They founded states and dictated their will to European monarchs. The history of knightly orders began in the Middle Ages and is not finished yet.

Order of the Knights Templar

Date of foundation of the Order: 1119
Interesting Facts: The Templars are the most famous knightly order, the history and mysteries of which are the subject of many books and films. The topic of the “curse of Jacques de Molay” is still actively discussed by conspiracy theorists.

After being expelled from Palestine, the Templars switched to financial activities and became the richest order in history. They invented checks, carried out profitable usurious activities, and were the main lenders and economists in Europe.

On Friday, October 13, 1307, by order of King Philip IV the Fair of France, all French Templars were arrested. The order was officially banned.
The Templars were accused of heresy - of denying Jesus Christ, of spitting on the crucifix, kissing each other indecently and practicing sodomy. To “prove” the last point, it is still customary to mention one of the emblems of the Templars - two poor knights sitting on one horse, which served as a symbol of the non-covetousness of the knights of the order.

Warband

Date of foundation of the order: 1190
Interesting Facts: The Teutonic motto is “Help-Protect-Heal.” Initially, this is what the order was doing - helping the sick and protecting German knights, but at the beginning of the 13th century the military history of the order began, it was connected with an attempt to expand the Baltic states and Russian lands. These attempts, as we know, ended unsuccessfully. The “black day” of the Teutons was the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, in which the combined forces of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inflicted a crushing defeat on the Order.
Deprived of its former military ambitions, the Teutonic Order was restored in 1809. Today he is involved in charity work and treating the sick. The headquarters of the modern Teutons is in Vienna.

Order of the Dragon

Date of foundation of the order: 1408
Interesting Facts: Officially, the Order of the Dragon was founded by the King of Hungary, Sigismund I of Luxembourg, but in the Serbian folklore tradition, the legendary hero Milos Obilic is considered its founder.
The knights of the order wore medallions and pendants with images of a golden dragon with a scarlet cross curled into a ring. In the family coats of arms of the nobles who were members of the order, the image of a dragon was usually framed by the coat of arms.
The Order of the Dragon included the father of the legendary Vlad the Impaler, Vlad II Dracul, who received his nickname precisely because of his membership in the order - dracul means “dragon” in Romanian.

Order of Calatrava

Date of foundation of the order: 1158
Interesting Facts: The first Catholic order founded in Spain was created to defend the Calatrava fortress. In the 13th century it became the most powerful military force in Spain, capable of fielding between 1,200 and 2,000 knights. At its peak, under Chiron and his son, the order controlled 56 commanderies and 16 priories. Up to 200,000 peasants worked for the order, its net annual income was estimated at 50,000 ducats. However, the order did not have complete independence. The title of grandmaster, starting from the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, has always been borne by Spanish kings.

Hospitallers

Date of foundation of the order: around 1099.
Interesting Facts: The Hospice Order, the Hospitallers, the Knights of Malta, or the Johannites, is the oldest spiritual order of knighthood, which received its unofficial name in honor of the hospital and church of St. John the Baptist. Unlike other orders, the Hospitallers accepted female novices into their ranks, and all men who joined the order were required to have a noble title.

The order was international, and its members were divided according to linguistic principles into seven langes in the Middle Ages. Interestingly, the Slavic languages ​​belonged to the Germanic language. The 72nd Grand Master of the order was Russian Emperor Paul the First.

Despite the vow of non-covetousness, the Hospitallers were one of the richest orders of knighthood. During Napoleon's capture of Malta, the French army caused almost three tens of millions of lire worth of damage to the order.

Order of the Holy Sepulcher

Date of foundation of the order: 1099
Interesting Facts: This powerful order was created during the First Crusade and the emergence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Its king stood at the head of the order. The order's mission was to protect the Holy Sepulcher and other holy places in Palestine.

For a long time, the Grand Masters of the order were the Popes. It was not until 1949 that the title was transferred to members of the Vatican Curia.
The order still exists today. Its members around the world include representatives of royal families, influential businessmen, and the political and scientific elite. According to a 2010 report, the order's membership exceeded 28,000. Its headquarters are located in Rome. More than $50 million was spent on the order's charitable projects between 2000 and 2007.

Order of Alcantara

Date of foundation of the order: 1156
Interesting Facts: The Order was originally created as a partnership to defend the frontier fortress of San Julian de Peral in Spain against the Moors. In 1177 the partnership was elevated to an order of knighthood; he pledged to wage perpetual war against the Moors and defend the Christian faith.
King Alfonso IX in 1218 donated the city of Alcantara to the order, where it settled under a new name. Before the occupation of Spain by the French in 1808, the order controlled 37 counties with 53 towns and villages. The history of the order was full of vicissitudes. It grew richer and poorer, it was abolished and restored several times.

Order of Christ

Date of foundation of the order: 1318
Interesting Facts: The Order of Christ was the successor to the Templars in Portugal. The Order is also called Tomar - after the name of the Tomar Castle, which became the residence of the Master. The most famous Tomarese was Vasco da Gama. On the sails of his ships there is a red cross, which was the emblem of the Order of Christ.
The Tomarians were one of the main pillars of royal power in Portugal, and the order was secularized, which, of course, did not suit the Vatican, which began to award its own Supreme Order of Christ. In 1789 the order was finally secularized. In 1834, the nationalization of his property took place.

Order of the Sword

Date of foundation of the order: 1202
Interesting Facts: The official name of the order is “Brotherhood of the Warriors of Christ.” The knights of the order received the nickname “sword bearers” because of the swords depicted on their cloaks under the clawed Templar cross. Their main goal was to capture the Eastern Baltic. According to the agreement of 1207, 2/3 of the captured lands became the property of the order.
The plans of the eastern expansion of the Swordsmen were thwarted by the Russian princes. In 1234, in the battle of Omovzha, the knights suffered a crushing defeat from the Novgorod prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, after which Lithuania, together with the Russian princes, began campaigns on the lands of the order. In 1237, after the unsuccessful Crusade against Lithuania, the Swordsmen joined the Teutonic Order and became the Livonian Order. It was defeated by Russian troops in the Livonian War in 1561.

Order of Saint Lazarus

Date of foundation of the order: 1098
Interesting Facts: The Order of Saint Lazarus is notable for the fact that initially all its members, including the Grand Master, were lepers. The order received its name from the place of its founding - from the name of the hospital of St. Lazarus, located near the walls of Jerusalem.
It is from the name of this order that the name “infirmary” comes from. The knights of the order were also called “Lazarites”. Their symbol was a green cross on a black cassock or cloak.
At first, the order was not military and was engaged exclusively in charitable activities, helping lepers, but from October 1187 the Lazarites began to participate in hostilities. They went into battle without helmets, their faces, disfigured by leprosy, terrified their enemies. Leprosy in those years was considered incurable and the Lazarites were called “the living dead.”
In the Battle of Forbia on October 17, 1244, the order lost almost all of its personnel, and after the expulsion of the crusaders from Palestine, it settled in France, where it is still engaged in charity work today.

SPIRITUAL KNIGHT ORDERS, military-monastic organizations of Western European knights that arose in the 12th century. during the era of the Crusades in order to protect pilgrims and the sick at Christian shrines in Palestine. Later they focused on waging a “holy war” for the Holy Sepulcher, fighting the “infidels” in Spain and the Baltic states, and suppressing heretical movements. The ideologist of the “army of Christ” (lat. militia Christi) was St. Bernard of Clairvaux: “It is great happiness to die in God; happier is he who dies for God!” Unlike simple monasticism, which is still in the charter of St. Benedict of Nursia was called the “army of Christ” and fought with evil with a spiritual sword, the knights added a material sword to the latter. The meaning of the "new army" of St. Bernard also saw chivalry in the moral degeneration.

