History of the spiritual and knightly order. History of the creation of spiritual and knightly orders

The emergence of spiritual and knightly orders refers to the times of the Crusades, which organized 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 not cheaper: both the supreme Catholics and the Crusaders themselves needed new lands and craved the riches of the eastern cities.

Education of spiritual and knightly orders

When the fortress of Jerusalem surrendered at the mercy of the winner in 1099, the Pope blessed the creation of new organizations for the protection and protection of both Christian possessions and 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, the Templars and some others were formed.

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

Holy Vows

The knight entering the order became a monk, bringing vows of poverty, obedience, chastity, irreconcilability to the infidels and the fulfillment of the duty of hospitality. The commoner, who joined the order, became a military monk. However, commoners and in the circle of initiates always kept their own, separate group. Some of the orders accepted even women in their ranks.

The discipline was army, all unquestioningly obeyed the head - the great master, grandmaster, who could keep a record only before the Pope. The rulers, on whose lands the spiritual and knightly order was located (the Templars and any other), if they did not join its ranks, did not have any right to vote, let alone command.

Hierarchy

The history of the spiritual and knightly order was written on special tables. From monastic and from each other knightly orders differed in clothes and their own statutes, which the Pope signed with the signature . But, unlike the monastic, the ranks of knights-monks grew very quickly, as required by the constant war.

Knights not only robbed the eastern villages and cities, they violated the many commandments of Christ: they lent money at interest, exploited local residents, and engaged in slave trade. And they were inexorably rich. The knight-crusader of the ninth century was different from his brother in the thirteenth as the sky from the earth. It is necessary to recognize that, having become rich, many Orders invested money in science.

Each member of the Order had a certain position. Over time, it could be recognized by clothing (only dedicated, of course). The Templars are in a white cloak with a red cross, the Hospitallers in black, the knights of the Teutonic Order in white with a black cross.

The history of the spiritual and knightly order shows that it was only in 1146 that a special cross for clothing with a papal bull was allowed to sew a special cross, not all at once, but only by the most noble knights of blood. Over time, when the crusades greatly enriched the treasury not only of the Order, but also of individual knights, luxury even in clothes did not keep itself waiting.

Three main orders

Until the beginning of the fifteenth century, the history of the spiritual and knightly order during the Crusades describes a little more than twenty orders, three of them - the richest, influential and strongest. They possessed such vast fortunes that they were envied by kings. Here is this remarkable three:

• Order of the Hospitallers (Ioannites).
• Order of the Templars (Templars).
• Teutonic (German) order.

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

History of the Knights Templar Order

A colossal fortune allowed the orders to buy the best lands throughout Europe. As proof of power, the Templars, for example, minted their own money freely circulating throughout Europe. Coins were made of silver and gold, and there were so many that the Templars were credited with alchemical discoveries, for example, the extraction of gold from lead ...

This organization could survive for a long time. In the distant 1118, nine French knights led by Hugues de Payen and Joffroy de Saint-Ome remained to defend the road to Jerusalem from the Mediterranean after the first crusade. First of all, Christian pilgrims from robbers and robbers. From the King of Jerusalem Baldwin, they received a residence, which later became known as the castle Temple, 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 the Temple of Solomon).
• Order of the Templars.
• Order of the Knights Templar.

Charter

Those wishing to join the Order of the Knights were bound to become monks - humble, poor and unmarried. It was, nevertheless, a very successful project. The history of the spiritual and knightly order says that his charter was one of the most rigid and strict, and Saint Bernard himself designed it, and the Pope Eugene III in 1128, that is, after ten years of unofficial existence, approved it.

In the Order of the Knights Templar the knight was obliged to forget all worldly, including relatives, to eat only bread and water, to put on the most simple and coarse clothing. He could not have any property. If in his things after death, gold or silver was found, he had no place in the consecrated land of the cemetery.

However, all this did not prevent the Templars from becoming especially greedy before extraction, entertainment and even drunkenness. Artistic works written about that time, for example, the novel "Ivanhoe" by Walter Scott, preserve the historical truth found in historical chronicles.

Division into classes and distinctive signs

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

It must be acknowledged that with all this categorical division, the monastic vows accepted everything, and the statutes were all equally impeccable. However, there were plenty of exceptions to the rules.

