Knight's Cross (German language Ritterkreuz) refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used in conjunction with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of the Third Reich. However, numerous orders have a Knight's Cross grade. Examples include the Cross of Merit on the ribbon of the Bundesverdienstkreuz, the Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur, a grade of the War Merit Cross, the Knight's Cross of the Brandenburg Bailiwick of the Knights' Order of the Hospital of St John in Jerusalem, the Knight's Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph, the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, 1st class (Knight) of the Order of the Sun, and the Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern.
Famous quotes containing the words knight and/or cross:
“The Knight of the Doleful Countenance.”
—Miguel De Cervantes (1547–1616)
“How have I been able to live so long outside Nature without identifying myself with it? Everything lives, moves, everything corresponds; the magnetic rays, emanating either from myself or from others, cross the limitless chain of created things unimpeded; it is a transparent network that covers the world, and its slender threads communicate themselves by degrees to the planets and stars. Captive now upon earth, I commune with the chorus of the stars who share in my joys and sorrows.”
—Gérard De Nerval (1808–1855)