474 



KNIGHTHOOD. 



Knight- 

 hood. 



The grand-master exercised the rights of sovereignty 

 over the people of Malta and its dependencies. He 

 ' coined money ; and had the disposal of the priories, 

 bailiages, and commanderies attached to the order. 

 All the knights, of whatever rank they might be, pro- 

 fessed obedience to his commands in every thing not 

 contrary to the rules of the society, or the obligations 

 of religion. In all affairs, however, which respect reli- 

 gion in the interests of the knights, an absolute autho- 

 rity was exerted by the grand-master, and the council 

 in conjunction ; the grand-master having no other pre- 

 rogative than that of a casting vote. There were two 

 councils. The ordinary council co-.sisted of the grand- 

 master, the prior of the church, the conventual bai- 

 lies, the grand priors, and the capitular bailies. The 

 council complete was composed, in addition to these, of 

 nil the grand crosses, and of the two senior knights of 

 each language. 



These languages were those of the different nations 

 of which the order was composed; and these were 

 in number eight, Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, 

 Arragon, Germany, Castile, and England. Of each 

 of these languages, there were knights of different 

 kinds, as, 1. Equiles Justicice, who made proof of no- 

 bility at their entrance, of four descents in all other 

 nations except Germany, where 16 quarters were held 

 necessary. 2. Eynites Gratia, who made no proof of 

 nobility, but had the order conferred on them on ac- 

 count of merit. These were, however, incapable of at- 

 taining the rank of bailie, grand prior, or grand-mas- 

 ter. Besides these, there were serving brothers of two 

 kinds ; 1. those of arms, who took a part in all the cus- 

 tomary duties of the knights ; and, 2. those of the 

 thvrch, who were priests entirely devoted to the servi- 

 ces of religion in the different churches of the order. 



The influence of this order was extended through 

 every part of Europe. Their achievements were con- 

 picuous, and they were long regarded as the most es- 

 sential bulwark against the Turks. Ashmole is of 

 opinion, that at one time their power was so great that 

 " they possessed in Christendom about 19,000 manors." * 

 In England, their prior sat in Parliament as the first ba- 

 ron of the kingdom, by the title of " Prior hospitalis 

 Sancti Johannis de Jerusalem. 1 ' 



The knights of St. John made profession of poverty, 

 obedience, and chastity, according to the rule of St. 

 Augustin, whose black habit they wore, originally with 

 a plain white cross on the breast, but afterwards with 

 one of eight points. In time of war they put the cross 

 on a scarlet cassock. 



The order is now merely nominal, and the cross is 

 conferred by several sovereigns, who lay claim to the 

 title of grand- master. Among others, Paul of Russia 

 celebrated a mock election of himself, with the con- 

 currence of a company of comedians, and sold the in- 

 signia. 



Scarcely had the hospitallers succeeded in transform- 

 the Holy ing their society into one, uniting within itself the pro- 

 !"! fession of religion and that of arms, before certain ca- 

 ' nons regular of St. Augustin, who, during the reign of 

 the Saracens, had been entrusted with the care of the 

 holy sepulchre, became desirous of imitating their ex- 

 ample. Baldwin accordingly gratified them in this 

 matter, and they assumed the title of knights of the 

 holy sepulchre. They were conspicuous for their va- 

 lour and fidelity during the time of the Christian kings 

 of Jerusalem; but, on the loss of the Holy Land, took 

 refuge in Perugia, and afterwards were incorporated 



Knights of 



A. D. 1118. 



with the knights of Rhodes. Their ensign was argent, Knight 

 a croxf potent, or. hood. 



The origin of the order of^he knights of the temple ,^"""~J;~ 

 succeeded close on that of the sepulchre. -eoffrey of , 

 St. Omer, and Hugh de Paganis, were its founders. ^. D. 

 These, along with a few other pious persons, animated 

 with the desire of serving God, and bearing with much 

 impatience the insults which the Turks poured on the 

 pilgrims, established a society for the purpose of pro- 

 tecting the high-ways to Jerusalem. Guarimond, pa- 

 triarch of Jerusalem, and king Baldwin, willingly 

 granted them their approbation. They took vows of 

 poverty, obedience, and chastity, and engaged to keep 

 the high-ways free of robbers ; to be hospitable to the 

 poor, and to protect all who should be inclined to visit 

 the holy sepulchre. Baldwin permitted them to build 

 an hospital near the temple of the sepulchre, whence 

 they derived their name ; and they established them- 

 selves, in all respects conforming to the rule of St. Basil. 

 The services which they rendered by their care as to 

 the safety of the high-ways, soon spread their fame 

 throughout Europe, and were the means of attracting 

 to them great riches and splendid endowments. The 

 wealth which they possessed was, indeed, in all proba- 

 bility, the chief cause of the destruction of their order, 

 which was accomplished by the machinations of Philip 

 the Fair, in the year 1312. A council was held at Vi- 

 enne, at which the Pope, (Clement V. ) king Philip, 

 and Louis of Navarre, his eldest son, were present. 

 There the Templars were accused of drunkenness, in. 

 continence, and blasphemy, which crimes were confess, 

 ed by many of the knights on being put to the torture. 

 The council ordered all their possessions to be confis. 

 cated and bestowed on the knights of St. John of Jeru- 

 salem ; but the kings of France, Arragon, Castile, and 

 England, appropriated a great part of their possessions 

 to their own use. The order contrived to get the de- 

 cree of the council reversed, in so far as regarded Ger- 

 many, where they remained long after, but with little 

 power. Jacques de la Maude, their grand-master, was 

 burnt in Paris along with many of the brethren ; and 

 the whole body were in England declared convicts and 

 felons by a statute of the first year of Edward II. 



In the same year with the. creation of the order of Teutonic 

 the Templars, took place that of the Teutonic order, order. 

 A German nobleman, observing the inconvenience to 

 which pilgrims of his nation were exposed in the hos- 

 pitals at Jerusalem, where their language was unknown, 

 erected an hospital in Jerusalem for their use. This 

 hospital soon became rich by the liberality of its Ger- 

 man visitants. Pope Celestine created these hospitaller* 

 into an order of knighthood, under the obligation of li- 

 ving according to the rule of St. Augustin, and conti- 

 nuing to fight against the Infidels during life. The 

 emperor Frederic II. brought them with him into Eu- 

 rope, and proposed to them to occupy their arms in the 

 conquest of Prussia. The infidelity of the people of 

 that country was the pretence; but his real motive in 

 this proposition, was nothing more than to get rid of a 

 band of warriors whose unemployed valour began to 

 incommode him. Being joined by the marquis of Tu 

 ringen, they soon rendered themselves masters of Prus 

 sia, and built Marienburgh in honour of their patroness, 

 the Virgin Mary. This country they possessed till A. 

 D. 1525, when Albert of Brandenburgh, their last 

 grand-master, became feudatory to Sigismund, king of 

 Poland, who created him first duke of Prussia. From 

 him the present royal family of Prussia derive their 



See Ashmole, Introduction to (lie History of tto Order of the Garten 



