| | |  | A Band of Brothers - Military Orders of the Crusades For a warrior in the crusades, it is comforting to have the support of fellow warriors, and in many ways, a military order provided just that. More than that, though, it also provided camaraderie for fellow soldiers and knights, and in some cases may also have provided spiritual guidance too. After all, many of the military orders founded during the Crusades were founded with at least a partial religious basis. Many of these orders are ones that are already known to the people. Two weeks ago we gave some history and some details about the Knights Templar - one of the most iconic and well-known of the military orders of the Crusades. Today we continue the trend by divulging some details about the Knights Hospitaller, another of the well-known orders that fought during the Crusades. Knights Hospitaller and the Crusades It should come as no small surprise that the Hospitallers draw their name from the word "Hospital". The surprise comes from the how. In 623, the Pope ordered the building of a hospital in Jerusalem, one that in time would come to service Christian travelers in the Holy Land. The original hospital was burned some two-hundred years later, but was rebuilt 1023, and eventually, the hospital would come to serve as the home to the founding members of the Knights Hospitaller. Initially a monastic order, the group served pilgrims in Jerusalem by offering care, and gradually, it expanded to the point that it began offering aid in other forms too. And in such dangerous times, the organization gradually militarized, offering not only aid to the pilgrims, but also armed protection. Also known as the Knights of St. John in the age of the Crusades, Knights Hospitaller were classified in one of three main ways: as military brothers, as brothers infirmarians, and as brothers chaplains - knights, healers, and priests. The Knights Hospitaller distinguished themselves in battle against Muslims, alongside the iconic knights of the Crusades era, the Templars. Indeed, many fortifications were built by the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar, making both two of the most powerful organizations of the Crusades era. Originally, a Knight Hospitaller was easily distinguished by the black surcoat with its white cross. In 1248 Pope Innocent IV approved a different military dress for the Knights Hospitaller, though, and red with a white cross became common look for them as well. Like the Templars, the Hospitallers were destined to outlast the Crusades, though. | | | | | | | The Knights of Malta Eventually circumstances drove the Knights Hospitaller from Jerusalem. For a time, they were, as a group, confined to Tripoli, and from there they eventually sought refuge in the Kingdom of Cyprus. In Cyprus, the Hospitallers became embroiled in political movements, and eventually, acquire their own territory - the Island of Rhodes. Shortly thereafter, the Templars were dissolved by a series of Papal Bulls, and many of the Templar holdings were passed to the Knights Hospitaller. Using these holdings, the Knights Hospitaller gradually became more militarized, fighting against pirates and holding out against invading forces until 1522, when Muslim forces drove the Knights from Rhodes. Despite their defeat at Rhodes, though, both Muslim and Christian forces held the Knights Hospitaller in high regards, and the Grand Master of the order at the time - Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam - was declared a defender of the faith. Seven years would pass before the Knights Hospitaller would have territory of their own again. And this time, it was given to them. Charles I of Spain, acting as King of Sicily, gave the Isle of Malta to the Knights in 1530. Supposedly, the gift of land was to act in perputual fiefdom, with the annual fee being only a single Maltese falcon, given every year. Thus, the Knights Hospitaller became the Knights of Malta. And there they remained for nearly 268 years, transforming the island into a flourishing place with mighty defenses and a capital that became known as "Superbissima", or "most proud" among the great powers of Europe. Of course, life in Malta would not last. Most of the Knights Hospitaller holdings would suffer steady declines throughout most of Europe. Eventually, even their holdings in Malta would come under attack - Napoleon himself would take Malta when the Knghts Hospitaller refused to allow his ships to resupply in a timely manner at their ports. | | | | Knight Order of Hospitallers Banner View Item | Pewter Knight Hospitaller Sculpture View Item | | The Knights Hospitaller Today One would think that after all this hardship, the Hospitallers would have fallen from grace and faded from the pages of history. They did not. Even in defeat, they remained at diminished strength, and somehow they managed to last even into modern times. The Order permanently settled in Rome in 1834, where hospital work became their main focus once again. Today, the order exists as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta, more shortly and better-known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, or SMOM. It is a Roman Catholic religious order, and the world's oldest surviving order of chivalry. It boasts somewhere around 13,000 members, 80,000 volunteers, and 20,000 trained medical professionals, all dedicated to caring for the poor, the sick, the elderly, and "all those who suffer". | | | | | | | | Help Box | Popular Categories | What's New | | |
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