Editing True knight

[[File:THE HEDGE KNIGHT 6a Mike S. Miller and Anders Finer.jpg|thumb|300px|Ser [[Duncan the Tall]], by Mike S Miller ©]]
The '''true knight''' is a concept that embodies all that a [[knight]] should aspire to be - exemplifying all the qualities of what knighthood stands for. He is a shining example to all and held in the very highest esteem. Very few knights are considered true knights, as achieving and maintaining such high and noble ideals is a hard duty.

The opposite of a true knight is a false knight or "no true knight."

==Culture==
There are [[Westeros]]i songs and stories, particularly those depicting honorable knights and chivalry, that are very popular amongst all strata of society. In particular, [[Sansa Stark]] is captivated by the concept of the true knight.{{ref|AGOT|29}}

Different individuals have different conceptions of what makes a true knight. For example, while Ser [[Arlan of Pennytree]] believed that hedge knights were the truest sort of knights, because they could fight for causes they believed in without being beholden to lords or other powers,{{Ref|THK}} Lord [[Gormon Peake]] believed the hedge knights who attended the [[wedding tourney at Whitewalls]] without invite were no true knights.{{Ref|TMK}} The same knight may be declared both a true knight and no true knight by different individuals. This is the case with Ser [[Duncan the Tall]], who is declared a true knight by several individuals,{{Ref|THK}}{{Ref|TSS}}{{Ref|TMK}} but denounced as no true knight by Gormon Peake.{{Ref|TMK}}

A true knight must fully embrace the oath of knighthood:
{{Quote|In the name of [[Warrior (the Seven)|the Warrior]] I charge you to be brave. In the name of the [[Father (the Seven)|Father]] I charge you to be just. In the name of [[Mother (the Seven)|the Mother]] I charge you to defend the young and innocent. In the name of the [[Maiden (the Seven)|Maid]] I charge you to protect all women.{{Ref|THK}}}}

==Chivalric code==
True knights are supposed to:
* Be brave and just.
* Defend the young and innocent, especially women who can not defend themselves.{{Ref|ACOK|32}}{{Ref|AFFC|4}}{{Ref|AFFC|30}}{{Ref|AFFC|31}}
* Be cleanly as well as godly.<!--, but some take cleanly to mean a bath once every few weeks.-->{{Ref|THK}} 
* Act with military courtesy: in combat when nobles and knights are taken prisoner, their lives are spared and are often held for ransom.

==History==
After [[Dick Bean]], a simple [[man-at-arms]] and no knight, sided with [[Maegor I Targaryen]] in his [[trial of seven]], Ser [[Bernarr Brune]] joined Maegor's side. As he did so, Bernarr shouted, asking if there are no true knights or leal men present. His scorn led Ser [[Bramm of Blackhull]], Ser [[Rayford Rosby]], Ser [[Guy Lothston]], and Ser [[Lucifer Massey]] to join Maegor's side.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}

The fool [[Mushroom]] claimed that, although Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]] longed for Ser [[Criston Cole]], because Cole was a true knight and noble and chaste, he never kissed or declared love for her, despite being constantly in her company.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

As he buried his mentor, Ser [[Arlan of Pennytree]], [[Duncan the Tall|Dunk]] said that he was a true knight. Later, when seeking a seventh man to join him in his trial of seven against Prince [[Aerion Targaryen]], Dunk asked the a crowd full of knights and lords if there were no true knights among them, but none joined his cause. For his conduct, Dunk was considered a true knight by Prince [[Baelor Targaryen (son of Daeron II)|Baelor Targaryen]],{{Ref|THK}} Ser [[Eustace Osgrey]],{{Ref|TSS}} and Ser [[Glendon Flowers]].{{Ref|TMK}}

==Recent Events==
===''A Game of Thrones''===
Sansa Stark tells Prince [[Joffrey Baratheon]] that Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] is a true knight and wonders if he will win the [[Hand's tourney]]. Later, after witnessing [[Gregor Clegane]] say Ser [[Hugh of the Vale]] during the jousting, she tells his brother [[Sandor Clegane]] that he was no true knight.{{Ref|AGOT|29}}

Ser [[Marq Piper]] denounces Gregor Clegane as a false knight after he leads raids in the [[riverlands]], killing, raping, and pillaging.{{Ref|AGOT|43}}

When Ser [[Barristan Selmy]] of the [[Kingsguard]] believes he failed in his duty after [[Kingship|King]] [[Robert Baratheon]] sustained a mortal wound from a [[boar]], Lord [[Eddard Stark]] tells him that even the truest knights could not protect a king from himself.{{Ref|AGOT|47}}

When [[Cersei Lannister]] tells Barristan that he will be stripped of his white cloak and [[Jaime Lannister]] will take his place as [[Lord Commander of the Kingsguard]], he denounces Jaime as a false knight who profaned himself by killing the king he was sworn to defend, [[Aerys II Targaryen]].{{Ref|AGOT|57}}