In addition to the monastic vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience, members of spiritual knightly orders took a vow to defend Christians and the Christian faith with arms in hand. The largest spiritual knightly orders of the Johannites and Templars, having arisen in the Holy Land, then spread throughout Western Europe, and their vast possessions, designed to serve the Crusades, were lost at the end of the 13th century. Christian fortresses in Palestine became a source of profitable commercial activity. Along with the major Palestinian orders in the 12th century. Two small orders of St. also arose. Lazarus and Montjoye (joined the Templars). There were also national orders, such as the originally Palestinian Teutonic Order or orders in Spain (Alcantara, Calatrava, Santiago) and Portugal (Avis Order), formed in the mid-12th century. during the Reconquista.

Spiritual knightly orders took a vow of allegiance to the Pope and, removed from subordination to bishops and secular sovereigns, served to strengthen papal power. National orders were more closely associated with local sovereigns, and the Order of the Sword was associated with the bishop.

The orders' possessions were united into provinces and districts - commuria, headed by commanders and chapters. Each order was headed by a Grand Master; among the Johannites, Templars and Teutons, his residence was located in the 12th and 13th centuries. in the Holy Land. The General Chapter met irregularly and played only a subordinate role. Extensive possessions and numerous privileges allowed the Johannites and Teutons to create their own order states.

N. F. Uskov

From 1100 to 1300, 12 knightly spiritual orders were formed in Europe. Three turned out to be the most powerful and viable: the Order of the Templars, the Order of the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Order.

TEMPLIERS

TEMPLIERS (templars)(from Latin templum, French temple - temple), spiritual knightly order of the Temple of Solomon. Founded by Hugh of Payen in 1118 on the supposed site of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, in contrast to the Johannites, as an exclusively military organization. The order owes its growth to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who recruited supporters for the Templars and in his essay “In the Glory of the New Army” compared them with Christ, who expelled the merchants from the Temple.

Having acquired considerable funds in the Crusades and through numerous donations, the Templar Order became one of the richest spiritual institutions in Western Europe and was the first to master the then new banking services - deposits and transactions, which was facilitated by an extensive network of order houses and significant military potential that guaranteed safe storage. After the loss of Christian possessions in Palestine in 1291, the order moved to Paris; Conflicts soon arose with the French king, who sought to use the financial resources of the Templars in his own interests. In 1307, Philip IV ordered the arrest of all French Templars, and in 1312 he forced the pope to dissolve the order. The last Supreme Master was burned at the stake on charges of heresy. Some of the Templars joined the Portuguese Order of Christ, specially founded in 1319. The accusations fabricated by French lawyers became the source of the later mythologization of the Templars, which was greatly facilitated by the closeness of the order and the custom of keeping its internal structure in the strictest confidence.

The symbol of the Templars was a red cross on a white cloak.

N. F. Uskov

TEMPLIERS. Officially, this order was called the "Secret Knighthood of Christ and the Temple of Solomon", but in Europe it was better known as the Order of the Knights of the Temple. (His residence was located in Jerusalem, on the site where, according to legend, the temple of King Solomon (temple - temple (French)) was located. The knights themselves were called templars. The creation of the order was proclaimed in 1118-1119 by nine French knights in led by Hugo de Paynes from Champagne. For nine years these nine knights remained silent, not a single chronicler of that time mentions them. But in 1127 they returned to France and declared themselves. And in 1128 the Church Council in Troyes ( Champagne) officially recognized the order.

The Templar seal depicted two knights riding the same horse, which was supposed to speak of poverty and brotherhood. The symbol of the order was a white cloak with a red eight-pointed cross.

The goal of its members was “to take care, if possible, of roads and paths, and especially of the protection of pilgrims.” The charter prohibited any secular entertainment, laughter, singing, etc. Knights were required to take three vows: chastity, poverty and obedience. The discipline was strict: “Everyone does not follow his own will at all, but is more concerned about obeying the orderer.” The Order becomes an independent combat unit, subordinate only to the Grand Master (de Paynes was immediately proclaimed by him) and the Pope.

From the very beginning of their activities, the Templars gained great popularity in Europe. Despite and at the same time thanks to the vow of poverty, the order begins to accumulate great wealth. Each member donated his fortune to the order free of charge. The order received large possessions as a gift from the French king, the English king, and noble lords. In 1130, the Templars already had possessions in France, England, Scotland, Flanders, Spain, Portugal, and by 1140 - in Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary and the Holy Land. In addition, the templars not only protected pilgrims, but also considered it their direct duty to attack trade caravans and rob them.

Templars by the 12th century. became owners of unheard-of wealth and owned not only lands, but also shipyards, ports, and had a powerful fleet. They lent money to impoverished monarchs and thereby could influence government affairs. By the way, it was the Templars who were the first to introduce accounting documents and bank checks.

The Knights of the Temple encouraged the development of science, and it is not surprising that many technical achievements (for example, the compass) were primarily in their hands. Skilled knight surgeons healed the wounded - this was one of the duties of the order.

In the 11th century The Templars, as “the bravest and most experienced people in military affairs,” were granted the fortress of Gaza in the Holy Land. But arrogance brought a lot of harm to the “soldiers of Christ” and was one of the reasons for the defeat of Christians in Palestine. In 1191, the collapsed walls of the last fortress defended by the Templars, Saint-Jean-d'Acre, buried not only the Templars and their Grand Master, but also the glory of the order as an invincible army. The Templars moved from Palestine, first to Cyprus, and then finally to Europe. Huge lands possessions, powerful financial resources and the presence of knights of the order among high dignitaries forced the governments of Europe to reckon with the Templars and often resort to their help as arbitrators.

In the 13th century, when the Pope declared a crusade against the heretics - the Cathars and the Albigensians, the Templars, the support of the Catholic Church, almost openly came out on their side.

In their pride, the Templars imagined themselves omnipotent. In 1252, the English king Henry III, outraged by their behavior, threatened the Templars with confiscation of land holdings. To which the Grand Master replied: “As long as you do justice, you will rule. If you violate our rights, you are unlikely to remain king.” And this was not a simple threat. The Order could do it! The Knights Templar were many influential people in the kingdom, and the will of the overlord turned out to be less sacred than the oath of allegiance to the order.

In the XIV century. King Philip IV the Fair of France decided to get rid of the obstinate order, which, due to lack of affairs in the East, began to interfere, and very actively, in the state affairs of Europe. Philip did not at all want to be in the place of Henry of England. In addition, the king needed to solve his financial problems: he owed the Templars a huge amount of money, but he did not want to give it back.

Philip used a trick. He asked to be accepted into the order. But Grand Master Jean de Male politely but firmly refused him, realizing that the king wanted to take his place in the future. Then the Pope (whom Philip placed on the throne) invited the Templar Order to unite with its eternal rivals - the Hospitallers. In this case, the independence of the order would be lost. But the master again refused.

Then, in 1307, Philip the Fair ordered the secret arrest of all Templars in the kingdom. They were accused of heresy, serving the devil and witchcraft. (This was due to the mysterious rites of initiation into members of the order and the subsequent preservation of the secrecy of its actions.)

