Spoilers A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

[Older Beholder]

I was just thinking about how any knight can knight a knight. How does that not immediately turn into a knight knighting pyramid scheme?

Just imagining if that was how it worked in real life. Elton John and Stephen Fry going round knighting people. The whole country would be knights within a week!

Probably why, as they say in the episode, there are as many Hedge Knights in Westeros as there are hedges.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

the right to bear weapons and armor

Any idiot can buy armor. Just ask Gendry; he sold armor.

 

[Mannahnin]

Any idiot can buy armor. Just ask Gendry; he sold armor.

Maybe, maybe not. Probably depends on local laws. In most places no one may care, or it may be frowned on by the local lords as something like "impersonating an officer", with only soldiers, guardsmen, city watch and knights normally allowed and expected to wear it. King's Landing could have laws against commoners wearing it but still have enough work for armorers like Gendry's master, just equipping knights and guardsmen.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe, maybe not. Probably depends on local laws. In most places no one may care, or it may be frowned on by the local lords as something like "impersonating an officer", with only soldiers, guardsmen, city watch and knights normally allowed and expected to wear it. King's Landing could have laws against commoners wearing it but still have enough work for armorers like Gendry's master, just equipping knights and guardsmen.

In all of GoT, HotD, and now KotSK, I’ve seen nothing to suggest that Westeros has laws against wearing armour.

 

[Mannahnin]

In all of GoT, HotD, and now KotSK, I’ve seen nothing to suggest that Westeros has laws against wearing armour.

Fair enough. I didn't claim that there are. Just the cost would be enough of a bar for the vast majority of common folk.

Do we ever see any characters in any of the books or shows wear armor who don't have a rank or job where it would be expected? I can't remember it ever coming up.

 

[Morrus]

Do we ever see any characters in any of the books or shows wear armor who don't have a rank or job where it would be expected? I can't remember it ever coming up.

Well you wouldn’t wear armour if you didn’t need to. It’s not exactly comfortable or practical for a family BBQ. I imagine most people only wear it where their job requires it.

 

[Mannahnin]

Well you wouldn’t wear armour if you didn’t need to. It’s not exactly comfortable or practical for a family BBQ. I imagine most people only wear it where their job requires it.

Obviously.

Clearly the situation where someone who's not a guard, soldier, or knight wants/needs to strap on armor is a rare one, though it's the kind of thing which comes up with adventurers in D&D regularly.

IRL there have been laws against wearing armor in public at various times, and obviously the same for weapons more frequently. If there are no laws against wearing armor in Westeros, than that's just more support for my point that there's too little gained from just the title of Knight for Geometric Proliferation of Knighting to be an issue.

 

[sevenbastard]

I was just thinking about how any knight can knight a knight. How does that not immediately turn into a knight knighting pyramid scheme?

I assume there are some negatives to being a knight. Feels like they have there own set of laws and such so its possible the obligations they have are not worth the very small benefit of getting to be called Sir.