Holy Knights

The Holy Knights (聖騎士 Seikishi) are the most powerful knights in Britannia who are heroes that protect the kingdom. They are terrifying individuals, with each able to match an entire country's army in strength, and having magic that transcends human knowledge imbued within their bodies.

10 years ago
After the Seven Deadly Sins were framed for killing the Great Holy Knight, Zaratras, and plotting to overthrow the Kingdom, the entire order of Britannia's Holy Knights were dispatched to kill them. After the group of knights' supposed offense and subsequent escape of at least four of them, the Seven Deadly Sins were dissolved and were relentlessly hunted by the Holy Knights.

Present day
A few days before Elizabeth found Meliodas, the Holy Knights had orchestrated a coup d'etat and captured King Leoneth, the king of Britannia. The kingdom, now under the control of the Holy Knights, fell into a state of distress as citizens from towns and villages surrounding the kingdom were enslaved or forcefully recruited into joining a furtive war effort; the men being forcibly trained as soldiers, the women and children being forced to amass food for storage, and the elderly being forced to construct castle walls. Death has now become the penalty for insubordination under the rule of the Holy Knights.

Trivia

 * Holy Knight is a special job class in Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation.