Women receive all their honours in the same fashion as men receiving decorations or medals, even if they are receiving a damehood, so there is no female word equivalent of being "knighted".
History
The Order of the Ermine, founded in France by John V, Duke of Brittany, in 1381, was the first order of chivalry to accept women; however, female knights existed for centuries in many places in the world prior to this.[8] Like their male counterparts, they were distinguished by the flying of coloured banners and generally bore a coat of arms.
One woman who participated in tournaments was Joane Agnes Hotot (born 1378), but she was not the only one.[9][10] Additionally, women adopted certain forms of regalia which became closely associated with the status of knighthood.[11]
Unlike the male knights, it was virtually unimaginable to see women taking part in medieval battles or commanding battalions of soldiers, but there were exceptions. Joan of Arc is the most famous; another case was the Welsh princess Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd. Some wore armour, others commanded troops, and some were members of an official order of chivalry. One woman to wear full armour into battle was the Duchess Gaita of Lombardy (also called Sikelgaita), who rode beside her Norman mercenary husband, Robert Guiscard.[11] She was a knight in her own right.[11][12] Another was Petronilla de Grandmesnil, Countess of Leicester; wearing a mail hauberk with a sword and a shield, she defended her lands from Henry II of England. She and her husband participated in the rebellion in 1173 against King Henry II.[12] However this does not mean that they were officially knighted the way men were.
Formerly, a knight's wife was given the title of Dame before her name, but this usage was replaced by Lady during the 17th century.
The title of Dame as the official equivalent of a knight was introduced in 1917 with the introduction of the Order of the British Empire, and was subsequently extended to the Royal Victorian Order in 1936, the Order of St Michael and St George, and finally the Order of the Bath in 1971.[citation needed]
In French Louisiana from the 17th through to the 19th centuries, Dame was the title accorded to a woman "of substance or position in the locality".[19] Similarly, in 1889 in France, it was reportedly "a title of honour which long distinguished high-born ladies from the wives of citizens and the commonalty in general" and a title of respect for a widow.[20][21]
Notes
↑ "How to get a Knighthood or Damehood". Awards Intelligence. 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018. A knighthood, and the female equivalent, a damehood, is an award given by The Queen to an individual for a major, long-term, contribution in any activity, usually at a national or international level.
↑ Karmon, Yehuda (1987). Die Johanniter und Malteser: Ritter und Samariter: die Wandlungen des Ordens vom Heiligen Johannes. Callwey. p.193. ISBN9783766708625.
↑ Napier, Gordon (24 October 2011). A to Z of the Knights Templar: A Guide to Their History and Legacy. History Press. p.193. ISBN9780752473628.
↑ "Dame". Debretts. n.d. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
↑ Stanford, P. (2003). "Dame Felicitas Corrigan". UK Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2023. Dame Felicitas - the title Dame is given to English Benedictine nuns in preference to Sister ...
↑ Chamber's Encyclopaedia. William and Robert Chambers, London. 1889. p.665. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
↑ Hanks, P. (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University. p.406. Dame..from Old French, Dame, 'Lady'...title of respect for a widow...
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