The goal of this post is to discuss the different "knightly" (some aren't knights) orders that have been founded in Westeros.

"Knightly Orders" in the Series

Note: Obviously not all of these orders/groups are knights, especially since knights are a rare sight in the North. Due to this I am including certain groups that may not be made up of knights, but seem to perform knightly functions, etc. as compared to other groups that do not (sellsword groups, etc.)

Monarch Guards

Kingsguard

The Kingsguard was established during the reign of Aegon I:

It was Visenya, not Aegon, who decided the nature of the Kingsguard. Seven champions for the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, who would all be knights. She modeled their vows upon those of the Night's Watch, so that they would forfeit all things save their duty to the king. And when Aegon spoke of a grand tourney to choose the first Kingsguard, Visenya dissuaded him, saying he needed more than skill in arms to protect him; he also needed unwavering loyalty. -TWOIAF, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon I

The Kingsguard has had its good members and its bad:

Barristan Selmy was not a bookish man, but he had often glanced through the pages of the White Book, where the deeds of his predecessors had been recorded. Some had been heroes, some weaklings, knaves, or cravens. Most were only men—quicker and stronger than most, more skilled with sword and shield, but still prey to pride, ambition, lust, love, anger, jealousy, greed for gold, hunger for power, and all the other failings that afflicted lesser mortals. The best of them overcame their flaws, did their duty, and died with their swords in their hands. The worst …

The worst were those who played the game of thrones. -ADWD, The Queensguard

But the point is they were a knightly order established to defend the king (and his family, depending on the monarch)

Each ruler of Westeros has had its own kingsguard, and it should be noted that the kingsguard has been divided against itself numerous times and recently (The Hound) allowed a non-member into their ranks. As of right now fAegon and Tommen have kingsguards, Euron is unknown and Stannis seems to believe the actual kingsguard is his.

If interested: Whatever He Chose: Jaime Lannister's Entry in the White Book

Queensguard

Good Queen Alysanne had Jonquil Darke as a "sworn shield" (similar to how the Hound was Cersei's sworn shield and later Joffrey's) but this was a solo defender.

There has technically been two "queensguards". One for Rhaenyra (the half-year queen) and another for Dany.

During the Dance of the Dragons the kingsguard split between Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II:

Ser Boros and Ser Meryn sat to his right, leaving an empty chair between them for Ser Arys Oakheart, off in Dorne. Ser Osmund, Ser Balon, and Ser Loras took the seats to his left. The old and the new. Jaime wondered if that meant anything. There had been times during its history where the Kingsguard had been divided against itself, most notably and bitterly during the Dance of the Dragons. Was that something he needed to fear as well? -ASOS, Jaime VIII

Dany's kingsguard consists of:

• Ser Jorah Mormont, former Lord Commander, banished by Queen Daenerys for treason.
• Ser Barristan Selmy, current Lord Commander and Queen's Hand.
• Aggo, ko and bloodrider to Daenerys.
• Jhogo, ko and bloodrider to Daenerys.
• Rakharo, ko and bloodrider to Daenerys.
• Strong Belwas, a eunuch and former pit fighter sent to Daenerys by Illyrio Mopatis

Rainbow Guard

In place of a kingsguard, Renly Baratheon establishes a rainbow guard:

"The Rainbow Guard?"

"Renly's made his own Kingsguard," the onetime smuggler explained, "but these seven don't wear white. Each one has his own color. Loras Tyrell's their Lord Commander."

It was just the sort of notion that would appeal to Renly Baratheon; a splendid new order of knighthood, with gorgeous new raiment to proclaim it. Even as a boy, Renly had loved bright colors and rich fabrics, and he had loved his games as well. "Look at me!" he would shout as he ran laughing through the halls of Storm's End. "Look at me, I'm a dragon," or "Look at me, I'm a wizard," or "Look at me, look at me, I'm the rain god." -ACOK, Prologue

The List:

