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| | The concept of knights to certain extent was the nobility of horsemen in Ancient Rome; and in France in the armed forces of the 7th century there prevailed the free pedestrian army, the cavalry made up the combatants of the king.
The knighthood developed itself in the Holy Roman Empire first of all in the conflicts of the centralized power of the empire with the federations of North Africa, Italy, Gaul and Spain, during the attack of the Arabs which, together with the Christian Committees of the Iberian peninsula who crossed over to their side, entered into Gaul also, where they faced Frankish horse formations. In Gaul free peasants were not able to afford the services of horses in distant campaigns, and they had to address the king for a creation of cavalry.
In the end of the 8th century, the oath of allegiance was required even from those who weren't free, while some received benefits or posts (ministries) or became vassals. Charles the Great used his infantry in the wars; Louis I and Charles II took only cavalry in their campaigns.
In the year 865, the owners of 12 acres of land had to have chain armor or scaly armor, that is the accessories of heavy cavalry; light cavalry had to be with a spear, shield, sword and bow. Everywhere below armor-clad free knights (milites), there were lightly armed horsemen, not free by origin (vavassores, caballarii). The quitrent population could rise to the ministry, after having received the post in the court of seigneur, carry out the service of the light armed horseman, and then, after having deserved the corresponding benefits, move on to heavy cavalry and become a knight. In this way, from among the bonded ones emerged an exclusive class of domestic servants in rich feudal divisions. With the development of the feudal system, the ministries received feudal posts and were involved in the service of knighthood.
In the 7th century, the free knights and ministerial knights differed as ordo equestris maior et minor. Transition of new layers of the bonded classes or free, but not the military population into knighthood was held back in the middle of the 7th century; the German knighthood was closed within the hereditary nobility. The decision of Friedrich I in 1156 forbade the peasants to carry the spear and sword; even the merchants could not dare to girdle a sword, and he was supposed to fasten it to the saddle. This constitution also introduced the concept about the knighthood origins; the horse-rider had the right to single combat, if he can prove his knighthood race. As per the Saxon mirror, the true knight must have his roots from the knights i.e. his father and grandfather should be knights. Other constitutions of Friedrich I (1187-88) forbade the sons of priests, deacons and peasants to girdle the sword like the knights do.
In France, popular were those people who owned the distinguished lands, that is, feudal divisions; the second parameter of nobility was the permission to be conferred with knighthood. Though, sometimes simple people also had the chance to become knight, but the prevailing rule was that the owner of a feudal division could be conferred. The ministerial allotted with the feudal division, that is the people of not free conditions, classified as vavassores, belonged to the lowest nobility. While the ownership of feudal divisions was the main parameter of eminence, the urban population and even farmers could get this by simply purchasing the feudal property. In the end of the 8th century, purchasing of property by people who weren't famous was complicated by heavy requisitions, but by this time, it was also possible to get the nobility by the grant of the king; the conferring of nobility became the privilege of the king.
In the early days of England, the right to confer the knighthood was the royal prerogative. Henry III and Edward I demanded the mandatory knighting of any feudal lord, having at least 20 pounds of annual income from the land. The fact about possession preceded the origins of a person for qualification.
The influence of the church on the military was initially through the oath of allegiance, then through the oath to the district council or to the Divine world, at last - through a ceremony of consecration of a weapon before giving it to the soldier upon his maturity. “Loyalty” included the execution of Christian debt by serving God, observance of the monarchical world in relation to the church, widows, orphans, duty to observe the justice, etc. The materialistic and divine worlds, attached by the oath were established by the monarchy and church. The materialistic world protected all the non-military population - clerics, women, merchants and farmers from violence; the divine one controlled the conflicts between the knights.
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