One of the most fascinating eras of the medieval period in Europe was that of the crusades.
The crusades were the military campaigns sanctioned by the roman catholic church in the 11th century and aimed at liberating the holylands and Jerusalem from Muslim control. However, after intermittently continuing for over two centuries, the Crusades finally ended in failure in 1291.
Historic Holylands Model
Medieval knights and the Crusades were closely linked as various orders of the Knights were formed during these wars.
Crusaders Knights *Religious Warriors
During the Crusades, various religious armies were formed under the instructions of the Pope which were known as orders of the knights.
Knights and the Crusades thus became intertwined for a long time.
These orders mainly consisted of monks who were called ‘knights of the Christ’. ‘
Various orders of these knights formed during this period and became particularly attractive because of the promise of a place in heaven from the Pope.
Medieval knights and the crusades eventually became the two interlinked institutions as the knights took an active part in liberating the holylands from the infidels.
Although the above mentioned were the most popular orders of medieval knights, various other orders were also created including *Poor Knights of Christ *Temple of Solomon the knights of the order of the Hospital of St John, etc.
The Order was sanctioned by a Papal Bull of Pope Paschal II. Similarly, the Order of the Knights Templar was formed in 1120 under the patronage of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Warmund.
Holylands
Subsequently, the knights of these orders actively participated in the Crusades till the end of the crusades. The Knights Templar were fearless crusader knights who would fight to the death and were the most famous of all the crusader knights.
Crusader Knight
Types of Crusader Knights, Templar, Hospitaller, Teutonic Knights
Knights Templar
Knights Hospitaller
Teutonic Knights
Among these, the Order of the Teutonic Knights was formed in the late 12th century while the other two were formed soon after the initiation of the Crusades at the beginning of the 12th century.
Flag of the Teutonic Order
During the later Crusades, serious differences arose between the three Orders which also damaged the position of the Christians in the Crusades. These Orders of knights who actively participated in the Crusades gave rise to the concept of holy warriors which was to remain in the imagination of Europe over the subsequent centuries.
Crusader Knights Downfall
The downfall of the famous orders of the medieval knights came soon after the end of the Crusades. During the 14h century, various charges of heresy, sorcery, and sodomy were brought against the knights and the orders were disbanded.
Templars were burned at the stake accused of witchcraft
The real reasons, however, were political and economic in nature as the knights had accumulated considerable wealth during their invasions in the East.
King Philip IV of France was in deep debt to the Knights Templar and decided to use the rumors against the Order for his own purposes which became the starting point of their downfall. On the Orders of King Philip IV, the templar leaders were eventually burned at the stake accused of witchcraft.
