Military Knights of Windsor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Military Knights of Windsor are retired military officers who receive a pension and accommodation at Windsor Castle, and who provide support for the Order of the Garter and for the services of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. They are commanded by a senior retired officer as Governor of the Military Knights of Windsor. The Military Knights of Windsor were constituted by King Edward III following the Battle of Crécy, when many knights captured by the French were forced to liquidate their estates to raise ransom money in order to secure their release. They are therefore sometimes also known as Alms Knights, or Poor Knights. At the original establishment of the Order of the Garter, twenty-six Poor Knights were appointed and attached to the Order and its chapel at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The number was not always maintained; by the seventeenth century, there were just thirteen Poor Knights. At his restoration, King Charles II increased the number to eighteen. After they objected to being termed "poor", King William IV renamed them the Military Knights of Windsor.
Poor Knights were originally impoverished military veterans. They were required to pray daily for the Sovereign and Knights Companions of the Order of the Garter; in return, they received a salary and were lodged in Windsor Castle. Today the Military Knights, who are no longer necessarily poor, but are still military pensioners, participate in the Order's processions, escorting the Knights and Ladies of the Garter, and in the daily services in St. George's Chapel. They are not members of the Order itself, nor are they necessarily actual knights — indeed few if any have been knights.
"Poor Knights of Windsor" is also a colloquial name for French toast in parts of the UK.
