Who were the Paladins?

The paladins (derived from the Latin palatine meaning ‘servant, government official’), sometimes also known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne’s court. Charlemagne or Charles the Great (742 – 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774 and Holy Roman Emperor from 800. He united much of Western and Central Europe during the early Middle Ages. He was the first recognised emperor to rule from Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire centuries earlier.

In ancient history, paladins were renowned not just as elite warriors but as champions of the weak and vulnerable, epitomising all that was good. They were devoted to kindness. But beyond measure they were devoted in their effectiveness at ridding the universe of evil and crusading in the name of good, justice and order. All the while they honoured their strict code of honour. It was said that in combat, a paladin with a cause was almost impossible to defeat. Such was their fearsome reputation that it was said they had divine powers.

The knights templar

The knights templar, better known as King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, were paladins. However, it was not necessary to be a knight to be regarded as a paladin. Indeed, over the centuries, the term ‘paladin’ has found its way into dictionaries as a noun used to describe generally a determined advocate and defender of a particular cause.

Such is the reputation of the paladins through history that Dungeons & Dragons and various other role-playing games have adopted paladins amongst their cast. Needless to say, in every game they are regarded as amongst the most agile and effective of all warriors. They are almost impossible to defeat.

As the Paladin Promise illustrates, we could not have conceived of a more fitting name for our business. It synonymises what we do and how we do it. We strive to honour the paladins who have come before us. Entrusted with a cause, we are indeed almost impossible to defeat.