Paladin Lore

In this guide, I will tell you about the lore of Paladins in fantasy, and in our world's history. Of course, the DnD system encourages you to create your own lore as you play, so the details of some aspects are up to our own imagination.

Paladins Real Life History

The origins
The earliest recorded instance of the word paladin in the English language dates to 1592. It entered English through the Middle French word paladin, which itself derived from the Latin "palatinus", ultimately from the name of Palatine Hill ( "of the palace") in the Frankish title of Mayor of the Palace. A presumptive Old French form "palaisin" was already loaned into late Middle English as palasin in c. 1400. Over time paladin came to refer to other high-level officials in the imperial, majestic and royal courts. The word palatine, used in various European countries in the medieval and modern eras, has the same derivation. By the 13th century, words referring specifically to Charlemagne's peers began appearing in European languages; the earliest is the Italian paladino. Modern French has paladin, Spanish has paladín or paladino, while German has Paladin. By extension, paladin has come to refer to any chivalrous hero such as; King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In the Roman imperial period, a palatinus was one of the closest retainers of the emperor, who lived in the imperial residence as part of the emperor's household, and the title survived far into the medieval period. After the fall of Rome, a new feudal type of title, also known simply as palatinus, started developing. The Frankish kings of the Merovingian dynasty, employed a high official, the comes palatinus, who at first assisted the king in his judicial duties and at a later date discharged many of these himself. Other counts palatine were employed on military and administrative work.
The legend
Paladins (also called the Twelve Peers), are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval chanson de geste cycle of the Matter of France, where they play a similar role to the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian romance. In these romantic portrayals, the chivalric paladins represent Christianity against a Saracen invasion of Europe. The names of the paladins vary between sources, but there are always twelve of them, led by Roland. The paladins' most influential appearance is in The Song of Roland, written between 1050 and 1115, which narrates the heroic death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. The legend is based on the historical Umayyad invasion of Gaul and subsequent conflict in the Marca Hispanica between the Frankish Empire and the Emirate of Córdoba. The paladins remained a popular subject throughout medieval French literature. Literature of the Italian Renaissance introduced more fantasy elements into the legend, which later became a popular subject for operas in the Baroque music of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the tale of Le Pèlerinage de Charlemagne, they accompany their king on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Constantinople in order to outdo the Byzantine Emperor Hugo.
Historical use
In the Visigothic Kingdom, the "Officium Palatinum" consisted of a number of men with the title of count that managed the various departments of the royal household. The "Comes Cubiculariorum" oversaw the chamberlains, the "Comes Scanciorun" directed the cup-bearers, the "Comes Stabulorum" directed the equerries in charge of the stables, etc. The Ostrogothic Kingdom also maintained palatine counts with titles such as "Comes Patrimonium", who was in charge of the patrimonial or private real estate of the king, and others. The system was maintained by the Carolingian sovereigns. A Frankish capitulary of 882 and Hincmar, archbishop of Reims, writing about the same time, testify to the extent to which the judicial work of the Frankish Empire had passed into their hands. Instead of remaining near the person of the king, some of the counts palatine were sent to various parts of his empire to act as judges and governors, the districts ruled by them being called palatinates. By the High Middle Ages, the title "count" had become increasingly common, to the point that both great magnates who ruled regions that were the size of duchies, and local castle-lords, might style themselves "count". As the great magnates began to centralize their power over their local castle-lords, they felt the need to assert the difference between themselves and these minor "counts". Therefore, several of these great magnates began styling themselves "Count Palatine", signifying great counts ruling regions equivalent to duchies, such as the Counts Palatine of Champagne in the 13th century. The Count Palatine of the Rhine served as prince-elector from "time immemorial" Palatin was also used as a title in the Kingdom of Hungary. Paladin was used informally of the closest confidants of the German Emperor. Thus, Die Gartenlaube in 1871 named; Albrecht von Roon, Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke as "the three Paladins of the German Emperor". Similarly, British generals Garnet Wolseley and Frederick Roberts have been dubbed "Queen Victoria's Paladins". Adolf Hitler also used to refer to Hermann Göring as his Paladin.

