weak to continue, if not sustained by Religion and Piety; and too
defective without adjoyning Ecclesiastical Persons thereunto. Therefore
the Founders, considering Divine Assistance should concur with Military
Industry, began to dedicate these Orders to the Honour and Worship of
God, or to our Saviour, or to the blessed Virgin, or some other of the
Saints, to gain the Protection and Favour of Heaven, more easily, as
they thought, obtainable by the Prayers and Offices of the Clergy.
Whereupon some in their Institution joyned Sacred Orders to their
Military, and made Provision for Sacred Persons to pray for their
Prosperity at home, while they were engaged abroad. Hence King _Edw._
III. at the first Institution of the _Garter_, appointed Thirteen
Secular Canons, and Thirteen Vicars to attend the Celebration of Divine
Offices. Upon the same Account certain Foundations of Divine Service
were erected at _Bugey_, for the Order of the _Annunciads_; at _Dijon_,
for the Order of the _Golden Fleece_; and at _Mont St. Michael_ in
_Normandy_, for the Order of St. _Michael_.
§ 4. I shall now deliver a brief Account of the Religious Orders of
Knighthood, proceeding according to their Antiquity.
1. _The Knights of the_ Holy Sepulchre _in_ Jerusalem,
_are accounted the most Ancient_.
DR. _Heylin_ reports this Order to be instituted _A. D._ 1099. at such
Time as the Temple of _Jerusalem_ was regain’d from the _Saracens_ by
_Philip_ King of _France_. Yet _Favin_ will have it to be by _Baldwin_
the First, King of _Jerusalem_; for while the _Saracens_ possess’d the
City, there were certain Canons Regular of St. _Augustin_, to whom they
permitted the Custody of the Holy Sepulchre. These Canons _Baldwin_
made Men of Arms, and _Knights of the Holy Sepulchre_, and ordained
that they should nevertheless retain their white Habits, and on the
Breast bear his own Arms, which were _Argent a Cross potent: Or_,
between _four Crosses of the same_, commonly call’d _The_ Jerusalem
_Cross_. Their Great Master was the Patriarch of _Jerusalem_. They were
to guard the Sepulchre, fight against the _Saracens_ and Infidels,
protect Pilgrims, redeem Christian Captives, hear Mass every Day,
recite the Hours of the Cross, and to bear the five red Crosses in
memory of our Saviour’s Wounds. Their Rule was confirm’d by Pope
_Innocent_ III. Upon the loss of the Holy Land, these Knights retired
to _Perugia_ in _Italy_; but retaining their white Habit, chang’d their
Arms to a double _red Cross_. _A. D._ 1484. they were incorporated to
the _Knights Hospitallers of_ Jerusalem then in _Rhodes_. But _A. D._
1496. _Alexander_ VI. made himself, and the Popes his Successors, Great
Masters thereof, and empower’d the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre (his
Vicar General) to bestow the same upon Pilgrims to the Holy Land.
_Philip_ II. King of _Spain_, endeavour’d to restore this Order in some
of his Dominions, about the Year 1558. himself being elected Great
Master: And another Attempt was made by the Duke of _Nevers_, 1615. but
these Designs took no Effect.
2. _Knights Hospitallers of St._ John Baptist _in_ Jerusalem.
BEFORE the taking of _Jerusalem_ from the _Saracens_, certain Christian
Merchants of _Naples_ obtain’d leave from the Caliph of _Egypt_ to
erect a small and convenient House, for the Entertainment of themselves
and Countrymen, which they built before the Church of the _Holy
Sepulchre_, together with a small Oratory. To them repair’d certain
Canons of the Order of St. _Augustin_, who built another Oratory; but
the Confluence of Pilgrims growing great, they erected a large
Hospital, in the Place where our Saviour celebrated his last Supper,
for the better accommodating devout Travellers, who for want of a Place
to lodge in were often robb’d and murder’d: So that at length from
their Charity and Hospitality, as also for that they took St. _John
Baptist_ for their Patron, they obtain’d that Title. It was instituted
_A. D._ 1092. or according to others 1099. by _Gerard_, a Native of
_Thoulouse_, who came to _Jerusalem_ in the Time of _Godfry_ of
_Bouillon_, and built this Hospital (which became the first Seat of
this Order) dedicated to St. _John_ of _Cyprus_, Bp. of _Alexandria_,
commonly call’d _Johannes Eleemosynarius_; and King _Baldwin_ I.
