Knightly orders in medieval history

But their activities were not limited to war alone, for a knight is not only a warrior, but also a person of high spirituality and moral qualities. To be a knight meant to honor the “Knightly Code of Honor” (a peculiar set of unspoken rules of behavior, both in society and in war). But let's talk about what the knightly orders were.

Templars

The first and most popular knightly order, which arose during the Crusades from those soldiers who participated in the capture of the “holy land” of Jerusalem. They were called that way - the Order of Jerusalem, which indicated their obvious belonging to the spiritual and religious basis of Christianity of that time. The banner of the organization was a red cross on a white background and a golden banner, often carried on a huge chariot, which was considered a symbol of the strength of faith and inspired ordinary soldiers to feats of arms. Unfortunately, after a couple of centuries it collapsed and was destroyed. On Friday the 13th of the year 1307, by order, all the Templars were accused of heresy, worship of Baphomet and, as a result, were arrested and killed. This happened because the Templars, developing and increasing their power, turned from a spiritual organization into a very powerful economic and political machine, which was displeasing to neither the authorities nor the religious leaders. Of course, most of the accusations were simply falsified, but this did not have much impact on the spiritual knightly orders as a whole.

Hospitallers

Knightly orders, as a rule, originated in the Holy Land, precisely where Christians needed help and support for their pilgrimages. One of these “auxiliary” formations became the Order of the Holy Principality of Antioch, named after the occupied city (not far from Jerusalem). Their distinctive feature was a white cross on a black background; the order consisted mainly of Frenchmen and was engaged in helping pilgrims. Knightly orders of this type, although not so powerful, outlived their brothers. For example, the same hospitalists in our time are the Red Cross Society, which still provides all possible medical assistance in countries affected by one or another military conflict. True, the religious basis has been somewhat distorted, and few people know that, along with this organization, its branch, called the Order of the Red Crescent, also operates.

Knightly orders in world culture

So why are knights needed at all and why did they “die out”? The fact is that the appearance of warrior knights was a natural phenomenon in a period when the strength of one person could be opposed to the strength of many, thanks to experience, skill and skill. But a century later (with the advent of gunpowder and even crossbows, which pierced armor and were “dishonorable” weapons), the popularity of chivalry began to wane, and the representatives of the orders themselves “retrained” into the military-aristocratic elite of the Renaissance. But that's a completely different story!