1. Ser Loras Tyrell (Lord Commander) - Kills Robar and Emmon after grief from Renly's death. He later joins Joffrey/Tommen's kingsguard
2. Ser Robar Royce (Red) - Killed by Loras
3. Ser Bryce Caron (Orange) - Switches allegiance to Stannis and is slain on the Blackwater by Philip Foote
4. Ser Emmon Cuy (Yellow) - Slain by Loras
5. Ser Guyard Morrigen (Green) - Switches allegiance to Stannis and is slain by Garlan Tyrell
6. Brienne of Tarth (Blue) - Flees after Renly's death, becomes Catelyn Tully's sworn sword
7. Ser Parmen Crane (Purple) - Switches allegiance to Stannis and is taken captive by Loras, held at Highgarden

Robb's Guard

Obviously knights are much rarer in the North, but since Robb is a monarch, I felt it was necessary to include his battle guard:

Behind him his battle guard formed up. When he'd forced Catelyn to accept her protectors, she had insisted that he be guarded as well, and the lords bannermen had agreed. Many of their sons had clamored for the honor of riding with the Young Wolf, as they had taken to calling him. Torrhen Karstark and his brother Eddard were among his thirty, and Patrek Mallister, Smalljon Umber, Daryn Hornwood, Theon Greyjoy, no less than five of Walder Frey's vast brood, along with older men like Ser Wendel Manderly and Robin Flint. One of his companions was even a woman: Dacey Mormont, Lady Maege's eldest daughter and heir to Bear Island, a lanky six-footer who had been given a morningstar at an age when most girls were given dolls. Some of the other lords muttered about that, but Catelyn would not listen to their complaints. "This is not about the honor of your houses," she told them. "This is about keeping my son alive and whole." -AGOT, Catelyn X

The List:

Died in the Whispering Wood:

1. Daryn Hornwood, slain by Ser Jaime Lannister in the Whispering Wood.
2. Eddard Karstark, slain by Jaime in the Whispering Wood.
3. Torrhen Karstark, slain by Jaime in the Whispering Wood.

Died/Captured at the Red Wedding:

1. Lucas Blackwood, slain by Ser Hosteen Frey at the Red Wedding.
2. Robin Flint, stabbed by Freys at the Red Wedding.
3. Ser Donnel Locke, slain by a crossbowman at the Red Wedding.
4. Patrek Mallister, captured at the Red Wedding.
5. Ser Wendel Manderly, slain by a crossbowman at the Red Wedding.
6. Dacey Mormont, the only woman of the group, slain by Ser Ryman Frey at the Red Wedding.
7. Owen Norrey, slain by a crossbowman at the Red Wedding.
8. Smalljon Umber, beheaded by Boltons or Karstarks at the Red Wedding.
9. Ser Raynald Westerling, Robb's banner-bearer, presumed dead after being shot with Frey arrows at the Red Wedding.

Other:

1. No less than five Freys ( possibly including: Olyvar Frey, Robb's squire, sent away from the Twins before the Red Wedding and Ser Perwyn Frey, sent away from the Twins before the Red Wedding.)
2. Theon Greyjoy, Robb's childhood friend, betrays Robb for his father, Lord Balon Greyjoy, and leads the capture of Winterfell.

And Theon Greyjoy fought at Robb's side, and boasted of how he had almost crossed swords with the Kingslayer. Would that he had. If Theon had died in place of Lord Karstark's sons, how much ill would have been undone -ASOS, Catelyn V

Religious Orders

Brotherhood without Banners

The BWB are an interesting case, as they all have been knighted:

We are brothers here," Thoros of Myr declared. "Holy brothers, sworn to the realm, to our god, and to each other."

"The brotherhood without banners." Tom Sevenstrings plucked a string. "The knights of the hollow hill."