The investigation lasted seven years. Under torture, the templars confessed to everything, but during a public trial they renounced their testimony. On March 18, 1314, the Grand Master de Male and the Prior of Normandy were burned in a slow fire. Before his death, the Grand Master cursed the king and the Pope: “Pope Clement! King Philip! Not even a year will pass before I summon you to the judgment of God!” The curse came true: the Pope died two weeks later, and the king died in the fall. Most likely they were poisoned by the templars, skilled in making poisons.

Although Philip the Fair failed to organize the persecution of the Templars throughout Europe, the former power of the Templars was undermined. The remnants of this order were never able to unite, although its symbols continued to be used. Christopher Columbus discovered America under the Templar flag: a white banner with a red eight-pointed cross.

JOHNITES (Hospitaliers)

JOHNITES(Hospitaliers, Order of Malta, Knights of Rhodes), spiritual knightly order of St. John (first of Alexandria, later John the Baptist) at the hospital in Jerusalem. Founded around 1070 as a brotherhood serving pilgrims and the infirm (hence the name Hospitallers). Around 1155 they received the charter of a spiritual knightly order, modeled on the Templars. The central hospital in Jerusalem at the end of the 12th century. served more than one and a half thousand patients, it had a maternity ward and a shelter for infants. Gradually, the responsibilities for caring for pilgrims and the infirm were transferred to the “serving brothers” (sergeants) and order priests. The top of the order consisted of knights, mostly the younger scions of noble families, engaged exclusively in military matters. In 1291, with the loss of Christian possessions in Palestine, the Johannites moved to Cyprus, in 1310 they conquered Rhodes from Byzantium, but under the pressure of the Turks in 1522 they left it, and in 1530 they received Malta as a fief from the German Emperor Charles V, which they owned until 1798 In addition to the island states, the Johannites also owned two independent territories in Germany: Heitersheim and Sonnenburg.

Contacts with Russia date back to the end of the 17th century, when a special envoy of Peter I, boyar B.P. Sheremetev, was sent to Malta. He became the first Russian to receive the insignia of the order. During the reign of Catherine II, the order and Russia concluded a military alliance against Turkey, Russian officers underwent training on the ships of the order. And some knights took part in hostilities on the side of the Russians. Count de Litta became especially famous. At the court of Paul I, Count de Litta appeared as an admiral of the Russian fleet in 1796 to establish the priory of the order in the Russian Empire. Order insignia were presented to Paul I, including the gift of the ancient cross of the Grand Master, which was never returned to the order (now in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin). On January 4, 1797, the order and the Russian Tsar signed a convention on the establishment of two priories in Russia - a Catholic one on the territory of Russian Poland and an Orthodox one in Russia itself. The Order received great rights and monetary income in Russia. In 1798, the island of Malta was captured by Napoleon's troops and the knights were expelled from the island. The Russian cavaliers and dignitaries of the order, led by the same de Litta, decided to remove their Grand Master and ask Emperor Paul to accept this title. The insignia of the order was included in the coat of arms and state seal of the Russian Empire, and the sovereign included the title of Grand Master in his official title. 50 thousand serfs with lands, in addition to other houses and possessions, were given by Paul to the income of the order. Each nobleman with three thousand income could establish a commandery of the order with the approval of the emperor, assigning a tenth of the income to the order's treasury. In addition, Paul also established the institute of honorary commanders and holders of the order (crosses were worn on the neck and in the buttonhole, respectively), as well as two classes of the order for awarding women.

In 1801, Malta passed from the French to the British and Paul, offended that England was not going to return the island to the knights, began to prepare for war, but was killed.

Immediately after ascending the throne, Alexander I declared himself the patron of the order (protector), but its signs were removed from the Russian coat of arms and seal. In 1803, Alexander resigned his title of protector; in 1817, the order was abolished in Russia.

After much ordeal, the order's regalia were made anew in 1879.

Currently, the Johannites occupy the Palazzo di Malta in Rome and maintain diplomatic relations with a number of countries.

The symbol of the Johannites is an eight-pointed white cross (Maltese) on a black (from the 13th century red) jacket and cloak.

N. F. Uskov

HOSPITALERS. The official name is “The Order of the Horsemen of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem” (gospitalis - guest (Latin); originally the word “hospital” meant “hospital”). In 1070, a hospital for pilgrims to holy places was founded in Palestine by the merchant Mauro of Amalfi. Gradually, a brotherhood was formed there to care for the sick and wounded. It grew stronger, grew, began to exert quite a strong influence, and in 1113 it was officially recognized by the Pope as a spiritual knightly order.

Knights took three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. The symbol of the order was an eight-pointed white cross. It was originally located on the left shoulder of the black robe. The mantle had very narrow sleeves, which symbolized the monk's lack of freedom. Later, knights began to wear red robes with a cross sewn on the chest. The order had three categories: knights, chaplains and serving brethren. Since 1155, the Grand Master, who was proclaimed Raymond de Puy, became the head of the order. The General Chapter met to make the most important decisions. Members of the chapter gave the Grand Master a purse containing eight denarii, which was supposed to symbolize the knights' renunciation of wealth.

Initially, the main task of the order was caring for the sick and wounded. The main hospital in Palestine housed about 2 thousand beds. The knights distributed free aid to the poor and organized free lunches for them three times a week. The Hospitallers had a shelter for foundlings and infants. All sick and wounded had the same conditions: clothing and food of the same quality, regardless of origin. From the middle of the 12th century. The main responsibility of the knights becomes the war against infidels and the protection of pilgrims. The Order already has possessions in Palestine and Southern France. The Johannites, like the Templars, began to gain great influence in Europe.

At the end of the 12th century, when Christians were driven out of Palestine, the Johannites settled in Cyprus. But this situation did not suit the knights much. And in 1307, Grand Master Falcon de Villaret led the Johannites to storm the island of Rhodes. The local population, afraid of losing their independence, fiercely resisted. However, two years later the knights finally gained a foothold on the island and created strong defensive structures there. Now the Hospitallers, or, as they came to be called, the “Knights of Rhodes,” became an outpost of Christians in the East. In 1453, Constantinople fell - Asia Minor and Greece were completely in the hands of the Turks. The knights expected an attack on the Oszhrov. It was not slow to follow. In 1480 the Turks attacked the island of Rhodes. The knights survived and repelled the attack. The Ioannites simply “an eyesore for the Sultan” with their presence right on its shores, making it difficult to rule the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, the Turks' patience was exhausted. In 1522, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent vowed to expel Christians from his domains. The island of Rhodes was besieged by a 200,000-strong army on 700 ships. The Johannites held out for three months before Grand Master Villiers de Lille Adan surrendered his sword to the Sultan. The Sultan, respecting the courage of his opponents, released the knights and even helped them with the evacuation.

The Johannites had almost no land in Europe. And so the defenders of Christianity arrived on the shores of Europe, which they had defended for so long. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V offered the Hospitallers the Maltese archipelago to live in. From now on, the Knights Hospitaller became known as the Order of the Knights of Malta. The Maltese continued their fight against the Turks and sea pirates, fortunately the order had its own fleet. In the 60s XVI century Grand Master Jean de la Valette, having at his disposal 600 knights and 7 thousand soldiers, repelled the attack of a 35 thousand-strong army of selected Janissaries. The siege lasted four months: the knights lost 240 cavaliers and 5 thousand soldiers, but fought back.

