knight bachelor

knight bachelor
pl. knights bachelors, knight bachelors.
bachelor (def. 3).
[1600-10]

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▪ British peerage
      most ancient, albeit lower ranking, form of English knighthood, with its origin dating to the reign of Henry III in the 13th century.

      The feudalization of England that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066 integrated the knights, then around 5,000 in number, into the new system. Most of the knights received lands from the barons they served. Half a century later, scutage (the payment of money in lieu of serving as a knight), prompted the appearance of landless knights, the “bachelery of England,” who would undertake the service owed to the barons by the subtenants. These landless knights were the forerunners of the knights bachelor, usually poor and often young, and fought under the command of a more senior knight. They did not belong to an order such as the Garter (Garter, The Most Noble Order of the) or the Thistle (Thistle, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the), but they could be promoted to the status of “knight of the bath” (which did not become the Order of the Bath (Bath, The Most Honourable Order of the) until 1725) or be granted that status ab initio.

      James I of Great Britain created a registry in the 17th century for knights bachelor, but this eventually lapsed. The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor, founded in 1908, has since attempted to obtain a uniform registration of every knight created. In 1926 a badge for knights bachelor depicting a sheathed sword between two spurs was approved and adopted, and in 1965 the ancient church of St. Bartholomew-the-Great, at Smithfield in London, became their chapel.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Knight Bachelor — ist eine britische Auszeichnung. Als „Knight Bachelor“ bezeichnet man einen männlichen britischen Staatsbürger, der als „Knight“ (Ritter) in den persönlichen Adelsstand erhoben wurde und das Prädikat „Sir“ als Präfix vor dem Vornamen führen darf …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Knight bachelor — Le badge de Knight Bachelor, 1926 L Insigne de Chevalier (Knight Bachelor’s Badge) est une récompense dont l origine remonte au règne de Henri III d Angleterre (1207 1272) qui est attribuée pour services éminents dans tout domaine d’activité.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Knight bachelor — Knight bach e*lor; pl. {Knights bachelors}. A knight of the most ancient, but lowest, order of English knights, and not a member of any order of chivalry. See {Bachelor}, 4. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • knight-bachelor — see ↑knight • • • Main Entry: ↑bachelor …   Useful english dictionary

  • knight bachelor — n. pl. knights bachelors or knights bachelor a member of the oldest and lowest rank of British knights …   English World dictionary

  • Knight Bachelor — The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It refers to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry. Knights Bachelor are the most ancient sort of British… …   Wikipedia

  • Knight Bachelor — Le badge de Knight Bachelor, 1926 L Insigne de Chevalier (Knight Bachelor’s Badge) est une récompense dont l origine remonte au règne de Henri III d Angleterre (1207 1272) qui est attribuée pour services éminents dans tout domaine d’activité.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • knight bachelor — noun a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon • Syn: ↑bachelor at arms, ↑bachelor • Hypernyms: ↑knight …   Useful english dictionary

  • Knight bachelor — The full title of a gentleman who had been knighted; the lowest order of *knight. He was a knight without a *fee. Frequently a younger son, trained in the skills of war, such men earned their living fighting for a lord. Cf. Knight of the shire;… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • knight bachelor — noun (plural knights bachelor) a knight not belonging to any particular order …   English new terms dictionary

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