Sansa tells Ser [[Meryn Trant]] he is no true knight when he arrives to escort her to the [[Great Hall (Red Keep)|throne room]] at Joffrey's request, following the execution of her father. Ser Meryn does not care about the insult.{{Ref|AGOT|67}}

===''A Clash of Kings''===
When Sansa receives a letter telling her to come to the [[Godswood of the Red Keep|godswood]] if she wants to go [[Winterfell|home]], she wonders if a true knight is sent to save her, perhaps [[Horas Redwyne]], [[Hobber Redwyne]], [[Balon Swann]], or [[Beric Dondarrion]]. At the [[godswood]], she prays to the [[old gods]] to send her a true knight to champion her. On the way back from the godswood, she encounters Sandor Clegane, who tells her to sing her a song about knights and fair [[Maiden|maids]], recalling that she likes knights. Sansa specifies that she likes true knights, which the [[Hound]] mocks.{{Ref|ACOK|18}}

After Joffrey orders the Kingsguard knights Meryn Trant and [[Boros Blount]] to beat and strip her, Sansa thinks that all the knights who stood by while it happened were no true knights. These knights include [[Lancel Lannister]], Horas Redwyne, and Hobber Redwyne. Only Ser [[Dontos Hollard]], who is no longer a knight, tries to help.{{Ref|ACOK|32}}

Sansa attempts to thank Sandor Clegane for rescuing her during the [[riots in King's Landing]], but he is hostile and mocks her for thanking him as though he was a true knight in the tales she loves. Sansa tells him that true knights protect the weak, but he declares that there are no true knights nor any gods. Sansa tells herself the stories can't be lies, and there are true knights.{{Ref|ACOK|52}}

While singing hymns during the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], Sansa thinks that the Hound was no true knight but still saved her in the riots. Discussing what might befall them if the battle is lost, Sansa tells [[Cersei Lannister]] that true knights would never harm women or children, though the words sound hollow. Cersei is amused and tells her to wait for [[Symeon Star-Eyes]] or [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon the Dragonknight]] to rescue her.{{Ref|ACOK|57}}

===''A Storm of Swords''===
Upon coming across the corpses of [[Prostitution|tavern wenches]] slain for laying with the [[House Lannister|Lannister]] side, [[Brienne Tarth|Brienne]] of [[Tarth]] declares that no true knight would condone such butchery. [[Jaime Lannister]] counters that true knights see and do worse every time they go to war.{{Ref|ASOS|1}}

After Ser [[Jorah Mormont]] kiss her without her permission, [[Daenerys Targaryen]] thinks to herself that to true knight would kiss a queen without her leave. She later tells him that if he were her true knight, he would never have brought her to the [[Slavery|slave]] markets of [[Astapor]].{{Ref|ASOS|23}}

===''A Feast for Crows''===
Ser [[Creighton Longbough]] insists that Brienne ride with his part on the road, as a true knight must defend women. One of the [[sparrows]] denounces ser [[Illifer the Penniless]] and Creighton as false knights when he refuses them escort to [[King's Landing]] without payment.{{Ref|AFFC|4}}

Ser [[Arys Oakheart]] declares that Ser [[Lucamore Strong]], who secretly had three wives and sixteen children while a knight of the Kingsguard, was no true knight, no more than Ser [[Terrence Toyne]], who was caught in bed with his [[Aegon IV Targaryen|king's]] [[Bethany Bracken|mistress]].{{Ref|AFFC|13}}

Ser [[Hyle Hunt]] is declared a true knight by an old man after he tells the serjeants at the gate at [[Maidenpool]] to let the man and his wife pass. Brienne,{{Ref|AFFC|14}} who has previously been wronged by Ser Hyle,{{Ref|AFFC|20}} frowns at the declaration.{{Ref|AFFC|14}}

As she lets Ser [[Osney Kettleblack]] touch her breast, Cersei tells him she thinks he is no true knight.{{Ref|AFFC|17}}

When Brienne asks him to help her bury [[Dick Crabb]], Hyle Hunt says that no true knight could refuse her beauty.{{Ref|AFFC|20}}

Ser [[Balman Byrch]] tells Cersei that Ser [[Bronn]] of the [[Battle of the Blackwater|Blackwater]], who has wed [[Falyse Stokeworth|his wife's]] younger [[Lollys Stokeworth|sister]], is no true knight. Cersei agrees and claims that he is a knight who would know true knighthood. Cersei convinces Balman to kill Bronn, and calls him a true knight when he understands her meaning and agrees.{{Ref|AFFC|24}}

Brienne thinks that Hyle Hunt is no true knight.{{Ref|AFFC|25}}

When Ser [[Lyle Crakehall]] declares his intent to hunt down Sandor Clegane, Lady [[Amerei Frey]] declares him a true knight for helping a lady in distress.{{Ref|AFFC|30}}

After her husband Ser Balman Byrch is killed by Bronn in single combat, [[Falyse Stokeworth]] says Bronn is no true knight.{{Ref|AFFC|32}}