In 1798, Bonaparte, going with an army to Egypt, took the island of Malta by storm and expelled the Knights of Malta from there. Once again the Johannites found themselves homeless. This time they found refuge in Russia, whose emperor, Paul I, they proclaimed Grand Master as a sign of gratitude. In 1800, the island of Malta was captured by the British, who had no intention of returning it to the Knights of Malta.

After the assassination of Paul I by the conspirators, the Johannites did not have a Grand Master or a permanent headquarters. Finally, in 1871, Jean-Baptiste Cescia-Santa Croce was proclaimed Grand Master.

Already from 1262, in order to join the Order of the Hospitallers, it was necessary to have a noble origin. Subsequently, there were two categories of those entering the order - knights by birth (cavalieri di giustizzia) and by vocation (cavalieri di grazzia). The latter category includes people who do not have to provide evidence of noble birth. It was enough for them to prove that their father and grandfather were not slaves and artisans. Also, monarchs who proved their loyalty to Christianity were accepted into the order. Women could also be members of the Order of Malta. Grand Masters were chosen only from knights of noble birth. The Grand Master was almost a sovereign sovereign, Fr. Malta. The symbols of his power were the crown, the “dagger of faith” - the sword and the seal. From the Pope, the Grand Master received the title of “guardian of the Jerusalem court” and “guardian of the army of Christ.” The order itself was called the “Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem.”

The knights had certain responsibilities to the order - they could not leave the barracks without the permission of the Grand Master, they spent a total of 5 years in the convention (dormitory, more precisely, the barracks of the knights) on the island. Malta. The knights had to sail on the ships of the order for at least 2.5 years - this duty was called a “caravan”.

By the middle of the 19th century. The Order of Malta is transforming from a military one into a spiritual and charitable corporation, which it remains to this day. The residence of the Knights of Malta is now located in Rome.

The Cross of the Order of Malta has served since the 18th century. one of the highest awards in Italy, Austria, Prussia, Spain and Russia. Under Paul I it was called the cross of St. John of Jerusalem.

WARBAND

WARBAND(German Order) (Latin Ordo domus Sanctae Mariae Teutonicorum, German Deutscher Orden), a German spiritual knightly order founded in the 13th century. military-theocratic state in the Eastern Baltic. In 1190 (during the siege of Acre during the Third Crusade), merchants from Lübeck founded a hospital for German crusaders, which in 1198 was transformed into a knightly order. The main task of the order was to be the fight against paganism and the spread of Christianity.

The distinctive sign of the knights of the Teutonic Order is a black cross on a white cloak. Under the fourth master Hermann von Salza (d. 1239), a close associate of Emperor Frederick II, the Teutonic Order received the same privileges as other knightly orders. In 1211-25, the knights of the Teutonic Order tried to gain a foothold in Transylvania (Kingdom of Hungary), but were expelled by King Endre II. In 1226, the Polish Duke Konrad of Mazovia invited them to the Chelmin (Kulm) land to fight the pagan Prussians. The conquest of the Prussians and Yatvingians, begun in 1233, was completed in 1283; two large uprisings of the Prussian tribes (1242-49 and 1260-74) were brutally suppressed. In 1237, the Teutonic Order was joined by the remnants of the Order of the Sword, which had suffered defeat from the Russians and Lithuanians shortly before. As a result of this unification, a branch of the Teutonic Order was formed in Livonia and Courland - the Livonian Order. After the subjugation of Prussia, regular campaigns against pagan Lithuania began. In 1308-1309, the Teutonic Order captured Eastern Pomerania with Gdansk from Poland. In 1346, the Danish king Valdemar IV ceded Estland to the order. In 1380-98 the order subjugated Samogitia (Zhmud), thus uniting its possessions in Prussia and Livonia, in 1398 it captured the island of Gotland, and in 1402 it acquired the New Mark.

The order consisted of full brother-knights who took three monastic vows (chastity, poverty and obedience), brothers-priests and half-brothers. At the head of the order was a Grand Master elected for life, who had the rights of an imperial prince. Under him there was a council of five highest dignitaries. The Order had extensive possessions in Germany; its territorial branches were headed by landmasters (Livonian, German). The residence of the Grand Master was in Acre until 1291; after the fall of the last possessions of the Crusaders in the Middle East, it was moved to Venice, and in 1309 - to Marienburg (modern Polish Malbork).

During the conquest of Prussia and in campaigns against the Lithuanians, the order was assisted by secular knighthood (from Germany and other countries). German colonists arrived in the conquered lands. The surviving Prussian population by the 17th century. was completely assimilated. Prussian and Livonian cities (Gdansk, Elbląg, Torun, Königsberg, Revel, Riga, etc.) were members of the Hansa. The Teutonic Order received large incomes from trade and customs duties (the mouths of the Vistula, Neman and Western Dvina were in the hands of the knights).

The threat from the Teutonic Order led to the establishment of a dynastic union between Poland and Lithuania (Union of Krevo 1385). In the “Great War” of 1409-11, the Teutonic Order was defeated at Grunwald (see Battle of Grunwald) by the combined forces of Poland and the Principality of Lithuania. According to the Peace of Torun of 1411, he, having abandoned Samogitia and the Polish Dobrzyn land, paid an indemnity.

The economic policy of the Teutonic Order and its restriction of the rights of the estates caused discontent among the townspeople and secular knighthood. In 1440, the Prussian Union arose, which in 1454 raised an uprising against the Teutonic Order and turned to the Polish king Casimir IV for help. Having been defeated in the Thirteen Years' War of 1454-66, the Teutonic Order lost Gdansk Pomerania, Torun, Marienburg, Elblag, the bishopric of Warmia and became a vassal of the Kingdom of Poland. The residence of the Grand Master was moved to Konigsberg. The Livonian Order actually became independent. In 1525, Master Albrecht of Brandenburg, having converted to Protestantism, on the advice of Martin Luther, secularized the lands of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, turning them into a secular duchy. The Landmaster of the possessions of the Teutonic Order in Germany was elevated to the rank of Grand Master by Emperor Charles V.

The German lands of the Teutonic Order were secularized at the beginning of the 19th century, and the order itself was dissolved by Napoleon's decree in 1809. Restored by the Austrian Emperor Francis I in 1834. Currently, members of the Teutonic Order are mainly engaged in charitable activities and research in the field of the history of the order. The residence of the Grand Master is located near Vienna.

V. N. Kovalev

TEUTONS (TEUTONIC, OR GERMAN ORDER. "ORDER OF THE HOUSE OF SAINT MARY OF TEUTO").

In the 12th century. In Jerusalem there was a hospital (hospital) for German-speaking pilgrims. He became the predecessor of the Teutonic Order. Initially, the Teutons occupied a subordinate position in relation to the Order of the Hospitallers. But then in 1199 the Pope approved the charter of the order, and Henry Walpot was proclaimed Grand Master. However, only in 1221 were all the privileges that the other, senior orders of the Templars and Johannites had extended to the Teutons.

The knights of the order took vows of chastity, obedience and poverty. Unlike other orders, whose knights were of different "languages" (nationalities), the Teutonic Order consisted mainly of German knights.

The symbols of the order were a white cloak and a simple black cross.

