Editing Knight (section)

==Decline==
{{see also|Military history}}
[[File:Manif. di bruxelles su dis.di bernart von orley, IGMN144483, 1526-31.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|The [[Battle of Pavia]] in 1525. [[Landsknecht]] mercenaries with [[arquebus]].]]
By the mid to late 16th century, knights were quickly becoming obsolete as countries started creating their own [[Standing army|standing armies]] that were faster to train, cheaper to equip, and easier to mobilize.<ref name="End">Gies, Francis. ''The Knight in History''. Harper Perennial (July 26, 2011). pp. Introduction: What is a Knight. {{ISBN|978-0060914134}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knight-medieval.com/history-knight-medieval-templars.htm|title=The History of Knights|publisher=All Things Medieval|access-date=2015-11-15|archive-date=2020-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223081742/http://knight-medieval.com/history-knight-medieval-templars.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The advancement of high-powered firearms contributed greatly to the decline in use of plate armour, as the time it took to train soldiers with guns was much less compared to that of the knight. The cost of equipment was also significantly lower, and guns had a reasonable chance to easily penetrate a knight's armour. In the 14th century the use of infantrymen armed with [[Pike (weapon)|pikes]] and fighting in close formation also proved effective against heavy cavalry, such as during the [[Battle of Nancy]], when [[Charles the Bold]] and his armoured cavalry were decimated by Swiss pikemen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/middle-ages/knights4.htm|title=History of Knights|date=4 September 2008|publisher=How Stuff Works }}</ref> As the feudal system came to an end, lords saw no further use of knights. Many landowners found the duties of knighthood too expensive and so contented themselves with the use of squires. [[Mercenaries]] also became an economic alternative to knights when conflicts arose.

Armies of the time started adopting a more realistic approach to warfare than the honor-bound code of chivalry. Soon, the remaining knights were absorbed into professional armies. Although they had a higher rank than most soldiers because of their valuable lineage, they lost their distinctive identity that previously set them apart from common soldiers.<ref name="End"/> Some knightly orders survived into modern times. They adopted newer technology while still retaining their age-old chivalric traditions. Examples include the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre|Knights of the Holy Sepulchre]], [[Knights Hospitaller]] and [[Teutonic Knights]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carnaval.com/malta/history/knights/|title=Malta History 1000 AD–present|publisher=Carnaval.com|access-date=2008-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204113517/http://www.carnaval.com/malta/history/knights/|archive-date=2012-02-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>