The term palatinus was first used in Ancient Rome for a chamberlain of the Emperor, and also for the imperial palace guard, called the Scholae Palatinae by Constantine I. In the early Middle Ages, the meaning changed and the term was used for one of the highest officials of the Catholic Church in the Pope's service and also for some important noblemen of the Holy Roman Empire, who were named Counts Palatine. Similar titles were later used in 18th century Poland, 19th century Hungary and in the German Empire and United Kingdom during the early 20th century.
In medieval literature, the paladins, or Twelve Peers, were known in the Matter of France as the retainers of Charlemagne. Based on this usage, the term can also refer to an honorable knight, which has been used in contemporary fantasy literature.
The word palatinus and its derivatives also translate the titles of certain great functionaries in eastern Europe, such as the Slavic voivode, a military governor of a province. In Poland the title of Palatyn (Comes Palatinus) has merged with that of Wojewoda (Dux Exercituum).
In the ninth century Carolingean rule came to an end and the title of Holy Roman emperor with it. About a century later the title was resurrected by Otto I though the new empire was now centered in Germany rather than France. Under the German kings of the Saxon and Salian dynasties (10th to 12th century), the function of the counts palatine corresponded to those of the missi dominici at the Carolingian Court. They had various tasks: representatives of the king in the provinces, they were responsible for the administration of the royal domain and for the protecting and guiding the legal system in certain duchies, such as Saxony and Bavaria, and, in particular, Lotharingia. Later other palatine rights were absorbed by ducal dynasties, by local families, or, in Italy, by bishops. Increasingly, the count palatine of Lotharingia, whose office had been attached to the royal palace at Aachen from the 10th century onward, became the real successor to the Carolingian count palatine. From his office grew the Countship Palatine of the Rhine, or simply the Palatinate, which became a great territorial power from the time of the emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) (d. 1190) on. The term palatine reoccurs under Charles IV, but they had only voluntary jurisdiction and some honorific functions.
In 19th century Britain and Germany, paladin was an official rank and considered an honorary title for a man in service of his emperor. It was a Knight with additional honours, they were entitled to exercise powers normally reserved to the crown.
During the German Third Reich, Hermann Göring was also given the title “Paladin”, referring to the tradition of a title that made the carrier second to the monarch.
Paladin as a word referring to a champion or warrior of the European Middle Ages is often used to describe Charlemagne's legendary retainers, the Twelve Peers of medieval chansons de geste and romances. In the original version in Latin, palatinus was used, and the number resembles that of the twelve Salii priests mentioned above. These characters and their associated exploits are largely later fictional inventions, with some basis on historical Frankish retainers of the 8th century and events such as the Battle of Roncevaux Pass and the confrontation of the Frankish Empire with Umayyad Al-Andalus in the Marca Hispanica
The names of the twelve paladins vary from romance to romance, and often more than twelve paladins are named. The number is popular because it resembles the twelve Apostles – giving the king the position of Jesus not out of arrogance, but the conscience of the holy mission a king has. All Carolingian paladine stories feature paladins by the names of Roland and Oliver. Other recurring characters are Archbishop Turpin, Ogier the Dane, Huon of Bordeaux, Fierabras, Renaud de Montauban, and Ganelon. Tales of the paladins of Charlemagne once rivaled the stories of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table in popularity. Ludovico Ariosto and Matteo Maria Boiardo, whose works were once as widely read and respected as William Shakespeare's, contributed most prominently to the literary/poetical reworking of the tales of the epic deeds of the paladins.
The twelve paladins of Charlemagne are listed in the Old French Chanson de Roland as follows: Roland, Charlemagne's nephew and the chief hero among the paladins, Oliver, Roland's friend and strongest ally, and Gérin, Gérier, Bérengier, Otton, Samson, Engelier, Ivon, Ivoire, Anséis, Girard (similar spellings are possible).
The Italians Ariosto and Boiardo listed the paladins quite differently, but kept the number of twelve:
The Celtic revival of the 1880s benefited the Arthurian material and encouraged its reworking and recirculation. No such aura of latter-day romance could assist the Charlemagne material, which remained strongly Christian and triumphant in its presentation in contrast to the melancholy of the ultimate failure of the Arthurian heroes, and their ambiguous position at the transition from Celtic paganism to Christianity. As a result, contemporary readers know Arthur and his Camelot well while hearing little of the paladins of Charlemagne, who once enjoyed similar renown.
Numerous modern role playing games as well as pieces of fantasy literature make use of a "paladin" character class based on this concept. This type of paladins are typically skilled in melee swordfighting and possess great healing powers, and are exclusively depicted as holy swordsmen who fight for "the" just cause. The paladin typically has the role of a preserver, protector or exorcist in in-game universes.
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