Landed knight

Ser Harys Swyft, the Knight of Cornfield, by Nicole Cardiff © Fantasy Flight Games

A landed knight is a knight who resides in a keep with accompanying land. Knightly families are members of the nobility and their status is hereditary. They have their own peasants and men-at-arms, and may take sworn swords.

Landed knights appear to be similar in nature to the gentry, untitled minor nobility typically distinguished by their knighthood.

Definition

Landed knights are members of nobility, but are normally are too low in rank to marry into great houses; marrying a highborn woman like Brienne of Tarth would be a great achievement for one. Landed knights are not lords, and there are many more of the former; House Osgrey once boasted a score of lesser lordlings and a hundred landed knights as vassals, while House Manderly claims a dozen lords and hundred landed knights as bannermen. A landed knight does not have the authority to deliver justice in their land, specifically the right of pit and gallows. Rather, they must appeal to their liege lord. Landed knights are sworn to fight for the lord who holds dominion over their land.

Some landed knights are more powerful than smaller lordlings. These knights are usually of ancient houses, with extensive lands and strong castles. Their status is often reflected by taking a style that incorporates the name of their castle, such as Symond Templeton being the "Knight of Ninestars". Regardless, a landed knight has less prestige and is outranked by lords at feasts and tourneys.

According to a semi-canon source, masters in the north are similar to southron landed knights.

Examples

• Ser Gregor Clegane
• Ser Ronnet Connington, the Knight of Griffin's Roost
• Ser Deziel Dalt, the Knight of Lemonwood
• Ser Gerold Dayne, the Knight of High Hermitage
• Ser Bonifer Hasty
• Ser Lorent Lorch
• Ser Symon Santagar, the Knight of Spottswood
• Ser Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight
• Ser Harys Swyft, the Knight of Cornfield
• Ser Symond Templeton, the Knight of Ninestars

Quotes

Ser Ronnet Connington, the Knight of Griffin's Roost, by Mariana Vieira © Fantasy Flight Games

But certain landed knights, of ancient houses, with extensive lands, and large strong castles, may be lords in all but name. These uber-knights may actually be more powerful than many smaller lordlings, so there's an overlap. Their peculiar status [is] often reflected by taking a style that incorporates the name of their castle, such as the Knight of Ninestars.

—George R. R. Martin

Dunk was at ease among smallfolk and servants; the idea of claiming a place among the lords, ladies, and landed knights made him uncomfortable.

—thoughts of Dunk

Egg: The king's law gives lords the power of pit and gallows on their own lands.
Rohanne: Clever boy. If you know that much, you will also know that landed knights have no right to punish without their liege lord's leave.

—Egg and Rohanne Webber

Ser Ronnet was a landed knight, no more. For any such, the Maid of Tarth would have been a sweet plum indeed.

—thoughts of Jaime Lannister

After Ynys had come the Drinkwater twins, a pair of tawny young maidens who loved hawking, hunting, climbing rocks, and making Quentyn blush. One of them had given him his first kiss, though he never knew which one. As daughters of a landed knight, the twins were too lowborn to marry, but Cletus did not think that was any reason to stop kissing them.

—thoughts of Quentyn Martell

A landed knight is no fit consort for a princess of royal blood.

—Barristan Selmy to Daenerys Targaryen

And Daario Naharis is only a sellsword, not fit to buckle on the golden spurs of even a landed knight.

—thoughts of Daenerys Targaryen