Knightly medals in medieval history

Knightly orders first appeared in medieval Europe during the time of the Crusades. But their activities were not confined to war alone, for a knight is not only a war, but also a man of high spirituality and moral qualities. To be a knight was to honor the "Knight's Code of Honor" (a kind of life credo that includes a set of unspoken rules of conduct, both in society and in war). But let's talk about what the knightly orders were like.

Templars

The first and most popular knightly order, which arose even during the time of the crusades of those soldiers who participated in the seizure of the "holy land" of Jerusalem. They were called - the Order of the Jerusalem Knights of the Cross, which indicated an obvious belonging to the spiritual and religious basis of Christianity of the time. The banner of the organization was a red cross on a white background and a banner, often taken out on a huge chariot - a golden Catholic cross, considered a symbol of the strength of faith and encouraging ordinary soldiers to military feats. Unfortunately, a couple of centuries later this order disintegrated and was destroyed. On Friday the 13th of the year 1307, on the orders of the Pope, all the Templars were accused of heresy, worship of Baphomet and, as a result, 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 not beneficial to the authorities or religious leaders. Of course, most of the accusations were simply falsified, but on the spiritual and knightly orders in general this did not have much influence.

Hospitallers

Knightly orders, as a rule, were born in the Holy Land, exactly where Christians needed their help and support for their pilgrimages. One of such "auxiliary" formations was the Order of the Holy Principality of Antioch, named after the busy city (not far from Jerusalem). Their distinctive feature was a white cross on a black background, consisted mainly of the Order of the French and helped pilgrims. Knightly orders of this type, though not so powerful, but survived their brethren. For example, the same Hospitallers in our time - the Red Cross Society, which still provides feasible medical assistance in countries affected by these or other military conflicts. True, the religious basis has been somewhat distorted, and very few people know that, along with this organization, its branch, called the Order of the Red Crescent, works.

Knightly orders in world culture

So why do we need knights and why did they "die out"? The fact that the emergence of knight warriors was a natural phenomenon at a time when the power of one person could be contrasted with the strength of many, thanks to experience, skill and skill. But a century later (with the appearance of gunpowder and even crossbows that penetrate armor and are "dishonest" 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 this is a completely different story!