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Engaging story with a high (relative) degree of historical accuracy.

A classic. Terrible adherence to history, but entertaining none-the-less.

A classic, but also has value in showing the oft unreported side of being a knight - war.

A classic.

This movie is entertaining and funny, but obviously not intended as historical gospel. If anything, it does provide a decent picture of a tournament though.

This movie's scenery is as beautiful as its historical revision is revolting. Ridley Scott continues to try to paint the Crusades as an act of European imperialism and aggression and gets away with it because most people do not know any better. Enjoy the movie and then read this article.

Similar to The War Lord in many ways, this movie shows a Templar leading the defense of a besieged castle. It is interesting to see Purefoy's portrayal of the Templar trying to keep his vows. I believe that this would useful for a player of a paladin as it demonstrates the restraint necessary in many cases, and the consequences of laxity.

1.To stay firm and erect on the saddle in everything you do
2.To press your legs against the beast
3.To have your feet firm in the stirrups
4.To know how and when to use your hands
5.To know the best way to ride, specific to each saddle, in accordance to its type and preparation, in order to stay mounted as strongly as possible
6.To know how to correct yourself, the saddle, and the stirrups better to manage every action you need to take, in accordance with the beast's behavior.

Duarte, King of Portugal. The Royal Book of Jousting, Horsemanship, and Knightly Combat: a Translation into English of King Dom Duarte's 1438 Treatise Livro da ensinanca de bem cavalgar toda sela (The Art of Riding in Every Saddle). trans. Antonio Franco Preto. ed. Steven Muhlberger. Highland Village: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2005.

"They live as brothers in joyful and sober company, without wives or children. So that their evangelical perfection will lack nothing, they dwell united in one family with no personal property whatever, careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. They never sit in idleness or wander about aimlessly, but on the rare occasions when they are not on duty, they are always careful to earn their bread by repairing their worn armor and torn clothing, or simply by setting things to order. For the rest, they are guided by the common needs and by the orders of their master."(5)

The Templars are most doughty men,
And they certainly know how to provide for themselves,
But they love pennies too much.
When prices are high
They sell their wheat
Instead of giving it to their people.
Nor do the lords of the Hospital,
Have any desire for buying women`s services
If they have their palfreys and horses,
I don`t say it for any evil...(6)

Pope Innocent III wrote:
How does a man love according to divine precept his neighbor as himself when, knowing that his Christian brothers in faith and in name are held by the perfidious Muslims in strict confinement and weighed down by the yoke of heaviest servitude, he does not devote himself to the task of freeing them? ...Is it by chance that you do not know that many thousands of Christians are bound in slavery and imprisoned by the Muslims, tortured with innumerable torments?
Professor Madden writes:
"Crusading," Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith has rightly argued, was understood as an "an act of love"—in this case, the love of one's neighbor. The Crusade was seen as an errand of mercy to right a terrible wrong. As Pope Innocent III wrote to the Knights Templar, "You carry out in deeds the words of the Gospel, 'Greater love than this hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friends.'"

The Education of Squires
The knowledge and school of chivalry is such that the knight makes his son learn in his youth to ride, for if he does not learn it in his youth he shall never learn it in old age. And it behooves that the son of a knight in the time that he is a squire should take on the keeping of a horse. It behooves him also to serve, and that he be the first subject of the lord, for otherwise he will not know the nobility of lordship when he [himself] should become a knight. And therefore every man who would come to knighthood should learn, in his youth, to carve at the table, to serve, to arm and to adoube a knight; for in likewise as a maid will learn how to sew in order to be a tailor or or to be a carpenter that can sew or hew. Likewise it behooves that a noble man who loves the order of chivalry and would be a knight would first have a master who is a knight, for thus it is a dis-covenable thing that a squire should learn the order and nobility of chivalry from any other man than a knight. So very high and honored is the order of chivalry that a squire should suffer himself not only to learn to keep horse and learn to serve a knight, that he go with him to tourneys and to battles; but it is necessary also that he beholds the school of the Order of Knighthood.

That Knights Ought to be Governors of Lands under the Nobles, Kings, Emperor, and all under God
So very noble is the order of chivalry that every knight ought to be a governor of a great country or land. But there have been too many knights, and the land may not suffice to signify that one ought to be the lord of all things...and under the barons ought to be knights, who ought to govern the ordinances of the barons who are in the high degree of chivalry named before, to show excellence, leadership, and the power and the wisdom of our lord glorious God, who is the only God in trinity, who can and may govern all things.

The Knight Must Maintain and Defend his Worldly Lord and the Knights Should Be Judges if They Were More Learned in Wisdom
The office of a knight is to maintain and defend the worldly lord, for a king who has no barons has no power to maintain righteousness in his men without aid and help.... By the knights ought to be maintained and kept justice, for in likewise do the knights have the office to keep them from violence in exercising the deeds of justice.

Knights Must Undertake Such Sports as to Make Themselves Strong in Prowess, Yet Not Forget Their Duties
Knights ought to take coursers to joust and to go to tourneys, hold an open table, to hunt harts, bears, and other wild beasts, for in doing these things the knights exercise themselves to arms and thus maintain the order of knighthood.

The Knight Must Also Practice Such Things as Will Exercise the Soul, as Well as his Body
And therefore the knight who uses the things that pertain to the order of chivalry as touching his body and has none of the virtues that pertain to chivalry as touching the soul is not the friend of the order of knighthood. For if it is were thus, that he made seperation of the virtues...it should signify that the body and chivalry were both together contrary to the soul and to these virtues. And that is false.

The Knight Must Maintain his Land
The office of a knight is to maintain the land, for because of dread of the common people have of the knights, they labor and cultivate the earth, for fear, lest they should be destroyed. And by their dread of the knights they redoubt the kings, princes and lords, by whom they have their power.