===''A Dance with Dragons''===
In his account of his escape from [[King's Landing]] after being stripped of his white cloak, Barristan Selmy explains that a true knight such as himself is worth ten [[City Watch of King's Landing|guardsmen]].{{Ref|ADWD|11}}

Barristan tells his [[squire]]s&mdash;[[Tumco Lho]], [[Larraq]], the [[Red Lamb]], and three [[Ghiscari]] brothers&mdash;that chivalry is what makes a true knight, not their sword. Without their honor, they are only common killers, and it is better to die with honor than to live without it.{{Ref|ADWD|67}}

==Examples==
Various knights have been declared true knights:
*Ser [[Arlan of Pennytree]]{{Ref|THK}}
*Ser [[Balman Byrch]]{{Ref|AFFC|24}}
*Ser [[Criston Cole]]{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}
*Ser [[Lyle Crakehall]]{{Ref|AFFC|30}}
*Ser [[Duncan the Tall]]{{Ref|THK}}
*Ser [[Galladon of Morne]], the Perfect Knight{{Ref|AFFC|20}}
*Ser [[Hyle Hunt]]{{Ref|AFFC|14}}
*Ser [[Barristan Selmy]], the Bold{{Ref|AGOT|47}}
*[[Symeon Star-Eyes]],{{Ref|ACOK|57}} despite living in an era before knighthood in [[Westeros]]
*Prince [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon Targaryen]], the Dragonknight{{Ref|ACOK|57}}
*Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]{{Ref|AGOT|29}}
*[[Brienne of Tarth]], not a knight, being a woman, but lives by knightly virtues

By contrast, other knights have been denounced as no true knight or false knights:
*Ser [[Boros Blount]]{{Ref|ACOK|32}} 
*Ser [[Bronn|Bronn of the Blackwater]]{{Ref|AFFC|24}}
*Ser [[Gregor Clegane]]{{Ref|AGOT|29}}
*Ser [[Duncan the Tall]]{{Ref|TMK}}
*Ser [[Hyle Hunt]]{{Ref|AFFC|25}}
*Ser [[Illifer the Penniless]]{{Ref|AFFC|4}}
*Ser [[Osney Kettleblack]]{{Ref|AFFC|17}}
*Ser [[Jaime Lannister]]{{Ref|AGOT|57}}
*Ser [[Lancel Lannister]]{{Ref|ACOK|32}}
*Ser [[Creighton Longbough]]{{Ref|AFFC|4}}
*Ser [[Jorah Mormont]]{{Ref|ASOS|23}}
*Ser [[Hobber Redwyne]]{{Ref|ACOK|32}} 
*Ser [[Horas Redwyne]]{{Ref|ACOK|32}} 
*Ser [[Lucamore Strong]]{{Ref|AFFC|13}}
*Ser [[Terrence Toyne]]{{Ref|AFFC|13}}
*Ser [[Meryn Trant]]{{Ref|AGOT|67}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Heliotropa_no_true_knight.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Sansa Stark]] assures [[Sandor Clegane]] that his brother [[Gregor Clegane|Gregor]] is no true knight. Art by Heliotropa©]]

{{Quote|This man protected the weak, as every true knight must.{{Ref|THK}}|[[Baelor Targaryen (son of Daeron II)|Baelor Targaryen]] to [[Maekar I Targaryen|Maekar Targaryen]] regarding [[Duncan the Tall]]}}

{{Quote|[[Knight]]s are sworn to defend the weak, protect women, and fight for the right, but none of them did a thing. Only Ser [[Dontos Hollard|Dontos]] had tried to help, and he was no longer a knight. No more than the [[Tyrion Lannister|Imp]] was, nor the [[Sandor Clegane|Hound]] … the Hound hated knights … I hate them too. They are no true knights, not one of them.{{Ref|ACOK|32}}|thoughts of [[Sansa Stark]] after being beaten by [[Boros Blount]]}}

{{Quote|'''Sansa''': True knights protect the weak.<br>
'''Sandor''': There are no true knights, no more than there are gods. If you can't protect yourself, die and get out of the way of those who can. Sharp steel and strong arms rule [[known world|this world]], don't ever believe any different.{{ref|ACOK|52}}|[[Sansa Stark]] and [[Sandor Clegane]]}}

{{Quote|A true knight must defend the gentler sex.{{Ref|AFFC|4}}|[[Creighton Longbough]] to [[Brienne of Tarth]]}}

{{quote|You are a true knight, Ser Lyle, to help a lady in distress.{{ref|AFFC|30}}|[[Amerei Frey]] to [[Lyle Crakehall]]}}

{{Quote|Old or young, a true knight is sworn to protect those who are weaker than himself, or die in the attempt.{{Ref|AFFC|31}}|thoughts of [[Brienne of Tarth]]}}

{{Quote|It is chivalry which makes a true knight, not a sword. Without honor, a knight is no more than a common killer. It is better to die with honor than to live without it.{{ref|ADWD|67}}|[[Barristan Selmy]] to his squires}}

==References==
{{references}}

[[Category:Knights| ]]
[[Category:Terms]]