conferred on them large Privileges, permitting them Arms, and
instituted them to be Knights, _A. D._ 1104. Their Duty was to fight
against the Infidels, and they acknowledged Obedience to the Patriarch
of _Jerusalem_; but growing rich, they obtained from _Rome_ to be
absolved from that Obedience. Pope _Gelasius_ II. or _Calixtus_ II. _A.
D._ 1120. confirmed their Rule of living; and _Adrian_ IV. receiv’d
them under the Protection of the Papal See, being likewise endowed with
ample Privileges, and exempted from Payment of Tithes, by succeeding
Popes, chiefly by _Pius_ IV.
THEY took the black Habit of Hermits of St. _Augustin_, and lived under
his Rule by Grant of _Honorius_ II. _Anno_ 1125. vowing Obedience,
Poverty, and Chastity; and on the Breast of their Habit wore at first a
plain Cross of White Cloth, which was after changed to one with Eight
Points; but in time of War they used a Red Cassock, bearing the White
Cross upon it. Unto _Gerard_ succeeded _Raimund_, who digested and
enlarged their Laws and Institutions in the Composition whereof his
Stile was _Raimundus Dei gratia servus pauperum Jesu Christi & Custos
Hospitalis Jerusolymitani_; but afterwards he and his Successors had
the Title of Great Master of the Order given him, to denote his Power
and Authority. At this Day he has the Title of Prince of _Malta_ and
_Goza_; among his Privileges he seals in Lead, as doth the Pope and
Doge of _Venice_; he acknowledges the Pope for his Head, and the King
of _Spain_ for his Patron; he had under him in several Kingdoms Priors;
some of whom had also the Addition of Great with us in _England_ he was
stiled _Prior Hospitalis; St. Johannis Jerusalem in Anglia_, and by
that Title was he summoned to the Parliament as a Baron of this
Kingdom, and at length for Place and Precedency was ranked the first
Baron; and the greatness of these Knights grew to such height that
_temp. H._ 3. they had in Christendom 19000 Mannors.
WHEN _Saladine_ took _Jerusalem_, these Knights retreated to _Acres_ or
_Ptolemais_, and that being taken they seized upon the Island of
_Rhodes_, _A. D._ 1308. whence they began to be call’d Knights of
_Rhodes_; but _A. D._ 1522. being driven, thence by _Solyman_, they
betook themselves to the Island of _Malta_, which with _Tripoli_ and
_Goza_ were granted to them in Fee by the Emperor _Charles_ V. _A. D._
1530. under the Tender of one Falcon yearly to the Viceroy of _Sicily_,
and to acknowledge the King of _Spain_ and _Sicily_ for their
Protectors. In this Isle they continue a Bulwark to those Parts, and
from this their Settlement are called Knights of _Malta_.
3. _Knights_ Templars.
ABOUT the Year 1117, 1118, 1119, or 1120, this Order took Beginning,
_Baldwin_ II. then reigning in _Jerusalem_; when Nine Gentlemen, of
whom Two of noble Extraction, _Hugh de Paganes_ and _Godfrey de St.
Omer_, came in Devotion to the _Holy Land_; they were called Brothers
of the Militia of the Temple, ordinarily Knights Templars, from the
Habitation assigned them out of a part of the King’s own Palace,
adjoyning to the Temple of _Solomon_ in _Jerusalem_. Their first
Undertaking was to guard the most dangerous Ways about that City,
against the Violence and Robberies of the _Saracens_, which made them
acceptable to all, and for which they had Remission of their Sins; but
for the first Nine Years they were yet so poor that they lived upon the
Alms of others, wore Clothes bestowed in Charity upon them, and rode
two on one Horse; in memory of which primitive Poverty their Seal had
the Impress, which is represented in _Math. Paris_, _A. D._ 1127. They
had Rules assigned them, drawn up by St. _Bernard_ Abbot of
_Clairvaux_, by the Appointment of Pope _Honorius_ II. and _Stephen_
Patriarch of _Jerusalem_. They made their Vows of Obedience, Poverty
and Chastity, and to live under the Rules of Canons regular of St.
