Vassal vs. Knight — What's the Difference?

A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support by knights in exchange for certain privileges, usually including land held as a tenant or fief.

A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity.Knighthood finds origins in the Greek hippeis and hoplite (ἱππεῖς) and Roman eques and centurion of classical antiquity.In the Early Middle Ages in Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors. During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility.

A person who held land from a feudal lord and received protection in return for homage and allegiance.

A medieval tenant giving military service as a mounted man-at-arms to a feudal landholder.

A bondman; a slave.

A medieval gentleman-soldier, usually high-born, raised by a sovereign to privileged military status after training as a page and squire.

A subordinate or dependent.

A man holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country.

The grantee of a fief, a subordinate granted use of a superior's land and its income in exchange for vows of fidelity and homage and (typically) military service.

A man belonging to an order or brotherhood.

(historical) Any direct subordinate bound by such vows to a superior.

A defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle.

(figurative) Any subordinate bound by similar close ties.

The devoted champion of a lady.

Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile.

Abbr. Kt or N(Games) A chess piece, usually in the shape of a horse's head, that can be moved two squares along a rank and one along a file or two squares along a file and one along a rank. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces to land on an open square.

(transitive) To treat as a vassal or to reduce to the position of a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave.

To raise (a person) to knighthood.

(transitive) To subordinate to someone or something.

(historical) A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord.

The grantee of a fief, feud, or fee; one who holds land of a superior, and who vows fidelity and homage to him; a feudatory; a feudal tenant.

(historical) A minor nobleman with an honourable military rank who had served as a page and squire.

A subject; a dependent; a servant; a bondman; a slave.

(by extension) An armored and mounted warrior of the Middle Ages.

Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile.

A person obliged to provide knight service in exchange for maintenance of an estate held in knight's fee.

To treat as a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave.

(modern) A person on whom a knighthood has been conferred by a monarch.

A person holding a fief

(literary) A brave, chivalrous and honorable man devoted to a noble cause or love interest.

(chess) A chess piece, often in the shape of a horse's head, that is moved two squares in one direction and one at right angles to that direction in a single move, leaping over any intervening pieces.

A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave or jack.

(entomology) Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Ypthima.

(modern) Any mushroom belonging to genus Tricholoma.

(transitive) To confer knighthood upon.

To promote (a pawn) to a knight.

A young servant or follower; a military attendant.

In feudal times, a man-at-arms serving on horseback and admitted to a certain military rank with special ceremonies, including an oath to protect the distressed, maintain the right, and live a stainless life.

A piece used in the game of chess, usually bearing a horse's head.

A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave or jack.

To dub or create (one) a knight; - done in England by the sovereign only, who taps the kneeling candidate with a sword, saying: Rise, Sir --.

Originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit

A chessman in the shape of a horse's head; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa)

Raise (someone) to knighthood;