Once a Knight Errant has proved himself worthy of his station, he is confirmed as a Knight of the Realm. Knights of the Realm make up the bulk of the nobility of Bretonnia and command great respect both for their station and for the deeds they have performed to reach it. Upon his investiture, the knight is given the responsibility of administrating a domain – generally a few acres of land, a village and a castle. As the common folk in the domain are bound to the service of the knight, to work his land and pay their taxes, so too does the knight swear fealty to the higher orders of nobility.

A Knight of the Realm is duty-bound to defend his people and his land until death. As a noble trained in the arts of battle, a knight is expected to defend himself and his domain against minor threats without assistance from others. If the situation is more desperate, the knight may either marshal the peasants of the village to fight with him, or instead shelter the commoners in his castle until help arrives from neighbouring domains. Above all, a knight is required to maintain the standards of knightly honour, obeying the strict tenets of Bretonnian chivalry. Amongst the most important of these is to respond to the call to war, when he will fight alongside other knights, not as a rite of passage as he did as a Knight Errant, but as duty required by his station. For a knight there is no greater shame than to fail in these responsibilities, thus betraying the chivalric code. If he does so, he may be stripped of all titles and rights, and be banished from the realm until he can prove himself once more.

At least one unit of Knights of the Realm must be included in your Bretonnian army as a Core choice.

KNIGHTS ERRANT

All noble sons of the realm are committed to the path of knighthood from the moment they are born. Though birth into nobility guarantees his place within the circles of knighthood, a young noble is not honoured until he has proven his worth. Some earn status through faithful service to their lords, others through powerful connections and family ties, but the most glorious and only true way for a young knight to fulfil his calling is to test himself against a foe on the field of battle.

Knights Errant project an air of bravado, dealing with peasants and fellow knights alike with a brash self-confidence and haughty manner. Eager to prove their skill, and thus attain status and renown, these young nobles are bold and enthusiastic to the point of recklessness - a trait that the common fold idolise and admire. When a duke begins to marshal support for a crusade, Knights Errant flock to his banner, vying with one another for martial glory. On the battlefield they are impetuous, eager to earn fame and honour in the thick of the fight. They charge boldly into the fray, heedless of danger and earning either great honour or a glorious death. The older, more experienced knights rarely discourage them. Some see it as a way of pruning the ranks, others as a suitable outlet for the enthusiasm of youth, but none would deny a young knight his destiny. Those whose skill and bravery are proven will go on to become Knights of the Realm.

Knights Errant may be included in your Bretonnian army as a Core choice.

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