Theaccolade (also known asdubbing,adoubement, orknighting) (Latin:benedictio militis) was the central act in therite of passageceremonies conferringknighthood in theMiddle Ages.[1][2][3][4]
The termaccolade entered English by 1591, whenThomas Lodge used it in a historical romance aboutRobert the Devil: "He had with all solemnitie the accolade, and was commanded to kneele downe to receiue the order of Knighthoode".[5] It derives from the Middle Frenchaccolee, meaning an embrace or the bestowal of knighthood thereby, which in turn descends from the Latincollum, meaning "neck".[6]
Regarding the cognate termcolée/collée, see below.
In earlier medieval times, knighting did not involve any ritual of the "hand-buffet on the neck" or theaccolade by sword-tap of later times. It only involved the equipping of one with the arms of a full-fledged man, and the ritual was one of girding the knight candidate with his sword.[7]
The ceremony typically involved the knight candidate being girt with a sword or having (golden) spurs attached onto him.[9]
As precursor of theaccolade, there was the rite ofcolée/collée in parts of medieval France, which involved a rough blow to the neck of the one being bestowed knighthood. Possibly by the intervention of the Church, the practice was mitigated to delivering a light blow with the sword, and eventually the modern termaccolade stuck to it.[10][12]
Accolade ceremonies have taken a variety of forms, including the tapping of the flat side of aknighting sword on theshoulders of a candidate (who is himself sometimes referred to as an accolade during the ceremony)[1][13] or an embrace about the neck.[citation needed]
The earliest reference to the knighting as a formal ceremony in Germany is in theAnnals of Aachen under the year 1184, when the EmperorFrederick I's sons,Henry VI andFrederick VI, "were made knights" (facti sunt milites).[14]
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An early Germanic coming-of-age ceremony, of presenting a youth with a weapon that was buckled on him, was elaborated in the 10th and 11th centuries as a sign that theminor hadcome of age. A panel in theBayeux Tapestry shows the knighting ofHarold byWilliam of Normandy, but the specific gesture is not clearly represented.
In medieval France, early ceremonies of theadoubement were purely secular and indicated a young noble coming of age. Around 1200, these ceremonies began to include elements of Christian ritual (such as a night spent in prayers, prior to the rite).[15]
The increasingly impressive ceremonies surroundingadoubement figured largely in theRomance literature, both inFrench and inMiddle English, particularly those set in theTrojan War or around the legendary personage ofAlexander the Great.[16]
Newly inducted militaryKnights of the Legion of Honour are struck on both shoulders with a sword (Army and Navy) or adirk (Air Force), if the ceremony is presided over by a military authority.[17] Civilian members and all members of lesser orders (Merit,Arts and Letters...) are not dubbed with a bladed weapon. They receive only theaccolade, which has kept in French its ancient meaning of "embrace".
Officers in the French Armed Forces also receive the accolade, but a different version. When they graduate, during the ceremony a senior officer hovers their sword on the kneeling graduate's shoulders as if he were knighting the young officer. This part is called the "adoubement", which has a different meaning than accolade. Adoubement involves the sword, accolade is a movement of the hands which varies in different countries. In France, it can be akin to a hug or a hand on the shoulder.
In the Netherlands, the knights in the exclusiveMilitary Order of William (the Dutch "Victoria Cross") are struck on the left shoulder with the palm of the hand, first by the Dutch monarch (if present) then by the other knights. The new knight does not kneel.[18]
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All newly created knights in the UK are dubbed on both shoulders with a sword by the monarch or the prince delegated by them. In the first example, the "knight-elect" kneels in front of themonarch on a knighting-stool.[1] First, the monarch lays the side of the sword'sblade onto the accolade's right shoulder.[1] The monarch then raises the sword just up over the apprentice's head, flips it counterclockwise so that the same side of the blade will come in contact with the knight's body, and places it on his left shoulder.[1] The new knight then stands up, and the king or queen presents him with the insignia of his neworder. Contrary to popular belief, the phrase "Arise, Sir ..." is not used.[19] There are currently eleven different knighthoods being bestowed (in ascending order):Knights Bachelor, Knights Commanders and Knights Grand Cross of theOrder of the British Empire,Royal Victorian Order,Order of Saint Michael and Saint George andOrder of the Bath, Knights of theOrder of the Thistle and Knights Companion of theOrder of the Garter.
Women who are awardeddamehoods do not receive the accolade.[20]
Clergy receiving a knighthood are not dubbed. The use of a sword in this kind of a ceremony is believed to be inappropriate.[1]
Knights of theEquestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an order of chivalry under the protection of theHoly See, are dubbed in the head and on both shoulders during the investiture ceremony. The accolade is given during Holy Mass, by the officiatingPrelate.
The accolade is also performed today with the unrecognized Habsburg Order ofSt. George during the investiture with a sword on both shoulders. The ceremony including the oath is performed byKarl von Habsburg or Georg von Habsburg. The knights kneel and the sword touches both shoulders.[21][22]