For all Templar knights, a white cloak, similar to a mantle, was obligatory with a Maltese eight-pointed scarlet cross. The sergeants dressed in brown, the cross was the same. To learn the Templar on the main road, it was possible by the battle cry "Bosean!", And also on the flag - black and white cloth and the motto in Latin - "Not Us, Lord" (the first words from the ninth verse of the one hundred and thirteenth psalm).

The emblem of the Templars was simply a symbol of poverty: it depicted two knights on one horse. If the knight was heading for the crusade, then he carried the cross on his chest, and on his back he came back. The style, cut, size and material of clothing, as well as the location of the cross, he usually chose.

National and class affiliation

Knights Templars at first could devote only a Frenchman of noble origin. A little later this opportunity was received by the British. Nevertheless, the Knights became the Spaniards, Italians, and Flemings. Only knights could occupy leading positions - from the Grand Master and Master of the domains to the Kashtelian, the capitulier, the draper.

The sergeants became more wealthy townspeople who occupied quite good positions as bookkeepers, squires, stewards and storekeepers. Those that were more victorious went to servants, soldiers or guard.

The bishops of the Roman church and the Pope himself could not manage the priests of the Order. The spiritually knightly order of the Templars demanded that their priests send spiritual needs, despite the fact that all the Knights of the Order were endowed with the rights of a confessor. Confession and communion with members of the Order could only be sent by the Order priest, because many secrets were protected from the Roman Catholic Church.

Despite strict regulations and marital life, the Knights Templar quickly became popular. A few years later, three more knights joined the nine knights, among whom were many crowned individuals. Naturally, the number of sergeants also increased.

Where is the droushka?

Belonging to the Order gave both personal security and augmentation of the state. To offend a member of the Order was impossible. "One for all" - the motto, born far to the first musketeer.

The proclamation proclaimed by the beggar was swiftly rich. And not only because the rulers often bequeathed to him untold riches. Whole villages, cities, churches, castles, monasteries eventually became the property of the Order. They humbly gave him taxes and taxes. The fact is that the spiritual-knight Templar Order was engaged in usury.

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

Departed from the Cross

The Templars were noted as the greatest traitors of the bearers of the Cross of Christ. This was also October 1240, when the Muslims of Damascus and Egypt quarreled, the Crusaders took the side of Egypt, concluding the deal by agreement, and received for it not only Jerusalem, but also almost all of Palestine. Bloodless! The Templars, on the other hand, having conspired with Damascus, attacked the Egyptians, along with the Teutonic Knights and Hospitallers. And they were more cruel than Muslims with Jews. The blood reached the horses to the knees, as the history of the knight Templar Knighthood says. Even the Crusader brethren were not allowed to bury their dead. In 1243 the Muslims repaid the Templars in full and took Jerusalem back, releasing only three Teutons alive, twenty-six Hospitallers and thirty-three Templars alive.

The further crusades were so numerous, so unsuccessful. In 1298, Jacques de Molay became the last Grand Master of the Order. The idea of the crusades went out, the meaning of the existence of military monks became unclear. The Teutonic Order still had a little work - a century and a half. But the Templars felt uncomfortable sitting on those riches that the kings did not even dream of. The first Temple remained behind the Muslim world, and the spiritual knight Templar Order housed a residence in Cyprus - there was founded a refuge of Christians who were able to leave Palestine, but who were not expected in Europe.

Robbers

Karl Valois, brother of King Philip the Beautiful, started a war with Byzantium. With Greek Christianity, it was no easier to fight than with Muslims. The Templars, instead of fighting Andronicus, go along the coast from Thessaloniki to Thrace and Moravia, where Catholicism already reigned.

The Templar's harvest was rich. But the monarchs of Europe were indignant. Who is interested in having fifteen thousand real soldiers close by, well-armed and tempered in combat, besides aggressive, arbitrary and cunningly controlled? And, of course, greed played its part: the Templars were fabulously, inexpressibly rich.

In 1307, Philippe Handsome issued a decree on the arrest of all Templars in the country. Prisoners were severely tortured, burned at the stake. The treasury of France has considerably replenished. The history of the spiritually knightly order of the Knights Templar came to an end.