Paladins In Fantasy

The concept
A Paladin was a holy crusader, sworn to an oath to promote and fight for their beliefs and values. As paragons of their beliefs, paladins were granted the ability to wield divine magic by deities or similar powers, and as long as a paladin stayed true to their oath, they retained the ability to wield these powers. The life of a paladin more commonly attracted good persons to it than those with malice in their heart, but evil paladins were not unheard of. The defining characteristic of a paladin was their oath, which most frequently called upon a paladin to battle the forces of evil and to defend justice wherever they could. Precisely how a paladin defined these values differed from one paladin to another and some swore their oath as a form of religious devotion, dedicating themselves to the values of a particular god. Others, however, simply held themselves to a particularly powerful sense of right and wrong, which was in of itself enough to attract the favor of the divine. Evil paladins sometimes served as champions of primordials or fiends, committing atrocities like the sacrifice of sapients in exchange for unholy power. All paladins, regardless of whom they served and how they acted, were expected to serve as sworn defenders of their beliefs, smiting those who would debase or devalue them. Lawful or good individuals were more likely to feel the call to serve as a paladin than others, making most paladins lawful good. As a result, most commoners viewed the paladin to be, by default, lawful good, though this was not always true. All paladins adhered to a code of conduct of some sort, though the strictures of their oath often differed significantly from one paladin to another. It was from this code that paladins derived their nature as the purist champions of whatever cause they served. Few paladins truly "chose" their career and for many becoming a paladin was more like answering a call to destiny, sometimes quite literally from a god or angel. A rare few felt compelled to the paladin's path since their early youth, as though sent into the world with a divine purpose. It was often said that becoming a paladin was something that was either within one's nature or not and though an individual could reject the divine call that beckoned them, no one could become a paladin who did not have the necessary conviction. Most people who did feel the compulsion to become a paladin began their training early in life, often as adolescents. Many were squires or assistants to more experienced paladins, training for years before they came into their own as champions of their cause. Others heard or answered the call only late in life, after having pursued a different career, possibly in response to a terrible catastrophe like the destruction of their home. The adventuring lifestyle came easily to most paladins, regardless of their origin, and although exceedingly rare among the general populace, paladins were disproportionately likely to pursue a life of adventure compared to most other warriors. Once a paladin swore their oath their loyalty to their was second to none, coming before crown or country. This strength of conviction gave many paladins a sense of common fellowship, but did not always endear them to others.
Oaths/Vows
Strongly associated with both druids and elves, the Oath of the Ancients was a promise to defend the natural world and all of its creatures against the forces of death and decay. Paladins who swore the Oath of the Ancients (known as fey knights, green knights, or horned knights), were commonly morally sound, ethically ambiguous, caring less for abstract principles like honor or freedom and more for deeply resonant sentiments like joy, kindness, and beauty. Above all else, these paladins valued the preservation of life. For their service, paladins were granted a number of potent boons. These paladins could turn fey or fiends and return them to their natural form, if they were shapeshifted. The Oath of the Ancients allowed paladins to project from themselves a powerful sphere of warding across a radius of 10 feet or more, protecting themselves and other nearby creatures from enemy spells. The most experienced paladins could even transform themselves into a manifestation of natural fury, taking on such changes in appearance as bark-like skin, leafy hair, or newly grown antlers. This form made the paladins' spells more potent and also allowed them to both heal and cast magic more quickly. Paladins that took the Oath of Conquest sought to bring order to the Realms by means of righteous victory in battle. They devoted themselves to ridding the world from chaos and strife, by destroying them outright. Many of these paladins served gods of war, or followed the tenets of extolling the virtues of warfare. These paladins were nearly unequaled on the battlefield and projected auras of dread that terrified others. Paladins that dedicated their service to queen and country, those who promised to uphold the ideals of civilized lands, swore the Oath of the Crown. They fought to uphold law and order in service to a regent, turning back any foe that threatened peace and order within their homeland. These paladins often held membership in one of the numerous knighthoods of the Realms. The oath to their monarch they swore was often one aspect of that organization. These paladins were exceptionally selfless and steadfast in battle, shrugging off effects that would hinder others and redirecting attacks upon themselves, so that others were free from harm. The Oath of Devotion called upon all those sworn to adhere to the highest principles of righteousness, foregoing all loyalties but to the pursuit of justice and the protection of the innocent. Paladins belonging to this oath were often known as cavaliers, white knights, or holy warriors and were almost always lawful good. Idolizing angels as the servants of lawful or good deities, those paladins held themselves to an extremely high standard of behavior. Although this Oath was not a path for the weak of spirit, it did have its reward. The gods of law and good who favored those sworn to the Oath, granted them access to a number of potent spells, such as sanctuary, dispel magic, and flame strike. Additionally, the purity of a truly experienced paladin of Devotion was such that they were always under the effect of the protection from evil and good spell, even when it had not been cast. And at last, we have the Oath of Vengeance. While many paladins were paragons of virtue and honor, not all were. In some times and places, a different paladin was called upon, one who was willing to do what other paladins were not. These paladins (sometimes known as avengers or dark knights) were sworn to a dark pact, to utterly destroy the unrighteous by any means necessary. Unconcerned with honor or spiritual purity, paladins sworn to this Oath were often called upon to deal with those that broke legal bindings or otherwise failed to uphold their end of a bargain. In order to pursue their goal of divinely sanctioned retribution, these paladins were granted access to a number of darker spells such as; bane, haste, or scrying, as well as a number of other powerful abilities. With training these paladins became relentless hunters, possessed of a supernatural focus that let them close in on a fleeing foe after striking them once in flight. The most powerful ones, were also capable of shapeshifting into the form of an angel, sprouting fully functional wings from their back and radiating an aura of supernatural menace into a sphere of 60 feet in diameter, frightening all but the most strong-willed foes.

[Imperius]

I was taking the info from various D&D and historical sites so it's impossible to list them all after so much time has passed since I wrote this "lore guide". But from what I remember, it's not all that difficult to find on your own. But I think the main D&D page has everything you would need to read on.

[Ocatvio Meidna]

thanks! source, buddy?

[Ro1970]

[Old Guy]

Excellent! Thank you!

[Rika]

Thank you!

[SOL MAN]

I liked getting the whole story about paladins. It covered everything you want to know about the subject. It had even the history in the real world where the word and concept came from.