_Augustin_. Their Habit was White, to which, in the Time of _Eugenius_
III. they added the Red Cross, and of the same Form that the
Hospitallers wore (_Favin_ says a patriarchal Cross) and sowed it on
the left Shoulder of the _Maulles_. These with the Holy Sepulchre
Hospitallers and Teutonicks, principally supported a long time the
Kingdom of _Jerusalem_; but when Riches encreas’d, and their Revenues
augmented, they grew proud, fell from the Obedience of the Patriarch to
joyn with the Pope; and at last, 1307. all the Knights of this Order in
_France_ were, in one and the same Hour, seized and imprison’d by
_Philip le Bel_, King of France, with Consent of Pope _Clement_ V.
being charged with most infamous and damnable Crimes. And in _England_,
_Anno 1. Ed. 2._ they were also apprehended afterwards, rendred
Convicts, and all their Possessions seized into the King’s Hands.
Howbeit the Bishop of _York_ commiserating their deplorable Condition
within his Diocess, charitably disposed of them in Monasteries under
his Jurisdiction. Two Years after many of these Knights were burn’d in
_France_, and _Jaques de la Maule_, the last great Master, suffered the
same Fate, having seen, _A. D._ 1312. his Order by Papal Authority,
condemned and perpetually dissolved; after which their Lands were
annexed to the Hospitallers, for their Service against the _Turks_.
THUS they fell, no less famous for Martial Atchievments in the East,
than their Wealth in the West; for they enjoyed 16000 Lordships in
_Europe_, and a _Spanish_ Author tells us, their Revenue was Two
Millions yearly, and had in possession 40000 Commanderies, which
occasion’d divers to think they were falsly accused, and by suborned
Witnesses, merely upon the Ambition and covetous Design of _Philip_
King of _France_.
4. _Knights of the Order of St._ Lazarus.
THESE were at the first a Fraternity of Religious Monks, after which
they became Ecclesiastick Knights, in Imitation of the Knights of the
Holy Sepulchre. Pope _Pius_ V. 1572. stiles it _Antiquissimum
Charitatis & Militiæ Christi Ordinem_; yet it must be understood as an
Order of Monks, founded by St. _Basil_, about the time of _Julian the
Apostate_, _A. D._ 366. upon a Charitable Account, _viz._ to take Care
of Leprous Persons (a Malady frequent in the East) by which they became
separated, even from the Conversation of Men. At length, through the
Incursion of the _Barbarians_, and Injury of Time, it lay extinguish’d,
but was revived when the _Latin_ Princes joyned in a Holy League to
recover the _Holy Land_. And a famous Hospital was erected at
_Jerusalem_, under the Title of St. _Lazarus_, for the Reception of
Lepers: For in that Time the Monks of this Order added Martial
Discipline to their Skill in Physick; and for their Services against
the Infidels, begat a great Esteem from _Baldwin_ II. King of
_Jerusalem_, and some of his Successors. In process of Time this Order
decayed, being suppressed by _Innocent_ VIII. who united it to the
_Hospitallers_ at _Rhodes_, _A. D._ 1490. Nevertheless _Pius_ IV.
restored it _A. D._ 1565. confirming the old, and granting new
Privileges, making his kinsman Don _Janot de Chastillon_ great Master.
_Pius_ V. _A. D._ 1567. enlarged their Privileges, permitting them to
take one Wife only, to wit, a Virgin, not a Widow. Lastly, Pope
_Gregory_ XIII. _A. D._ 1572. bestowed the Great Mastership of this
Order upon _Emanuel Philibert_ Duke of _Savoy_, and his Successors, and
prescribed them the _Cistercian_ Rule; and accordingly he had the
Investiture and Collation of the _Commanderies_ in _Spain_ and _Italy_.
5. _Knights of the_ Teutonick _Order, or_ Prussia.
