What is the difference between knights and Cataphracts?

While the cataphract charge wasn't as formidable as the knight charge, the Romans estimated it took eight ranks of legionarii to stop the Persian cataphract charge. read more

Both knights and cataphracts were super-heavy shock cavalry intended to encounter the enemy in close combat and crush him by impetus and fighting skills. Both were fully armoured and horse could be armoured as well. read more

Cataphracts and knights were very different - they are both heavy cavalry, but there the similarity ends. A knight had religious overtones and looked at his duty in an entirely different way. One is a soldier, the other is a warrior. read more

A "knight" became more than a tactical concept, but rather a way of life. Consequently, even high nobility aspired to be recognized as "knightly" - even though Knights as a social class were small landowners and not even necessarily part of the nobility. The cataphract is a much older concept, and dates back to at least late antiquity. read more