The Teutons very quickly abandoned their duties of protecting pilgrims and treating the wounded in Palestine. Any attempts by the Teutons to interfere in the affairs of the powerful Holy Roman Empire were suppressed. Fragmented Germany did not provide the opportunity to expand, as the Templars did in France and England. Therefore, the Order began to engage in “good activities” - to carry the word of Christ to the eastern lands with fire and sword, leaving others to fight for the Holy Sepulcher. The lands that the knights conquered became their possession under the supreme power of the order. In 1198, the knights became the main striking force of the crusade against the Livs and conquered the Baltic states, at the beginning of the 13th century. founding the city of Riga. This is how the state of the Teutonic Order was formed. Further, in 1243, the knights conquered the Prussians and took the northern lands from the Polish state.

There was another German order - the Livonian Order. In 1237, the Teutonic Order united with him and decided to move to conquer the northern Russian lands, expanding its borders and strengthening its influence. In 1240, the order's allies, the Swedes, suffered a crushing defeat from Prince Alexander Yaroslavich on the Neva. And in 1242

The same fate befell the Teutons - about 500 knights died, and 50 were taken prisoner. The plan to annex Russian territory to the lands of the Teutonic Order was a complete failure.

The Teutonic Grand Masters were constantly afraid of the unification of Rus' and tried to prevent this by any means. However, a powerful and dangerous enemy stood in their way - the Polish-Lithuanian state. In 1409, war broke out between him and the Teutonic Order. The combined forces in 1410 defeated the Teutonic knights at the Battle of Grunwald. But the Order's misfortunes did not end there. The Grand Master of the order, like the Maltese, was a sovereign sovereign. In 1511, he became Albert of Hohenzollern, who, being a “good Catholic,” did not support the Reformation, which was fighting against the Catholic Church. And in 1525 he proclaimed himself the secular sovereign of Prussia and Brandenburg and deprived the order of both possessions and privileges. After such a blow, the Teutons never recovered, and the order continued to eke out a miserable existence.

In the 20th century German fascists extolled the previous merits of the order and its ideology. They also used the symbols of the Teutons. Remember, the Iron Cross (a black cross on a white background) is an important award of the “Third Reich”. However, the members of the order themselves were persecuted, apparently as having failed to live up to their trust.

The Teutonic Order exists in Germany to this day.

The history of religion tells about the spiritual searches of different peoples over the centuries. Faith has always been a person’s companion, giving meaning to his life and motivating him not only for achievements in the internal sphere, but also for worldly victories. People, as you know, are social creatures, and therefore often strive to find like-minded people and create an association in which they could jointly move towards the intended goal. An example of such a community is monastic orders, which included brothers of the same faith, united in their understanding of how to put the precepts of their mentors into practice.

Egyptian hermits

Monasticism did not originate in Europe; it originated in the vast expanses of the Egyptian deserts. Here, back in the 4th century, hermits appeared, striving to get closer to spiritual ideals in a secluded distance from the world with its passions and vanity. Not finding a place for themselves among people, they went into the desert, lived in the open air or in the ruins of some buildings. They were often joined by followers. Together they worked, preached, and offered prayers.

Monks in the world were workers of different professions, and each brought something of their own to the community. In 328, Pachomius the Great, who was once a soldier, decided to organize the life of the brothers and founded a monastery, the activities of which were regulated by the charter. Soon similar associations began to appear in other places.

Light of knowledge

In 375, Basil the Great organized the first large monastic society. Since then, the history of religion has flowed in a slightly different direction: together the brothers not only prayed and comprehended spiritual laws, but were engaged in studying the world, comprehending nature, and the philosophical aspects of existence. Through the efforts of the monks, the wisdom and knowledge of humanity passed through the dark without getting lost in the past.

Reading and improvement in the scientific field were also the duties of the novices of the monastery in Monte Cassino, founded by Benedict of Nursia, considered the father of monasticism in Western Europe.

Benedictines

The year 530 is considered the date when the first monastic order appeared. Benedict was famous for his asceticism, and a group of followers quickly formed around him. They were among the first Benedictines, as the monks were called in honor of their leader.

The life and activities of the brothers were conducted in accordance with the charter developed by Benedict of Nursia. Monks could not change their place of service, own any property and had to completely obey the abbot. The regulations prescribed prayers seven times a day, constant physical labor, interspersed with hours of rest. The charter determined the time of meals and prayers, punishments for the guilty, necessary for reading the book.

Structure of the monastery

Subsequently, many monastic orders of the Middle Ages were built on the basis of the Benedictine Rule. The internal hierarchy was also preserved. The head was the abbot, chosen from among the monks and confirmed by the bishop. He became the lifelong representative of the monastery in the world, leading the brothers with the assistance of several assistants. Benedictines were expected to submit completely and humbly to the abbot.

The inhabitants of the monastery were divided into groups of ten people, headed by deans. The abbot and the prior (assistant) monitored compliance with the charter, but important decisions were made after a meeting of all the brothers together.

Education

The Benedictines became not only an assistant to the Church in converting new peoples to Christianity. In fact, it is thanks to them that today we know about the contents of many ancient manuscripts and manuscripts. The monks were engaged in rewriting books and preserving monuments of philosophical thought of the past.

Education was compulsory from the age of seven. Subjects included music, astronomy, arithmetic, rhetoric and grammar. The Benedictines saved Europe from the harmful influence of barbarian culture. Huge libraries of monasteries, deep architectural traditions, and knowledge in the field of agriculture helped maintain civilization at a decent level.

Decline and rebirth

During the reign of Charlemagne there was a period when the monastic order of the Benedictines was going through hard times. The Emperor introduced tithes in favor of the Church, demanded that monasteries provide a certain number of soldiers, and gave vast territories with peasants to the power of bishops. The monasteries began to become richer and became a tasty morsel for everyone eager to increase their own well-being.

Representatives of the worldly authorities were given the opportunity to found spiritual communities. The bishops transmitted the will of the emperor, becoming more and more immersed in worldly affairs. The abbots of the new monasteries only formally dealt with spiritual issues, enjoying the fruits of donations and trade. The process of secularization gave rise to a movement for the revival of spiritual values, which resulted in the formation of new monastic orders. The center of unification at the beginning of the 10th century was the monastery in Cluny.

Clunians and Cistercians

Abbot Bernon received an estate in Upper Burgundy as a gift from the Duke of Aquitaine. Here, in Cluny, a new monastery was founded, free from secular power and vassal relations. The monastic orders of the Middle Ages experienced a new rise. The Clunians prayed for all the laity, lived according to a charter developed on the basis of the provisions of the Benedictines, but more strict in matters of behavior and daily routine.

In the 11th century, the monastic order of the Cistercians appeared, which made it a rule to follow the rules, which frightened off many followers with its rigidity. The number of monks increased greatly due to the energy and charm of one of the leaders of the order, Bernard of Clairvaux.

Great multitude

In the XI-XIII centuries, new monastic orders of the Catholic Church appeared in large numbers. Each of them marked something in history. The Camaldoules were famous for their strict rules: they did not wear shoes, encouraged self-flagellation, and did not eat meat at all, even if they were sick. The Carthusians, who also respected strict rules, were known as hospitable hosts who considered charity a vital part of their ministry. One of the main sources of income for them was the sale of Chartreuse liqueur, the recipe of which was developed by the Carthusians themselves.

Women also made their contribution to monastic orders in the Middle Ages. At the head of the monasteries, including men's, of the Fontevrault brotherhood were abbesses. They were considered the vicars of the Virgin Mary. One of the distinctive points of their charter was the vow of silence. The Beguines, an order consisting only of women, on the contrary, did not have a charter. The abbess was chosen from among the followers, and all activities were directed towards charity. Beguines could leave the order and get married.