A Knight Must Aid his Lord; his Lord Must Foster Chivalry in himself ere he Destroy it in his Subjects
There is no office that he made but that it may be defeated, that would be a thing similar to God (who may not be defeated or destroyed).

The Knight Must Maintain and Defend Women, and Respect and Defend Those Less Powerful Than He
The office of a knight is to maintain and defend women, widows and orphans, men diseased; and those who are neither powerful nor strong. For as custom and reason is that the greatest and most mighty helps the feeble and the lesser, and that they should have recourse to the great.

The Knight Must Possess Such Riches as to Support his Office, Lest he be Forced to Robbery
The office of a knight is to have a castle and horse for to keep the ways and to defend those who labor on the lands and in the earth and they ought have towns and cities to hold right to the people.

Lull, Ramon. trans. William Caxton. ed. Brian R. Price. Ramon Lull's Book of Knighthood and Chivalry. Union City: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2001.

Knight - the word brings to mind shining armor, dragons, castles, jousts, crusades, and heroic quests. Dungeons & Dragons contains most of the elements of a knight-themed campaign - medieval armor, mounted combat, and a multitude of fantastic beasts to slay - but there are a few elements missing. This article fills in those gaps so you can start your own knightly adventures and go questing in grand style or simply add a little chivalry to your game.

What's Missing?
Many D&D campaigns have the elements necessary for knightly orders, but they lack the feel and the atmosphere. Similarly, many characters have all the attributes of a knight, but simply calling a character a knight isn't enough. What then, constitutes a knight?

Knights are warriors. Knights specialize in warfare. Although they might possess a variety of other social skills, they are expected to possess the basic abilities of any melee combatant. On the field, they should terrify lesser opponents; regular troops should flee when faced with a contingent of knights.

Knights are elite. Knights are superior in combat and some other quality, be it social, physical, or mental. In some cultures, knights might be considered inherently superior by birth. In others, they might need to train to join a particular order that offers such status. In all cases, knights have qualities that make them better than their fellows, and people look to them in difficult times.

Knights are organized. Knights are elite because they are an ordered, capable force of trained professionals. This organization makes the knights a force to be reckoned with, both physically and politically.

Knights follow a code. Knights are presumed to follow a common set of rules and hold each other up to certain standards. A code makes knights more respectable in the eyes of most people, and it makes them ideal for laying down the law, often with the edge of a blade. Many D&D characters follow a code, paladins being the primary example, but what makes knights different is that all knightly orders, regardless of alignment, share certain aspects of the same code. Establishing a unified code, more than any other element, helps to establish the feel of knighthood.

Tresca, Michael John. "Knights: Honor and Chivalry in Any D&D Game." Dragon, September 2002, 25.

Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart
The most prestigious of all orders, the Radiant Heart commands respect from the highest ranks of the aristocracy, who regards its members regarded as dignitaries in their own right. [this is original to the text.] The Radiant Heart honors not only distinguished service, but what is perhaps the most remarkable accomplishment of any paladin - a long life. Primarily a social organization, the Radiant Heart holds a lavish feast every spring, held in the castle of a grateful monarch who donates both the labor and the food. In their free time, members counsel younger paladins, serve as government advisors, and officiate at tournaments.
Emblem: A stylized outline of a heart.
Motto: "The courage of one can change the destiny of many."

Radiant Heart Auxiliary
This is the junior wing of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, organized to honor outstanding young paladins. Like the Most Noble Order, the the auxiliary is a social organization, though its members may occasionally be called upon to serve or assist their sponsors.
Emblem: A heart symbol, similar to that of the Most Noble Order, enclosed in a circle. The symbol is embroidered on a sash or painted on a shield.
Motto: "A loyal heart and a faithful spirit."

Ancient and Revered Order of the Thorn
Second in prestige only to the Order of the Radiant Heart, the Order of the Thorn recognizes service to a church. Membership is extended to those demonstrating exemplary courage in defense of religious principles or church property. Largely an honorary organization, members have no responsibilities other than counseling their congregations and helping church leaders interpret religious doctrine.
Emblem: A long-stemmed rose.
Motto: "Faith is the mother of duty and the father of truth."

Distinguished Order of the Crystal Dawn
An elite organization of land-owners, the Order of the Crystal Dawn recognizes business acumen and successful resource management. It provides investment advice and low-interest loans to its members, and serves the community with charity drives and financial counseling.
Members of the order, having demonstrated financial responsibility throughout their careers, are no longer bound by the paladin's stricture that forbids the accumulation of wealth. However, members are still expected to use their wealth for lawful good purposes, and are not allowed to acquire material possessions merely for the pleasure of ownership.
Emblem: A golden rising sun.
Motto: "Peace from prosperity."

Righteous Order of the Iron Dragon
This order honors outstanding military service. Its members have distinguished themselves through heroism in combat and gallantry on the battlefield. While members have no formal responsibilities, the High Officers occasionally rally them to fight as an elite force in emergencies.
Emblem: The silhouette of a dragon's head, colored dark gray, on a field of red.
Motto: "Peace through strength."

Order of the Divine Hand
This order recognizes excellence in the medical arts. Its members are dedicated healers who exploit their order's prestige to elicit contributions from wealthy patrons. The members use the funds to build and staff hospitals through the world, particularly in rural areas otherwise lacking in medical care. Members oversee these hospitals, priding themselves on offering free services to all, regardless of social rank or religious orientation. The only patients turned away are those of evil alignment.
Emblem: A serpent coiled around a staff.
Motto: "There is no kindnesss more pure than the touch of a healer's hand."

Swan, Rick. The Complete Paladin's Handbook. Random House, 1994.

These orders are not aligned with any particular church, but rather with an idea or a cause