Knightly Order of The Empire

The Empire is home to the many Knightly Orders that protect its boundaries and peoples. These are cults and brotherhoods of elite, armoured warriors that recruit from the sons of Imperial nobles. An Empire army is as reliant on its heavy cavalry provided by the Knightly Orders as it is the solid blocks of infantry and devastating war machines. The noble-born warriors of the Empire do not form part born of any state's standing army, for to do so would mean to rub shoulders with the common soldiery. Instead, they typically fight for one of the Knightly Orders of the Empire; heroic brotherhoods of warriors who ride into battle atop mighty barded warhorses.

A part of the Empire that is purely Teuton is the creation and maintenence of the Knightly Orders. The Knightly Orders of The Empire are religious, and aristocratic in a way that is unlike the rest of Europe, and was a hot bed of contention between the Knights of Bretonia and The Empire during their times together.

There are basically three kinds of Knightly Orders in The Empire in the form of the Religous Orders, Military Orders, and Aristocratic Orders. The Religious Orders are based around the specific different religous that exist within the Empire and for this reason they are vastly Sigmar related throughout, but with a concentration of Ulric in the province of Middenheim. The Military Orders are usually created by High Rankings commanders in order to defend specific areas, or people and in this way they are perhaps the most powerful of the three kingds of knightly orders. The third and final are the aristocratic and these are the orders that the richest members of Emperian society send their children into in order to gain a reputation for their children.

Knightly Orders
To become a member of one of the Empire's select brotherhoods of Knightly Orders, a noble must forsake s his feudal responsibilities and rights of inheritance and then pass a rigorous rite of initiation. There are many of these brotherhoods throughout the Empire. Some are small in size and their members are recruited from the local aristocracy, such as the Knights Griffon and the Knights of the Broken Sword. Other Orders restrict their membership to devout worshippers of a particular god. These are often referred to as knights templar, and they include such orders as the Black Guard of Morr and the zealous Knights of Sigmar's Blood. Whilst every Knightly Order will have a primary temple in one city-state or province, most will also state maintain subsidiary temples across the length and breadth of the Empire.

Every Empire knight bears his rank and Order's night symbols upon his shield or armour as heraldic devices and other icons of importance and symbolic meaning. The most famous Orders in the Empire have histories stretching back centuries and their chapter houses are hung with ancient banners and battle trophies. The three largest and most influential Orders are the Knights Panther, the Knights of the White Wolf. and the Knights of the Blazing Sun. Knights owe their allegiance directly to their lord: the Elector Count of their province. The Count can call upon his knights to come to arms and fight as pan of his army. When a Count musters his forces all the knights from an order fight together, forming individual units of Knights Panther. Knights of the Blazing Sun. and so forth.

Reiksgaurd Knights
See Also : Reiksgaurd Knights

The Reiksguard Knights are the personal army of the Emperor. As an Elector Count, the Emperor also has direct command of his own provincial army — which in the case of Karl Franz are the regiments of Altdorf and the Reikland — but it is the knights of the Reiksguard that form the symbol of his military strength. The Reiksguard forms an elite core of highly trained, expensively-equipped troops who are loyal to the Emperor in person. As the best troops available to the Emperor, the Reiksguard Knights form the core of the Imperial household guard, both on the field of battle as well as at other, more stately, functions. The Reiksguard accompanies the Emperor on campaign and during diplomatic and political tours throughout the Empire and abroad. However, it is not uncommon for the Emperor to attach a unit of these renowned warriors peror to fight alongside another Elector Count's army. In doing so, the Emperor is effectively lending the count his personal support for the upcoming struggle. The Reiksguard Knights form the bodyguard of the Emperor. The Order was first founded during the reign mperor. of Wilhelm, the first Emperor of the lineage of the Princes of Altdorf. Devout Templars of Sigmar, Reiksguard Knights swear to give their lives to protect the Emperor, who is the living incarnation of Si Sigmar.

Grandmasters

 * To lead admirable knights into honourable combat against the Chaos is a credit to their commander. And to stand and lead such a band as you is an honoured blessing as if from the gods themselves.


 * -Ancient Grandmaster

Greater even than a Knight of the Inner Circle is the Grand Master, and it is he who commands a Knightly Order. A Grand Master is a warrior and leader of unparalleled valour, having fought in dozens of battles, and whose military prowess is beyond question. An Elector Count can request that a Knightly Order fight alongside his army, but the decision to ride out lies e solely with the Grand Master. This makes the Grand Master a very powerful ally, and great care is taken not to offend them. A condition of his Order's aid may be that he himself takes command of the army. Most Elector Counts are only too happy for a general of such superlative ability to lead his soldiers, though this has not always proven to be the case, and ego, ambition or sheer lunacy has sometimes resulted in a Knightly Order withholding its aid.

The grand masters are some of the most well-known military men of the Empire, admired known by the aristocracy (to whom they invariably belong) and common people alike. The grand master is expected to be a paragon of knighthood, and as such must display both great physical prowess and knowledge on subjects such as history and warfare. In times of war the grand masters regularly take to the field of battle alongside their knights, inspiring them with the same sort of awe the knights themselves e inspire in the common soldiery. A grandmaster is not only one of the most fearsome warriors in the Old World, but also a legendary commander and leader of men. There are very few grandmasters in the Old World, for even amongst those