Knightly and monastic orders

During the Crusades, associations of a new kind began to appear. The conquest of Palestinian lands was accompanied by a call to liberate Christian shrines from the hands of Muslims. A large number of pilgrims were heading to the eastern lands. They had to be guarded in enemy territory. This was the reason for the emergence of spiritual knightly orders.

Members of the new associations, on the one hand, took three vows of monastic life: poverty, obedience and abstinence. On the other hand, they wore armor, always had a sword with them, and, if necessary, took part in military campaigns.

The knightly monastic orders had a triple structure: it included chaplains (priests), brother warriors and brother ministers. The head of the order - the grandmaster - was elected for a life term, his candidacy was approved by those who had supreme power over the association. The chapter, together with the priors, periodically assembled a chapter (a general gathering where important decisions were made and the laws of the order were approved).

The spiritual and monastic associations included the Templars, the Ionites (Hospitaliers), the Teutonic All of them were participants in historical events, the importance of which is difficult to overestimate. The Crusades, with their assistance, significantly influenced the development of Europe, and indeed the whole world. The sacred liberation missions got their name thanks to the crosses that were sewn onto the robes of the knights. Each monastic order used its own color and shape to convey the symbol and thus differed in appearance from the others.

Decline of authority

At the beginning of the 13th century, the Church was forced to fight a huge number of heresies that arose. The clergy lost their former authority, propagandists spoke of the need to reform or even abolish the church system as an unnecessary layer between man and God, and condemned the enormous wealth concentrated in the hands of ministers. In response, the Inquisition appeared, designed to restore the people's respect for the Church. However, a more beneficial role in this activity was played by the mendicant monastic orders, which made complete renunciation of property a mandatory condition of service.

Francis of Assisi

In 1207, His head, Francis of Assisi, began to take shape; he saw the essence of his activity in preaching and renunciation. He was against the founding of churches and monasteries, and met with his followers once a year at an appointed place. The rest of the time the monks preached to the people. However, in 1219, a Franciscan monastery was built at the insistence of the Pope.

Francis of Assisi was famous for his kindness, his ability to serve easily and with complete dedication. He was loved for his poetic talent. Canonized just two years after his death, he gained a large following and revived respect for the Catholic Church. In different centuries, branches were formed from the Franciscan Order: the Capuchin Order, the Tertians, the Minimas, and the Observants.

Dominic de Guzman

The Church also relied on monastic associations in the fight against heresy. One of the foundations of the Inquisition was the Dominican Order, founded in 1205. Its founder was Dominic de Guzman, an irreconcilable fighter against heretics who revered asceticism and poverty.

The Dominican Order chose to train high-level preachers as one of its main goals. In order to organize suitable conditions for training, the initially strict rules requiring the brothers to live in poverty and constantly wander around the cities were even relaxed. At the same time, the Dominicans were not obliged to work physically: thus, they devoted all their time to education and prayer.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Church was again experiencing a crisis. The clergy's commitment to luxury and vices undermined authority. The successes of the Reformation forced the clergy to look for new ways to return to their former veneration. This is how the Order of Theatines was formed, and then the Society of Jesus. Monastic associations sought to return to the ideals of the medieval orders, but time took its toll. Although many orders still exist today, little remains of their former greatness.

The Crusades were a series of military campaigns in the 11th-16th centuries, which were initially conducted on the orders (later with the approval) of the Pope. The first campaigns were aimed at Christian expansion, helping Eastern Christians in the fight against Muslims and gaining the Holy Land, but over time they acquired the character of one of the forms of struggle for influence.

In addition to the conquest of lands, the opportunity opened up to thoroughly plunder the richest cities of the East. In the armies of the Crusaders, after the capture of the fortified city of Jerusalem in 1099, with the blessing of the Pope, special spiritual knightly organizations were created on the basis of various brotherhoods: they were called spiritual knightly orders. The initial task of the knightly orders is to protect Christian pilgrims and protect Christian possessions in the East from attacks by followers of Islam. The ideologist of the Crusades, Bernard of Clairvaux, who lived in the 12th century, in an essay specially dedicated to knightly orders, tried to justify their existence by reconciling service to God and military activity.

In addition to spiritual knightly orders, there were monastic orders, that is, communities of monks whose members observed the general rules of the monastery and took solemn vows. Unlike the militant knightly orders, the monastic orders devoted time free from prayer, charity and helping those in need.

Order of the Knights Templar

After the end of the First Crusade, a group of knights led by the Frenchman Hugh de Payns established in 1119 military monastic order, the purpose of which was declared to be the protection of pilgrims during their pilgrimage to holy places in the Middle East. First title: “The Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.” Officially recognized by the church in 1128. The ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, allocated the knights in the southeastern wing of the Jerusalem Temple, in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a place for headquarters. Since then, the order began to be called the Order of the Temple, and the knights - the Templars (Templars). Thanks to the order’s successful recruitment in Europe, the Templars, who initially did not have large financial resources, became the owners of a lot of money and lands donated by recruits. At the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries, the Templars reached the pinnacle of power. The excessive financial power of the Templars irritated many. The French king Philip IV the Fair, accusing the order of unrest, entered into secret negotiations with Pope Clement V, who met the king's demands. In 1307, on the orders of Philip the Fair, arrests of members of the order began in France. The Templars were accused of heresy, denial of Jesus Christ and other serious crimes, tortured and executed. Despite the fact that it was not possible to get the Templars to admit guilt anywhere except France, in 1312 Clement V, with his bull, abolished the order as having dishonored itself. The order's property was confiscated and transferred to the Hospitaller Order. King Philip IV the Fair also received his share. The last Grand Master of the order, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake on March 18, 1314.

Order of the Hospitallers

In 600, at the behest of Pope Gregory the Great, the construction of a hospital began in Jerusalem, whose task was to treat and care for Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. Immediately after the First Crusade, Gerard the Blessed founded the Military Hospitable Order of St. John, whose task was to protect Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. The formation of the order in 1113 was approved by a bull of Pope Paschal II. Initially, the order's activities were centered around a hospital in Jerusalem, which gave the organization the unofficial name "Hospitaliers". Along with the Templars, the Order of Hospitallers became the main military force of Christians in the Middle East. After the abolition of the Templar Order, the Hospitallers inherited the vast estates of their “competitors.” In 1530, the Hospitallers settled in Malta, from where they continued their struggle against the expansion of Muslim possessions in the Mediterranean. But times changed, knightly orders lost their power. Gradually losing possessions and influence in Europe, the Order, also now called the Maltese Order, existed on the island until 1798, when Malta was captured by Napoleon. The order was dispersed, and some of its members found refuge in Russia. The fugitive Hospitallers, located in St. Petersburg, even elected the Russian Emperor Paul I as Grand Master of the Order. The election of an Orthodox monarch as Master, however, was not approved by the Pope, so that formally Paul I was not the head of the Hospitallers. Starting from the first half of the 19th century, the order abandoned the military component, focusing on humanitarian and charitable activities. The modern Order of Malta has the status of an observer organization at the UN; today the order's members are about 13 thousand people.