IN the Time of the Holy War, a wealthy Gentleman of _Germany_, who
dwelt at _Jerusalem_, commiserating the Condition of his Country-men,
coming thither in Devotion, made his House their Receptacle; afterwards
he erected a Chapel to the Blessed Virgin, whence they had also the
Title of _Marian_ Knights. To him associated other _Germans_, and in
short time encreasing, they professed the Military Employments of the
_Templars_, and followed the Acts of Piety and Charity of the
_Hospitallers_. _A. D._ 1190. or 1191. they elected _Henry Walpott_
their first Master, and the following Year were confirmed by
_Celestine_ III. under the Title of Knights _Teutonicks_, or _Dutch_
Knights, of the Hospital of St. _Mary_ the Virgin, vowing Poverty,
Obedience, and Charity, and following the Rule of St. _Augustin_. Their
Statutes were composed from those of the _Hospitallers_ and _Templars_,
and One Article was, _That none but_ Germans _should be of this Order_.
Their Habit was a White Mantle, on the Breast a plain _Black Cross_,
but some make it a _Black Cross_ voided with a _Cross Potent_. At
_Acon_ they erected another Hospital; but after that City was taken by
_Saladine_, they removed under _Hermannus_ their Master into _Germany_,
on whom the Emperor _Frederick_ II. _A. D._ 1229. and Pope _Honorius_
III. bestowed _Prussia_; where having conquer’d that Nation, and
reduced it from Paganism, they built the City of _Maryburgh_, and
there, _A. D._ 1340. fixed the chief Residence of their great Master.
This Country they enjoyed till 1525. that _Albertus Brandenburgh_, the
Last great Master, made solemn Renunciation of that Order, and became
feudatory to _Sigismond_ I. King of _Poland_, who created this _Albert_
first Duke of _Prussia_: However, some of the Knights disrellishing
this Action elected another great Master, _viz._ _Albert Wolfang_, and
leaving _Prussia_ setled in _Germany_, where they now reside. The
younger Sons of the _German_ Princes being, for the most part received
into this Order, giving it the greatest Reputation.
6. _Knights of_ Mount-Joy.
THESE are so called, from a Castle where this Order was instituted,
built upon the Point of a Mountain not far from _Jerusalem_, whence the
Pilgrims first view’d the _Holy City_, and where these Knights lay in
Garrison. Their Habit was White, and the Badge thereof an _Octogonal
Cross Red_; they vowed Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, and followed
the Rule of St. _Basil_; which Pope _Alexander_ III. _A. D._ 1180.
changed to that of _Augustine_. Upon the Loss of the _Holy Land_ they
retired to _Spain_, and fought against the _Moors_, and according to
the Places they resided, in had other Names, in _Catalonia_ and
_Valentia_, _Equites de Mongoia_, i. e. _Mount Joy_; but in _Castile_,
Knights of _Monfrac_, a Castle there. When _Alphonso_ IX. King of
_Castile_ gave them Lands they had won from the _Moors_, the Donation
says, _To you Don_ Rodrigo Gonsales, _Master of_ Monfrac, _of the Order
of_ Mount Joy. Upon the Decay of this Order, _A. D._ 1221. this Castle
was given to Don _Gonsalionez_, Master of the Order of _Calatrava_, by
_Ferdinand_ the Saint; and these Knights were incorporated with them.
7. _Knights of St._ John _of_ Acon _or_ Acres.
UNDER the Patronage of this Saint was this Order erected; they
exercised all Duties of Charity towards Pilgrims, and assumed Arms in
imitation of the _Hospitallers_; they followed the Rule of St.
_Augustine_; and according to _Favina_, had a Black Habit, upon which
they wore a _White Cross patee_. After _Acon_ was taken they removed
into _Spain_, and flourished in the Reign of _Alphonsus_ the Astrologer
King of _Castile_, about which time Pope _Alexander_ IV. approved the
Order under the conjoined Title of St. _Thomas_ and St. _John_ of
_Acon_. This King gave them by his Will all the Furniture of his House,
and much Money; but afterward they dwindled, and at last were united to
the _Hospitallers_. The Ensign was a _Red Cross_, in the middle whereof
stood the Figures of St. _John_ and St. _Thomas_.
