Knights of Fate

The **Knights of Fate** are the 100 historical and mythological figures chosen by the Leader of Fate via magical items and weapons. The Descendants of Fate descend from some of these knights. Some of them were chosen to be "ascended" by the Leader of Fate into Supreme Beings, including Gilgamesh and Nitocris.

Some of these knights, such as Morgana le Fey and Jack the Ripper, have been stripped off their titles for violating the Code of Fate.

## History

### The Holy Grail Wars

Main article: Holy Grail Wars

The Knights' Descendants fought in five Holy Grail Wars:

* First Holy Grail War (January 1, 1800 - November 11, 1818)
* Second Holy Grail War (April 12, 1861 - May 9, 1865, concurrent with the American Civil War)
* Third Holy Grail War (September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945, concurrent with World War II) - also known as the Great Holy Grail War, it was waged by the Descendants against evil German dictator Adolf Hitler, who sought the grail. Hitler was slain by the Free French.
* Fourth Holy Grail War (December 25, 1991 - June 18, 1996, began right after the end of the Cold War) - Broke out immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union.
* Fifth Holy Grail War (September 17, 2015 - ongoing)

## Three Knight Classes

### Sabers

Sabers are one of the Three Knight Classes among the seven standard Servant classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Knights of this class are agile and powerful melee warriors adept at swordsmanship.

Sabers are usually chosen through magical swords.

* Arthur Pendragon
	+ Aretha Arthurine Pendragon (Descendant)
* Emperor Nero
	+ Claudia Nero (Descendant)
* Miyamoto Musashi
	+ Miyake Miyamoto (Descendant)
* Julius Caesar
* Gawain
* Mordred
* Bedivere
* Rama
* Sigurd
* Zorro

### Archers

Archers are one of the Three Knight Classes among the seven standard Servant classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Knights of this class excel in possessing powerful ranged weapons, are able to act as highly effective scouts. They have the possession of powerful projectile weapons or special abilities related to projectile weapons.

Archers are usually chosen through magical bows and arrows.

* Ishtar
	+ Isma Ishtari (Descendant)
* Gilgamesh
* Robin Hood
* Tristan
* Arjuna
* Nikola Tesla
* Billy The Kid
* Napoleon Bonaparte
* Tomoe Gozen
* Orion
* William Tell
* David

### Lancers

Lancers are one of the Three Knight Classes among the seven standard Servant classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Knights of this class are very agile, display excellent close combat skills, show proficiency in hit-and-run tactics that capitalize on range and speed, and are skilled with long-range melee weapons such as spears and lances.

Lancers are usually chosen through magical lances.

* Scathach
	+ Skye McEilidh (Descendant)
* Elizabeth Bathory
* Nezha
* Brynhildr
* Ortlinde
* Thrud
* Hildr
* Jaguar Prince
* Parvati
* Leonidas I
* Gareth
* Romulus
* Sanada Yukimura

## Four Cavalry Classes

### Riders

Riders are one of the Four Cavalry Classes among the seven standard Servant classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Knights placed within this Class are those known for riding mounts, whether living beasts or human constructs, during their lives.

* Quetzalcoatl
	+ Corazon Quetza (Descendant)
* Francis Drake
	+ Francesca Drake (Descendant)
* Astolfo
* Sima Yi
* Anne Bonny
* Mary Read
* Boudicca
* Alexander the Great
* Genghis Khan
* Marie Antoinette
* Christopher Columbus
* Jules Verne
* Ivan the Terrible
* Sakamoto Ryoma
* Achilles
* Shuijing

### Casters

Casters are one of the Four Cavalry Classes among the seven standard Knight classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Servants placed within this class are usually adept in magical craft, and the only qualifying condition is the mastery of sorceries of the highest caliber compared to the specific parameter requirements of the other classes.

Casters are able to summon other entities which are generally more powerful. For example, Anastasia Ekaterina Romanoff, descendant of the Caster Knight Anastasia Nikolaevna, has the ability to summon the mighty three-headed dragon Zmey Gorynych with a mystical sword.

* Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova
	+ Anastasia Ekaterina Romanoff (Descendant)
* Nitocris
* Xuanzang Sanzang
* Zhuge Kongming
* Morgana le Fey
* Merlin
* Scheherazade
* Leonardo da Vinci
* Hans Christian Andersen
* William Shakespeare
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
* Ludwig van Beethoven
* Charles Babbage
* Geronimo
* Thomas Edison
* Albert Einstein
* Solomon
* Circe

### Assassins

Assassins are one of the Four Cavalry Classes among the seven standard Servant classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Most Assassins descend from the 19 Grand Hashashin Knights, an order of assassins.

* Consort Yu Meiren
* Empress Wu Zetian
* Semiramis
* Mata Hari
* Cleopatra
* Gaston Leroux
* Jack the Ripper
* Henry Jekyll
* Ishikawa Goemon

### Berserkers

Berserkers are one of the Four Cavalry Classes among the seven standard Servant classes summoned for the Holy Grail War. Knights placed within this Class are Heroic Spirits who have gone berserk during battle at least once in their lifetime.

* Florence Nightingale
* *Kijyo Koyo*
* Paul Bunyan
* Hercules
* Lancelot
* Lu Bu
* Spartacus
* Vlad the Impaler
* Caligula
* Darius III
* Lady Chacha
* Penthesilea
* Mary Shelley
* Beowulf
* Salome
* Paul Bunyan
* Naoe Kanetsugu

## Special Classes

### Rulers

Rulers are a non-standard Knight class brought forth for the purpose of presiding over Holy Grail Wars. The Rulers' chief duty is to preserve the Code of Fate to ensure it won't be violated.

* Joan of Arc
	+ Joan Darcy (Descendant)
* Qin Shih Huang Di
* Kublai Khan
* Catherine the Great
* Charlemagne
* Sherlock Holmes

### Avengers

The Avenger class is founded on vengeance, born from powerful resentment that does not fade even after death. Rather than revenge, the primary characteristic behind Knights of this class is avenging.

* *Dark Joan*
* Nohime

### Foreigners

Foreigners are a mysterious class of Knights which are defined by the Supreme Beings as a class for "beings who overturn the base laws of the world." They are said to be individuals who have "descended from superstition," those who have kept their "purity in the heart of madness" or who are "swallowed by madness but then turn around and consume the madness in turn.”

* Yang Guifei
* Wang Zhaojun
* Vincent van Gogh
* Claude Monet

### Alter-Ego

Alter-Egos are described as a Knight's persona which split off, gaining independence as a separate entity.

* Grigori Rasputin

### Shielder

Shielders are a new class of knights chosen through magical shields. However, not all knights chosen through magical shields are Shielders, as Corazon Quetza was chosen as a Rider by means of a magical shield.

* Mash Kyrielight, the "First Descendant".