Knight

A noble rank within the system of Imperial Nobility in the Third Imperium.

The standard ranks of Nobility are:

1. Emperor / Empress
2. Archduke / Archduchess
3. Duke / Duchess
4. Count / Countess or Contessa
5. Viscount / Viscountess
6. Marquis / Marchioness or Marquesa
7. Baron / Baroness
8. Baronet / Baronetess
9. Knight / Dame

Knights hold a special place within the nobility. As the nobles most often encountered by common citizens, and the one title a citizen can readily aspire to, Knights are often seen as the most immediate face and voice of the Imperium.

Knights of all three types, Ceremony, Honor, and Landed, exist within the Imperium, but there are also Orders and Rank within the title. Most notably, not all Knights are recognized by the Imperium as a whole.

The ranks within an given Order of Knighthood vary from order to order, but some typical ranks include:

• Grand Master (senior-most Knight Grand Commander and head of the order)
• Knight Grand Commander
• Knight Commander
• Knight (Officer)
• Knight
• Companion or Frater/Soror or Member

The most common Orders of Knighthood in the Imperium are (ranked in precedence)):

1. The Order of Starship and Crown, established in 17. Knights of the order are ranked solely according to the date of their knighthoods

2. The Order of the Emperor's Guard, established in 52 and originally limited to the Emperor's personal retainers but now of wide and diverse membership. Most (though not all) Landed Knights are inducted into the Order of the Emperor's Guard.

More exclusive orders have also been established:

3. The Order of the Arrow, (established in 62 by Emperor Artemsus, to recognize interstellar explorers.).

4. The Ancient and Preeminent Order of Sylea.

5. The Ancient Order of Vland.

6. The Order of Gateway.

7. The Order of Ilelish.

8. The Royal Order of Antares.

9. The Order of Sol.

10. The Order of Deneb .

• The Order of the Solomani Rim (Order of precedence not specified).

• The Order of the Spinward Marches (Order of precedence not specified).

Additional Imperium-wide orders have also been established:

• The Order of The Cross of Arlea.
• The Order of the Iridium Throne.
• The Order of the Third Imperium.
• The Order of the Knights Imperial.
• The Order of the Empire.

• The Order of Gvadakoung (established to honor loyal Vargr citizens).
• The Order of Hlyuea (established to honor loyal Aslan citizens).
• The Order of Muan Gwi (established to honor loyal Vegan citizens).
• The Order of Eerynaaia (established to honor loyal Luriani citizens).
• The Order of Wampallally (established to honor loyal Bwap citizens).

Retainer Knights are those named by a Subsector or Sector Duke to serve his or her interests and household.

Imperial Knights are those recommended to and confirmed by the Office of the Emperor, often with the consultation of the Master of any Order to which they were recommended.

Every world in the Imperium, save those under interdict and worlds with no permanent populations, has an assigned Landed Knight. Such knights are usually (but not always) inducted into the Order of the Emperor's Guard. The specific title varies by region and the influence of Terran or other traditions.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• GURPS Traveller: Nobles
• Imperiallines 7 (magazine)
• T5 Patent Cards: COTI