induction ceremony, complete with rousing music and stirring speeches. Getting reinstated (both times) is much more underwhelming. It's notable because Shepard is the first human to be inducted into the organization, and various diplomats stop what they're doing to watch the ceremony.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', [[KnightErrant Sora]] gets this in [[WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers Country of the Musketeers]] from [[WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse Princess Minnie]], being named a Royal Musketeer officially at the conclusion of that world's story. That said, given that it is [[TimeTravel in the King's past]], but nonetheless still in [[DreamLand the Sleeping Worlds]], whether or not this title was actually given in that time period is uncertain.

* ''VideoGame/BugFables'': In the end of the game, [[spoiler:Queen Elizant II knights Team Snakemouth as her Royal Blades for their great role in finding [[MacGuffin the Everlasting Sapling]] (its destruction aside) and defeating the [[EvilOverlord Wasp King]].]]

* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "A Late Delivery From Avalon", King Arthur knights G'Kar as the first of a new Round Table after the ambassador takes his side against a gang of thugs.

Many medieval and fantasy stories in the European tradition feature a KnightInShiningArmour, who in the name of chivalry sets out on a heroic quest such as slaying a fire-breathing dragon that's been terrorizing the country, or rescuing a princess who’s been kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. But where do knights come from? Unlike ownership of a fief or the title of royal prince, knighthood is not something you recieve at birth, or that you can inherit from a previous owner. First you have to earn it, and then the person in charge has to give it to you in a ceremony that follows the appropriate traditions and protocols.

** While not actually a knighting ceremony, Link receiving his licence to become a Royal Engineer in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' is treated the same way, complete with Princess Zelda personally handing him his certificate. Trains are SeriousBusiness in New Hyrule.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':

-->'''Bugs:''' Arise, Sir Loin of Beef! ''*strikes Sheriff over the head with his sceptre*'' Arise, Earl (oil) of Cloves! ''*strike*'' Arise, Duke of Brittingham! ''*strike*'' Arise, [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen Baron of Munchausen]]! ''*strike*'' Arise, Essence of Myrrh! ''*strike*'' Milk of Magnesia ''*strike*'' Quarter of Ten ''*strike*''\\

** Princess Nyna trusting Prince Marth with the Fire Emblem in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia'' could be seen as this.