Order of chivalry
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See also British_honours_system#Orders_of_Chivalry
Orders of chivalry were initially Christian military orders of Western European armored cavalry (Knights) who vowed to pursue certain goals and follow ethical rules of warfare. The Templar Knights, founded circa 1118 were the most famous early order, but not quite the first.
In the Late Middle Age chivalry was romanticized and many orders became heriditary associations of nobility. These eventually develloped into the honour systems that exist today.