8. _Knights of St._ Thomas.
DISTINCT from the former, yet wearing the same Habit, as the Knights of
St. _John_ of _Acon_, making the same Processions, and following the
same Rule; their Badge was a _Saltire Gules_, (or as others are of
Opinion) the same with that of St. _John_ of _Acon_, wanting the
Figures in the middle: But _Favin_ reports, this Order was instituted
by King _Richard_ I. after the Surprizal of _Acon_; and that these
Knights were of the _English_ Nation, who wore a White Habit and a _Red
Cross_, charged in the middle with an _Escallon_, and that St. _Thomas
Becket_ was their Patron. Howbeit, after the Christians were driven out
of the _Holy Land_, the Knights of this Order were joined to the
_Hospitallers_.
9. _Knights of St._ Blaze.
THESE were also called Knights _de Sta. Maria_; they were Officers and
Servants to the Kings of _Armenia_; their Habit was Sky colour with a
_Cross Gold_ on their Breasts; others say a _Red Cross_, and in the
middle the Picture of St. _Blaze_, their Patron. This Order was at the
height, when the _Armenian_ Kings of the House of _Luzignan_ kept their
Court in _Acon_.
10. _Knights of the Martyrs in_ Palestine.
THESE took their Denomination from an Hospital in _Palestine_,
dedicated to St. _Cosmus_ and St. _Damianus_, Martyrs; where Acts of
Charity were exercised towards Sick Strangers. Their Profession obliged
them to other Works of Mercy, _viz._ to redeem Captives, and bury their
Dead. They followed the Rule of St. _Basil_, which was confirmed to
them by Pope _John_ XXII. There Badge was a _Red Cross_, in the middle
whereof, within a Circle, was the aforesaid Two _Saints_. When they
retir’d into _Europe_ they changed into a _Red Cross_, and St.
_Augustin_’s Rule.
11. _Knights of St._ Catherine _at Mount_ Sinai.
THIS Order was instituted, _A. D._ 1063. under the Patronage of St.
_Catherine_, whose Body was there deposited in the Church of the
Monastery erected and dedicated to her Name. Their first Institution
was to guard the said Sepulchre, to secure Travellers, defend the
_Grecian_ Pilgrims, and to relieve them with Hospitality. Their Habit
was White, and they lived under the Rule of St. _Basil the Great_,
vowing conjugal Chastity, and Obedience to the Abbot of this Monastery,
who was their Superior. But when the _Turks_ obtained these Countries,
these Knights were ill treated and driven away, and the Order almost
abolished; nevertheless some Shadow remains for such as travel to visit
the Holy Sepulchre at _Jerusalem_, do now and then pass to this
Monastery at Mount _Sinai_, where in imitation of the _Padre Guardian_
of _Jerusalem_, the principal Monk in this Covent makes them Knights of
St. _Catherine_ over her Tomb, with the like Questions and Formulary as
used at the Holy Sepulchre. These Knights now wear upon the left side
of their White Habit the Cross of _Jerusalem_, and Instrument of St.
_Catherine_’s Martyrdom; but according to others, the middle of the
Wheel is pierced with a Sword.
12. _Knights of St._ Anthony _in_ Æthiopia.
