From Knighthood to Nobility

This chapter deals with knighthood, the ‘crystallization’ of the nobility, and the relationship between the two. From a rather lowly affair, by the early twelfth century knighthood had become the chief means of social ascent in an increasingly militarized world. A detailed examination of the terminology employed in the sources shows that the references to nobility began in the late twelfth century, were relatively rare until 1220, and increased until the language of nobility became entrenched. The crystallization of the nobility, I argue, began in the highest ranks of seigniorial society and was diffused downwards in a spirit of exclusion in both the countryside and the cities. This was prompted by the social tensions arising within a commercially and demographically expanding world. The knighting ceremony would appear to be an important constituent. Opposition formed among the rich but non-aristocratic popolo. In Pisa it led eventually to a full-scale popolo regime in 1254. These developments were paralleled in other cities.