Figure 1.--

There were numerous military orders authorized by the Church. Three were of special importance. The three most important were the Hospitallers, the Templars, and the Teutonic Knights. These military orders were "true orders" of the Roman Catholic Curch. Besides these three major military orders there were a number of smaller less well known orders which developed in several European countries. In Spain were the orders of Santiago, Alcantara and Calatrava. In the Baltic were the orders of the Sword and of Dobrin. In England there was the order of St. Thomas of Acre. In Syria there was even an order composed of lepers, the Order of St. Lazarus.

Hospitallers

Templars

Teutonic Knights

The Teutonic Knights are the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital at Jerusalem (Ordo domus Sanctę Marię Theutonicorum). There are in German known as the Deutscher Orden. They originated as a brotherhood formed by crusading German knights besiging Acre (1190). After the Crusaders took Acre, the Teutonic Knights set up their headquarters there. Pope Clement recognized them (1191). The members took religious vows. Their avowed purpose was to give medical aid to pilgrims to the Holyland. The Pope ordered them to take and hold Jerusalem. They were based at Acre. The Order seeing that the Crusades could not succeed in the Holyland, moved their headquarter to Venice. The Order conceived of religious crusades in Eastern Europe where prospects for teritorial conquest seemed more propitious. Pagan tribes still existed in Eastern Europe and from time to time threatened or conducted raids into neigboring Christain kingdoms.

Other Orders

Besides these three major military orders there were a number of smaller less well known orders which developed in several European countries. In Spain were the orders of Santiago, Alcantara and Calatrava. In the Baltic were the orders of the Sword and of Dobrin. In England there was the order of St. Thomas of Acre. In Syria there was even an order composed of lepers, the Order of St. Lazarus.

Sources

Crawford, Paul. "The Military Orders: Introduction, " The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies (1996).