AFTER the Death of St. _Anthony_ the Hermite, who dy’d about the Year
357. many of his Disciples remaining near _Æthiopia_, follow’d his
Example and Manner of Life, and their Successors liv’d in great
Austerity and Solitariness in the Desart (therefore call’d
_Anchorites_) till the Year 370. when ’tis said _John_, Emperor of
_Æthiopia_, erected them into a Religious Order of Knighthood, under
the Title and Protection of St. _Anthony_, Patron of his Empire, and
bestow’d upon them great Privileges; and being thus instituted, they
receiv’d St. _Basil_’s Rule, and cohabited in Monasteries. Their Habit
is black, with a blue Cross _Tau_. Their chief Seat is in the _Isle of
Meroe_; but in other Parts of _Æthiopia_ they have great Numbers of
Convents, and no less than 2000000 of annual Revenue. The eldest Sons
of Nobles and Gentlemen cannot be admitted, but the second Sons may;
and if a Man (except a Physician) have three Sons, he is bound to
assign one of them to be of this Order. Their Vow is to observe
conjugal Chastity; to die in Defence of the Christian Faith; to guard
the Empire; to obey their Laws and their Superiors; and to go to War
when and wheresoever commanded: Moreover, they take an Oath not to
fight in Wars between Christians, nor receive Holy Orders, or marry
without License. They are of two Sorts: One employ’d in the Wars, the
other who being Old are exempted from Military Services, and retire
themselves under the Title and Profession of Monks, to the Abbies where
they first took their Habit; before which they must serve three Years
against the _Arabian_ Pyrates about the _Red Sea_, three Years against
the _Turks_, and three against the _Moors_ upon the Borders of
_Borneo_. When they come to be admitted into their Abbey, they are
introduced in their Military Habit, of which being disrob’d, the
Religious one is put on, _viz._ a black Gown reaching down to the
Ground, lined with blue, having a blue Cross fix’d to the Breast, and
over that a black Cowle; they are afterwards led to the Church, and
there make their Profession. _Philip_ VII. Son to the Founder, enlarg’d
their Lands and Privileges, and added a Border of _Gold_ to the Badge
of the _blue Cross_, as observed at this Day.
IN _Italy_, _France_ and _Spain_, there are a Sort of Monks that have
the Title of Knights of St. _Anthony_, which observe the Rule of St.
_Augustin_, and they wear a plain Cross like that in _Æthiopia_; but
the Principals of these wear a double St. _Anthony_’s Cross of blue
Satin, the one above the other. Their chief Seat is at _Vienne_ in
_Dauphine_, of which Place the General of the Order bears the Title of
Abbot, the Monastery being erected into an Abbey 1297. in Honour of St.
_Anthony_, whose Body was translated thither from _Constantinople_; and
all other Places built in Honour of his Name, were made subject to him
_A. D._ 1523. _Morœus_ calls them _The Hospitallers of St._ Anthony,
and says they begun in _France_ _A. D._ 1121. from _Gaston_ a Nobleman
of _Vienna_. But _Baronius_ and others say, _Gaston_ and _Gerin_
instituted it earlier, making the Letter _Thau_ their Ensign or Badge.
13. _The_ Constantinian _Angelick Knights of St._ George
_in_ Greece, _but now in_ Italy.
MARQUEZ, a _Spanish_ Writer, makes this one of the first Military
Orders in Christendom, and derives a formal Institution, Rules and Laws
from _Constantine_ the Great, which appears little better than
Fabulous, therefore we shall omit his Account.
THE Great Masters have their chief Seat and Convent at _Brianno_ near
_Venice_, and is Hereditary in the Family of _Angelus Flavius
Comnenus_. Among the rest of their Prerogatives, the Masters are
_Commensales Pontificum_, i. e. may sit at the Table with the Pope, who
defends them as Benefactors to the Church, and Founders of the
_Lateran_ Cathedral at _Rome_. As Subjects to no Prince, they have
Power of coyning Money: They give Titles of Counts and Princes to their
own Fraternity, and take upon them the restoring to _Honours_, of
legitimating _Bastards_, making _Doctors_, _Poets Laureats_ and
_Publick Notaries_. This Order is under the Protection of the Virgin
_Mary_ and Patronage of St. _George_; and they profess Obedience and
conjugal Chastity; they wear a white Habit, on the left Side whereof is
sowed a red or crimson Velvet Cross, Flory; in the middle is the
_Labarum_ ⳨ imbroidered with the Letter A upon one Arm of the Cross,
and Ω on the other. The Sides are wrought with Gold and Silk, but the
_Labarum_ is all Gold. Amongst these Knights are three Degrees; the
first call’d Collered or Grand Crosses, wearing a Collar form’d of
_Labarums_, whereat hangs the Cross and St. _George_. The second are
the Knights, and these wear the Cross above describ’d. The third are
Servants, and they bear the Cross only, without the _Labarum_. The many
Grand Priorates or Commanderies belonging to this Order, shew the Power
they were formerly endow’d with.
14. _Knights of St._ James _in_ Galicia _or_ Sanctiago.