Warband

During the Third Crusade, the army of the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa besieged the fortress of Acre. Merchants from Lübeck and Bremen organized a field hospital for the wounded crusaders. Pope Clement III, by his bull of February 6, 1191, proclaimed the hospital as the “Teutonic Brotherhood of the Church of St. Mary of Jerusalem.” The final transformation of the hospital into military monastic order ends in 1199, when Pope Innocent III consolidates this status with his bull. The Order very quickly acquired its own regular army and military functions became the main ones in its activities. Unlike other crusaders, the order had been active in Europe since the 13th century, targeting the pagan (and Christian, but not Catholic) population of Eastern Europe. Based on the edict of the Holy Roman Emperor and the bull of the Pope, Prussia became the possession of the Teutonic Order. So the military monastic order turned into a whole state. The order remained an influential player on the map of Europe until 1410, when the order began to decline (the knights were defeated by Polish-Lithuanian troops at the Battle of Grunwald). Formally, the order existed until 1809 and was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars. The restoration of the order took place in 1834, but without political and military ambitions, it was only about charity and helping the sick. Today the Teutonic Order operates several hospitals and private sanatoriums in Austria and Germany. The basis of the modern Teutonic Order is not brothers, but sisters.

Jesuit Order

In 1534, Ignatius de Loyola and several of his like-minded people decided to create the “Society of Jesus,” whose task was declared to be active missionary activity. The order's charter was approved by the Pope in 1540. They sought to convert the masses who had abandoned Catholicism, as well as Jews, Muslims and pagans, to the Catholic faith. Educational activities helped them promote their ideas - members of the order also acted as teachers who taught various scientific disciplines. He was famous for his strict military discipline; he defended the principle of the supremacy of the power of the Pope in all spheres, even to the point of deposing monarchs who dared to contradict the pontiff. This radicalism became one of the reasons for the subsequent persecution of the Jesuits. By the middle of the 18th century, the Jesuit Order had achieved great political influence in various European countries, as well as possessing great financial capabilities. Constant attempts by the Jesuits to influence the political course of European monarchs led to the fact that almost all European countries called for the cessation of the order. On July 21, 1773, Pope Clement XIV issued a papal letter abolishing the Jesuit order. But on the territory of some countries, including Prussia and Russia (until 1820), the missions of the order continued to exist. In 1814, Pope Pius VII restored the Society of Jesus with all its rights and privileges. Currently, the Jesuits continue their activities in 112 states. On March 13, 2013, Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new Pope. The new pontiff, who took the name Francis, became the first representative of the Jesuit order to become a Roman pontiff.

Franciscan Order

The emergence of the so-called mendicants orders, which include the Franciscan Order, occurred at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries. The reason for their appearance was the need for priests who were not involved in secular affairs, who despised secular goods and were able to demonstrate the purity of faith to their flock by personal example. In addition, the church needed dogmatists capable of waging an irreconcilable struggle against various heresies. In 1209, Giovanni, the son of a wealthy merchant from Assisi, Peter Bernardone, who became a traveling preacher, united followers around himself and created the charter of a new order based on obedience, chastity and complete mendicancy. Giovanni's plan, nicknamed Francis for his penchant for using French, was approved by Pope Innocent III. Complete renunciation of earthly goods and strictness in faith contributed to the rapid growth of the authority of the Franciscans. From the 13th to the 16th centuries, representatives of the order were the confessors of most European monarchs, which helped them influence the policies of entire states.

"Secular" branch of the Franciscans - order of the terzari, intended for secular persons who would like, without leaving the world and their usual activities, to lead a purer lifestyle and, in some way, find a monastery in their own home.

In 1256, the papacy granted Franciscans the right to teach in universities. They created their own system of theological education. Along with their opponents in dogmatic matters, the Dominicans, the Franciscans were endowed with the functions of the Inquisition, which they carried out in central Italy, Dalmatia and Bohemia, as well as in a number of provinces of France. Currently, the order with its branches has about 30 thousand monks and several hundred thousand lay tertiaries: in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the USA, Turkey, Brazil, Paraguay and other countries. The Franciscans control a number of universities, colleges, and have their own publishing houses.

Dominican Order

It arose at the same time as the Franciscan Order. The Spaniard Domingo Guzman, who received the rank of archdeacon in Castile, later called Saint Dominic, was outraged by the growing number of heretics in southern France and became one of the ideologists of the campaign against the Albigensians, which lasted for two decades and led to the destruction of hundreds of thousands of people accused of heresy. In 1214, Domingo Guzman founded the first community of like-minded people in Toulouse. In 1216, Pope Honorius III approved the charter of the order. The most important activity of the Dominicans was an in-depth study of theology with the aim of preparing competent preachers. The centers of the order were Paris and Bologna, the two largest university cities in Europe. Over time, the main and main task of the Dominican Order became the fight against heresies. The main functions of the Inquisition were concentrated in their hands. The coat of arms of the order depicts a dog carrying a burning torch in its mouth to express the dual purpose of the order: to faithfully protect the faith of the Church from heresy and to enlighten the world with the preaching of Divine Truth. This coat of arms, as well as a peculiar play on words, contributed to the emergence of another unofficial name for the Dominicans. Dominic's followers were also called in Latin Domini Canes, which means "Dogs of the Lord." Representatives of the Dominican Order were the philosopher and theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, the legendary Grand Inquisitor of Spain Thomas Torquemada and the creator of the “Hammer of the Witches” Jacob Sprenger. At its peak, the Dominican Order had up to 150,000 members in 45 provinces (11 of them outside Europe). Later, the Dominicans were pushed back by the Jesuits from schools and preaching at courts, and partly from missionary activities. The modern Dominican Order continues to preach the Gospel, study the sciences, educate and fight heresies. True, the Dominicans, of course, do not use the methods of their medieval predecessors. The male branch of the order today numbers about 6,000 monks, the female branch - about 3,700.

The emergence of spiritual knightly orders dates back to the times of the Crusades, which were organized by the Catholic Church from the ninth century. The goal was good: the liberation of Palestine and the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, but the associated tasks were no less expensive: both the high Catholics and the crusaders themselves needed new lands and thirsted for the riches of the eastern cities.

Formation of spiritual knightly orders

When the fortress of Jerusalem surrendered to the mercy of the victor in 1099, the Pope blessed the creation of new organizations to guard and protect both Christian possessions and the pilgrims themselves from local Islamists. The base had already been created by that time - various spiritual brotherhoods, from which the spiritual-knightly orders of the Hospitallers, Templars and some others were formed.

It was quite difficult to reconcile two opposite, according to the Holy Scriptures, hypostases - service to God and military service, where they had to kill their own kind. But by the twelfth century, the history of the spiritual knightly order had grown with its own ideologists, who fully justified not only the creation, but also the way of life of the crusading knights.

Holy vows

A knight entering the order became a monk, taking vows of poverty, obedience, chastity, intolerance towards infidels and fulfilling the duty of hospitality. A commoner who joined the order became a military monk. However, commoners, even in the circle of initiates, always kept their own, separate group. Some orders even accepted women into their ranks.

The discipline was army, everyone unquestioningly obeyed the head - the Grand Master, the Grandmaster, who could report only to the Pope. The rulers on whose lands the spiritual knightly order (the Templars and any other) were located, if they did not join its ranks, did not have any voting rights, much less command.

Hierarchy

The history of the spiritual knightly order was written on special tablets. The knightly orders differed from the monastic orders and from each other in their clothing and their own charter, which was certified by a signature. But, unlike the monastic ones, the ranks of the knight-monks grew very, very quickly, as required by the constant war.

