380 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 263. 



liis kniglits, a clever linguist, to be their com- 

 mander. In a diploma of the Hospitallers under 

 date of 1180, we observe for the first time that 

 twelve Turcopoles are expressly named after the 

 priesfs and military knights ; and it is from this 

 elassificalioii Mubillon and Maurini have written, 

 in their diplomatic works, that this was their 

 respective rank. Having referred to the ancient 

 manuscript records of the Order now existing, we 

 find that a general chapter, held by the Grand 

 Master, Alphonso of Portugal, in 1205, a Tur- 

 copole is thus mentioned ; tTiat when the Grand 

 Master rode out he should be attended by four 

 horsemen, a serving brother with two, as also a 

 clerk, steward, and one Turcopole or more, as might 

 be required. Then again, in a diploma of 1247 

 are to be seen the signatures of the marshal, the 

 prior of the church, of the Castellans of Crato and 

 Margatto, the treasurer, standard-bearer of several 

 grand crosses, and simple brethren ; and among 

 the last comes the name of Peter de Sardines, 

 Turcopoller of the Order. A question has there- 

 fore arisen, among different writers, if, at' this 

 early period, public records were signed according 

 to the official rank of those who affixed their 

 signatures. If such were the case, the above 

 document would prove, without a doubt, that a 

 Turcopolier did not enjoy a high dignity, he 

 following those who were only simple knights. 

 But after looking at a copy of the original docu- 

 ment published in Padre Pavili's Diplomatic Code, 

 we are by no means satisfied that any regular 

 order was observed in 1247, when public acts 

 were legalised by the signatures of those who were 

 present at the time the same were decreed. The 

 argument adduced by Maurini, to show that the 

 Turcopolier held no important rank from signing 

 below so many other Hospitallers, cannot be sus- 

 tained ; as, in this very document, to which he 

 refers for the purpose of maintaining his state- 

 ment, the name of a simple brother, who held no 

 office, is placed before that of the Grand Prior of 

 the principal church, whose high rank, and pre- 

 eminence after the Grand Master and bishop, has 

 always been acknowledged. 



It is very possible that the knights of noble 

 birth took precedence of each other according to 

 their dates of nobility, as also of those who were 

 of plebeian origin ; and in this way can only be 

 explained their inattention to local rank, when 

 called upon in the general chapters to legalise 

 their common concentual laws. 



Not wishing to occupy more space in " N. & Q.," 

 I would simply remark, that for the above his- 

 torical references I am in a measure indebted to 

 a publication which appeared at Palermo in 1788, 

 bearing the following title : Memorie Storiche su 

 la Dignita, e la Preminenze del 2\rcopoliere, 

 Sec. Sec, by Fra Vincenzo Castelli, who was a 

 Knight of Malta. Since referring to this work, I 



have seen a French manuscript in the Record 

 Office, which evidently appears to be the original 

 of Castelli's publication, and taken without the 

 least acknowledgment. And now, in closing this 

 Note, I would only add, that I shall be much 

 obliged to any of your correspondents who can 

 furnish me with more certain information respect- 

 ing the Turcopoles, and their commander the 

 Turcopolier, or Turcopilier, as some writers have 

 recorded it. I am also desirous of knowing at what 

 precise period, and for what reason, it became a 

 dignity solely attached to the English tongue of 

 the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. 



William Winthbop. 

 Malta. 



NICHOLAS, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA, AND THE LATE 

 KING OF PRUSSIA. 



It has been said in a work of some authority 

 (Die Gegenwart, Band 2, Leipzig, 1849), that the 

 late King of Prussia, who was strongly attached 

 to the Evangelical Reformed Church, would very 

 probably never have given his consent to the 

 marriage of his daughter with a Russian prince, 

 if he had not entertained the idea of the possi- 

 bility of that prince ascending the Russian throne 

 at some future day. Before the marriage could 

 take place, it was necessary that the princess 

 should become a member of the Greek Church. 

 It is hinted that a plan was at the time concerted, 

 according to which Nicholas was to ascend the 

 throne instead of his elder brother Constantine ; 

 although the writer in Die Gegenwart says, there 

 is no existing evidence to prove that any actual 

 preparations were made for carrying out such a 

 project before the year 1823. It is however 

 remarkable, that this plan, which was intended to 

 be kept the profoundest secret in the family until 

 the moment of its accomplishment, was allowed to 

 give some early evidence of its parentage by the 

 announcement, in a genealogical almanac pub- 

 lished at Frankfort on the Oder, in the autumn of 

 1824, that the Grand Duke Nicholas was the 

 " successor to the crown." The almanac was 

 published under the Prussian censorship. The 

 Emperor Alexander died at Taganrog in 1825. 



The writer in Die Gegenwart goes on to say, 

 that the idea of Nicholas being the best fitted 

 among the Russian princes to succeed his brother, 

 in the event of his death, was no doubt strength- 

 ened, if existing at a previous period, in the minds 

 of Alexander and Frederick William, during their 

 visit to France, by their observing the spirit and 

 views developed among the Russian troops — the 

 support of the Imperial throne from their inter- 

 course with the French — a spirit which, under 

 the anticipated despotic rule of Constantine, might 

 lead to the overthrow of the state ; but_ that the 

 more outwardly conciliatory, although in reality 