"Knights?" Clegane made the word a sneer. "Dondarrion's a knight, but the rest of you are the sorriest lot of outlaws and broken men I've ever seen. I shit better men than you." -ASOS, Arya VI

We even see Gendry become one, but they don't follow the Seven. They follow R'hllor:

One brother, a young novice, was bold enough to tell the red priest not to pray to his false god so long as he was under their roof. "Bugger that," said Lem Lemoncloak. "He's our god too, and you owe us for your bloody lives. And what's false about him? Might be your Smith can mend a broken sword, but can he heal a broken man?" -ASOS, Arya VII

Warrior's Sons

The Warriors were an order of knights devoted to the Faith that primarily known for fighting against Maegor the Cruel:

"They date from before Aegon's Conquest," Cersei explained to her. "The Warrior's Sons were an order of knights who gave up their lands and gold and swore their swords to His High Holiness. The Poor Fellows . . . they were humbler, though far more numerous. Begging brothers of a sort, though they carried axes instead of bowls. They wandered the roads, escorting travelers from sept to sept and town to town. Their badge was the seven-pointed star, red on white, so the smallfolk named them Stars. The Warrior's Sons wore rainbow cloaks and inlaid silver armor over hair shirts, and bore star-shaped crystals in the pommels of their longswords. They were the Swords. Holy men, ascetics, fanatics, sorcerers, dragonslayers, demonhunters . . . there were many tales about them. But all agree that they were implacable in their hatred for all enemies of the Holy Faith -AFFC, Cersei VI

- Lancel means to join them

Bearded Priests

Definitely not knights as the originate in Norvos, but due to their vows, etc. and Areo Hotah's place in the story (at least several more chapters as the Camera that Rides), I thought I would include:

He was only a captain of guards, and still a stranger to this land and its seven-faced god, even after all these years. Serve. Obey. Protect. He had sworn those vows at six-and-ten, the day he wed his axe. Simple vows for simple men, the bearded priests had said. -AFFC, The Captain of the Guards

and:

From the founding to the present, Great Norvos has been a theocracy, ruled by its bearded priests, who are themselves ruled by their god, who speaks his commands to them from the depths of their fortress-temple, which only true believers may enter and live. Though the city has a council of magisters, its members are selected by the god, speaking through his priests. To enforce obedience and keep the peace, the bearded priests keep a holy guard of slave soldiers, fierce fighters who bear the brand of a double-bladed axe upon their breasts and ritually marry the longaxes they fight with. -TWOIAF, The Free Cities: Norvos

Others

Dragonkeepers

The dragonkeepers were an order of guards who protected the dragons in the Dragonpit. While we do not know much about them (or if they were even knights) we do get descriptions of their armor:

where empty suits of armor stood sentinel along the walls. They were relics of the Targaryens, black steel with dragon scales cresting their helms -AGOT, Eddard IV

and:

Along the walls stood empty suits of armor, dark and dusty, their helms crested with rows of scales that continued down their backs. As they hurried past, the taper's light made the shadows of each scale stretch and twist. The hollow knights are turning into dragons -ASOS, Sansa V

If interested: The Dragonkeepers

Order of the Green Hand

The order of the Green Hand was a knightly order founded in the Reach and seemingly wiped out during the Field of Fire when Aegon invaded. The dispossessed Manderlys still claim membership.

If interested: The Order of the Green Hand

We will also learn more about them in future books:

Also, will we learn more about the Order of the Green Hand in future books?

GRRM: Yes and yes. -SSM, Five in a Row: 24 November 2016

Wild Hares

Similar to Robb's battle guard, Benefred Talfrey

Benfred has raised his own company of lances. Boys, none older than nineteen years, but every one thinks he's another young wolf. When I told them they were only young rabbits, they laughed at me. Now they call themselves the Wild Hares and gallop about the country with rabbitskins tied to the ends of their lances, singing songs of chivalry." -ACOK, Bran II

They are later surprised and easily defeated by Theon Greyjoy and the Ironborn while they harry the Stony Shore.

Holy Hundred

Bonifer Hasty and his Holy Hundred are soldiers pious in their faith to the Seven (not sworn since the Faith Militant has been outlawed since 48 AC).

"Can you hold Harrenhal with just your Holy Hundred?" Jaime asked. They should actually be called the Holy Eighty-Six, having lost fourteen men upon the Blackwater, but no doubt Ser Bonifer would fill up his ranks again as soon as he found some sufficiently pious recruits.

"I anticipate no difficulty. The Crone will light our way, and the Warrior will give strength to our arms."