The knights not only plundered eastern villages and cities, they violated many of Christ’s commandments: they lent money at interest, exploited local residents, and engaged in the slave trade. And they steadily became richer. The crusader knight of the ninth century differed from his brother in the thirteenth as heaven from earth. It must be admitted that, having become rich, many orders invested money in science.

Each member of the order had a specific position. Over time, she could be recognized by her clothing (only to initiates, of course). The Templars are in a white cloak with a red cross, the Hospitallers are in black, in white with a black cross.

The history of the spiritual knightly order shows that sewing a special cross on clothes by papal bull was allowed only in 1146, and not for all at once, but only for the most noble knights by blood. Over time, when the treasury of not only the order, but also individual knights, was significantly enriched, luxury even in clothing was not long in coming.

Three major orders

Until the beginning of the fifteenth century, the history of the spiritual knightly order during the Crusades describes a little more than twenty orders, of which three were the richest, most influential and powerful. They had such huge fortunes that kings envied them. Here are these wonderful three:

The history of the spiritual knightly order was written not only in the Holy Land. The Crusaders took part in wars in all territories of the Christian world. In Spain, the Knights of the Hospitaller and Templar orders were the first to begin fighting, and the Teutons tamed all of Central and Northern Europe. In Eastern Europe, their military glory, however, ended (let us remember Alexander Nevsky).

History of the spiritual knightly order of the Templars

The colossal fortune allowed the orders to buy up the best lands throughout Europe. As proof of their power, the Templars, for example, minted their own money, which circulated freely throughout Europe. The coins were made of silver and gold, and so many of them appeared that the Templars were credited with alchemical discoveries, for example, from lead...

This organization was able to exist for quite a long time. Back in 1118, nine French knights, led by Hugues de Payen and Geoffroy de Saint-Home, remained to defend the road to Jerusalem from the Mediterranean after the First Crusade. First of all, Christian pilgrims from robbers and robbers. From Baldwin they received a residence, after which they later began to be called - Temple Castle, built on the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. This Order has several names:

• Order of the Poor Knights (or Brothers) of the Temple of Jerusalem (or Temple of Solomon).
• Order of the Templars.
• Order of the Knights Templar.

Charter

Knights wishing to join the Order certainly had to become monks - humble, poor and celibate. It was, however, a very successful project. The history of the spiritual-knightly order suggests that its charter was one of the toughest and strictest, and it was developed by Saint Bernard himself, and approved by Pope Eugene III in 1128, that is, after ten years of unofficial existence.

In the Templar Order, a knight was obliged to forget everything worldly, including relatives, eat only bread and water, and dress in the simplest and roughest clothes. He could not have any property. If gold or silver was found in his belongings after death, there was no place for it in the consecrated ground of the cemetery.

However, all this did not stop the Templars from becoming especially greedy for booty, entertainment and even drunkenness. Works of fiction written about that time, for example, a novel, preserve the historical truth that was found in historical chronicles.

Division into classes and distinctive signs

The Templars had estates. This is definitely a necessary organizational project. The history of the spiritual knightly order has preserved for us three divisions: the knights themselves, the priests and the so-called sergeants, which included all the lower ranks: pages, squires, soldiers, servants, guards, and so on.

It must be admitted that with all this categorical division, everyone accepted monastic vows, and everyone had to fulfill the rules equally impeccably. However, there were plenty of exceptions to the rules.

For all Knights Templar, a white cloak, similar to a mantle, with a Maltese eight-pointed scarlet cross was mandatory. The sergeants dressed in brown, the cross was the same. You could recognize a Templar on the high road by the battle cry “Bosean!”, as well as by the flag - a black and white cloth and the motto in Latin - “Not to us, Lord” (the first words from the ninth verse of the one hundred and thirteenth psalm).

The Templar coat of arms was simply a symbol of poverty: it depicted two knights on one horse. If a knight went on a crusade, then he carried the cross on his chest, and when returning, he carried it on his back. The style, cut, size and material of the clothing, as well as the location of the cross, were usually chosen by him himself.

National and class affiliation

At first, only a Frenchman of noble birth could be initiated into the Knights Templar. A little later, the British also received this opportunity. Nevertheless, both Spaniards, Italians, and Flemings became knights. Only knights could occupy leadership positions - from the Grand Master and Master of the Dominions to the Castellan, Capitulier, and Drapier.

Richer townspeople became sergeants, who occupied good positions as accountants, squires, managers and storekeepers. Those who were poorer became servants, soldiers or guards.

The bishops of the Roman Church and the Pope himself could not control the priests of the Order. The spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars demanded that their priests provide for spiritual needs, despite the fact that all knights of the Order were endowed with the rights of a confessor. Only the order's priest could send orders to members of the Order, because many secrets were protected from the Roman Catholic Church.

Despite the strict rules and camp life, the Order of the Templars quickly became popular. A few years later, three hundred more joined the nine knights, among whom were many crowned heads. The number of sergeants, naturally, also increased.

Where do the firewood come from?

Belonging to the Order provided both personal security and an increase in wealth. It was impossible to offend a member of the Order. “One for all” is a motto born far before the first musketeer.

The Order, which was proclaimed beggarly, rapidly grew richer. And not only because rulers often bequeathed untold wealth to him. Entire villages, cities, churches, castles, and monasteries eventually began to belong to the Order. They humbly gave him taxes and taxes. The fact is that the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars was engaged in usury.

It was not the Jews, but the Templar Order that created the banking system of Europe. In the Middle Ages, Jews were only street money changers, and the Templars already had a credit system, bills of exchange, and their own money. They operated not only with gold, but also with securities.

Departed from the Cross

The Templars were noted as the greatest traitors to the cause of the bearers of the Cross of Christ. Such was the case in October 1240, when the Muslims of Damascus and Egypt quarreled, the crusaders took the side of Egypt, concluding a deal with an agreement, and for this they received not only Jerusalem, but also almost all of Palestine. Bloodless! The Templars, having conspired with Damascus, attacked the Egyptians together with the Teutonic Knights and Hospitallers. Moreover, they were more cruel than Muslims and Jews. The blood reached the horses' knees, as the history of the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars says. Even fellow crusaders were not allowed to bury their dead. In 1243, the Muslims repaid the Templars in full and took Jerusalem back, releasing only three Teutons, twenty-six Hospitallers and thirty-three Templars alive.

Further crusades were as numerous as they were unsuccessful. In 1298, Jacques de Molay became the last Grand Master of the Order. The idea of ​​the crusades faded, the meaning of the existence of military monks became unclear. The Teutonic Order still had some work left - a century and a half. But the Templars became uncomfortable sitting on those riches that even the kings could not dream of. The First Temple remained with the Muslim world, and the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars established a residence in Cyprus - a refuge was established there for Christians who were able to leave Palestine, but who were not at all expected in Europe.

Robbers

Charles Valois, brother started a war with Byzantium. It was no easier to fight against Greek Christianity than against Muslims. The Templars, instead of fighting Andronikos, go along the coast from Thessalonica to Thrace and Moravia, where Catholicism has already reigned.

The Templars had rich booty. But the European monarchs were indignant. Who is interested in having a force of fifteen thousand real soldiers nearby, well armed and battle-hardened, who are also aggressive, arbitrarily and cunningly controlled? And, of course, greed played a role: the Templars were fabulously, unspeakably rich.

In 1307, Philip the Fair issued a decree arresting all Templars in the country. Prisoners were brutally tortured and burned at the stake. The French treasury was significantly replenished. The history of the spiritual-knightly Order of the Templars has come to an end.