black knight

A black knight is a soldier or knight who either is not bound to a specific liege or does not want their liege, or themselves, to be identified and so does not bear any heraldic standards or has blackened them out. Since heraldic standards were carefully regulated by one official body or other (such as the British College of Arms), a fighting man who had not obtained a standard (through inheritance or endowment by a liege) would have no colors or devices to represent him. These would-be knights were often freelance soldiers. An experienced and equipped soldier without a specific fealty was a wild card and an organized force of them could absolutely be trouble for kings. This sort of dispossessed status ran contrary to the entire system of feudalism and this condition was looked upon with disfavor. This disfavoring viewpoint is a contributing factor towards the pejorative usage of the term. The more commonly used, and negative reference, is that of a soldier or knight who has purposefully hidden their standards. Knights involved in risky political intrigues or activities unbecoming of a man of station would blacken their shields so as to not be easily identified. Black Knight can also refer to:

A Black Knight is any of several knights clad in black armor in Arthurian legend.
The Black Knight is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and a member of The Avengers.
The Black Knight is a fictional character in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Black Knight (movie) is a 2001 film starring Martin Lawrence.
Black Knight was part of the British rocketry programme in the 1950s.
Black Knight was a pinball machine made by Williams Electronics in 1980.
The nickname of Arpine Lusne, a fictional villain in several Scrooge McDuck stories created by Keno Don Rosa.
The Black Knight is another name for the Knight of Glin, an Irish hereditary title.
Many video games consider Black Knights as Knights who have joined the force of evil. Example: Black Knights in Dungeon Keeper 2.

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