Or else the Stranger will turn up for the whole holy lot of you. Jaime could not be certain who had convinced his sister that Ser Bonifer should be named castellan of Harrenhal, but the appointment smelled of Orton Merryweather. Hasty had once served Merryweather's grandsire, he seemed to recall dimly. And the carrot-haired justiciar was just the sort of simpleminded fool to assume that someone called "the Good" was the very potion the riverlands required to heal the wounds left by Roose Bolton, Vargo Hoat, and Gregor Clegane.

But he might not be wrong. Hasty hailed from the stormlands, so had neither friends nor foes along the Trident; no blood feuds, no debts to pay, no cronies to reward. He was sober, just, and dutiful, and his Holy Eighty-Six were as well disciplined as any soldiers in the Seven Kingdoms, and made a lovely sight as they wheeled and pranced their tall grey geldings. Littlefinger had once quipped that Ser Bonifer must have gelded the riders too, so spotless was their repute. -AFFC, Jaime III

Bonifer and his Holy 86 currently hold Harrenhal.

Brotherhood of the Winged Knights

Since Tommen has a kingsguard of 7, Sweetrobin wanted 8 members:

She closed the window, gathered up the fallen papers, and stacked them on the table. One was a list of the competitors. Four-and-sixty knights had been invited to vie for places amongst Lord Robert Arryn's new Brotherhood of Winged Knights, and four and-sixty knights had come to tilt for the right to wear falcon's wings upon their warhelms and guard their lord.

The competitors came from all over the Vale, from the mountain valleys and the coast, from Gulltown and the Bloody Gate, even the Three Sisters. Though a few were promised, only three were wed; the eight victors would be expected to spend the next three years at Lord Robert's side, as his own personal guard (Alayne had suggested seven, like the Kingsguard, but Sweetrobin had insisted that he must have more knights than King Tommen), so older men with wives and children had not been invited. -TWOW, Alayne I

The Sword of the Morning (and Evening)

The Sword of the Morning is a "solo" order in which only one member (knight) is chosen at a time who must be "worthy".

The opposite (Sword of the Evening) is only mentioned once in the series, Nymeria sends a Dayne king to the Wall. Its possible that Gerold will steal Dawn and become a Sword of the Evening (by default).

Fun fact: Back when I was so green I pissed grass, I posted over on westeros.org as "The Sword of the Evening" (it was also my original flair here). I thought I was being clever combining "Sword of the Morning" and "Shade of the Evening" but apparently I wasn't first lol

Honor Guards

We see different characters like Catelyn Stark and Maester Luwin get honor guards:

"It should not be long now, my lady," Hallis Mollen said. He had asked for the honor of protecting her in the battle to come; it was his right, as Winterfell's captain of guards, and Robb had not refused it to him. She had thirty men around her, charged to keep her unharmed and see her safely home to Winterfell if the fighting went against them. Robb had wanted fifty; Catelyn had insisted that ten would be enough, that he would need every sword for the fight. They made their peace at thirty, neither happy with it. -AGOT, Catelyn X

and:

"When last I passed this way, I saw every rock and tree and whitecap, and watched the grey gulls flying in our wake. I was five-and-thirty and had been a maester of the chain for sixteen years. Egg wanted me to help him rule, but I knew my place was here. He sent me north aboard the Golden Dragon, and insisted that his friend Ser Duncan see me safe to Eastwatch. No recruit had arrived at the Wall with so much pomp since Nymeria sent the Watch six kings in golden fetters. Egg emptied out the dungeons too, so I would not need to say my vows alone. My honor guard, he called them. One was no less a man than Brynden Rivers. Later he was chosen lord commander." -AFFC, Samwell II

We also see this happen when Renly/Barristan are sent to escort the Robert back from Winterfell.

I keep repeating this (bc I know someone is going to @ me) that not all of these are knights or even official orders, but I left out numerous other "groups" that didn't seem to really fit what I was trying to accomplish here (sellswords, winter wolves, etc.)

That said, I am sure I forgot one or two, so let me know.

TLDR: "Knightly Orders that exist/have existed in Westeros.