cabaleiro

Cabaleiro is the Galician term for knight, horseman, or mounted warrior. In the Galician-Portuguese linguistic area, it historically designated a member of the noble class who provided military service as a rider to a lord or ruler. The concept is cognate with the Spanish caballero and the Portuguese cavaleiro/cavaleiro, all tracing back to Latin caballarius, meaning horseman.

In medieval Iberia, cabaleiros formed part of the feudal hierarchy and played a central role in frontier defense and cavalry-based warfare. They owed loyalty to their liege, managed land or vassal duties, and often served in regional armies. Over time, some cabaleiros joined or aligned with royal or regional orders of knighthood and participated in chivalric practices associated with the era.

In modern usage, cabaleiro is chiefly a historical or literary term within Galician contexts. It also appears in genealogical and onomastic material as a surname, with families bearing Cabaleiro identified in Galician and, more broadly, Iberian regions.

See also: caballero (Spanish), cavaleiro/cavaleiro (Portuguese), and the concept of knighthood in medieval Iberia.