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Medieval Crusader Templar

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Medieval Crusader Templar

difference between Crusader Knights, Templar knights and the Hospitallers?

sorry its just for my medieval re-enactment group, they don’t know so i turned to the experts on here.

i need to kno a little about each of them such as their time period, and their purpose etc.

this is much appreciated, thanks!

Crusader Knights is a blanket term for all the knights either living in the Crusader States, or those going on pilgrimage there. (As an aside, the term “crusader” was unknown in the Middle Ages – people would “take the cross”, but call themselves “pilgrims”)

The Knights Hospitaller, or the Knights of S:t John, were a monastic order founded in 1099, just after the conquest of Jerusalem. Their original intent was to run the hospital of S:t John in Jerusalem, but they soon expanded to providing armed escort to the pilgrimage routes in the area. Their dedication gave them a formidable reputation as fighters with no equal, and they formed an elite force in many of the battles during that era. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Acre in 1291, the knights were homeless, first taking refuge in Cyprus, and then securing a base on Rhodes. They remained there, fighting the Barbary pirates and the turks on the mainland until 1522, when they were routed by an army of 200,000 men. After a few years looking for a new base, they found Malta, where they remained until Napoleon conquered the island. The Knights Hospitaller still have many daughter houses throughout Europe, mostly running hospital services as opposed to their more militant predecessors.

The Knights Templar were another fighting order, originally founded in 1119 to protect the pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem, but they quickly became involved in the fighting all around the Crusader States. Although they too became famed as outstanding fighters, the larger part of the order did not fight, but helped to maintain the finances and maintenance. The Templars and Hospitallers apparently felt some rivalry, but their shared goal meant they mostly got along. Due to donations and providing banking services, they became very wealthy. In the early 14th century, these riches tempted the French king to falsely accuse them of heresy and treason. Under torture, some knights confessed to the trumped-up crimes and the order was dissolved. Officially, their possessions were to go to the Hospitallers, but in practice, most of them were “redistributed”. The survivors either joined other orders, or were allowed to retire. Nothing of the order remains today.