Even before the Middle Ages ended, around 1500, knighthood was beginning to fade. The knight, who had once been a military necessity, was made obsolete by new weapons and new infantry tactics. Nonetheless, although the warrior elite of the Middle Ages vanished, knighthood survived the changing times and even the death of chivalry.

The Pike and the Cavalry

The military importance of the knight was on the decline by the end of the fourteenth century. The longbow and the crossbow had been the first weapons to pierce the iron shell worn by the knight. However, improvements in armor plate had been sufficient to counter these weapons.

But no improvement in armor could protect the knight from the pike and the gun. In the late 1300s, European infantry began adopting the eighteen-foot-long pike spear and army leaders discovered its potential. If enough foot soldiers...