 At the founding of the Order of the Garter , 26 " poor knights " were appointed and attached to the Order and its chapel . This number was not always maintained , and by the 17th century , there were only thirteen such knights . King Charles II increased the number to 18 ( in large part because of funds allocated from Sir Francis Crane 's will ) after his coronation in 1660 . After the knights objected to being termed " poor " , King William IV redesignated them in the 19th century as the Military Knights of Windsor . 
