The Monks of War: The Military Religious OrdersThe military religious orders emerged during the Crusades as Christendom's stormtroopers in the savage conflict with Islam. Some of them still exist today, devoted to charitable works. The Monks of War is the first general history of these orders to have appeared since the eighteenth century. The Templars, the Hospitallers (later Knights of Malta), the Teutonic Knights, and the Knights of the Spanish and Portuguese orders were 'noblemen vowed to poverty, chastity and obedience, living a monastic life in convents which were at the same time barracks, waging war on the enemies of the Cross'. The first properly disciplined Western troops since Roman times, they played a major role in defending the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem, in the 'Baltic Crusades' which created Prussia, in the long reconquest of Spain from the Moors, and in fighting the 'Infidel' right up to Napoleonic times. This celebrated book tells the whole enthralling story, recreating such epics as the sieges of Rhodes and Malta and the destruction of the Templars by the Inquisition. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
LATIN SYRIA 10991291 | 9 |
The bulwark of Jerusalem | 35 |
Copyright | |
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Acre al-Andalus Alcántara Alfonso Aragon Aragonese Armenia armour army attacked Aviz Baibars bailiffs battle brethren brother brotherhood Burton Lazars caballeros captured Castilian castle cavalry century chaplains Christ Christian Church Cistercian comendador commander commanderies convent cross crusade Cyprus defend died elected Emperor encomienda enemies English Enrique fighting Frankish French Frey freyles galleys garrison German Granada Granadine Grand Master Hochmeister Holy Hospital Hospitallers Hugues Hugues de Payens Ibid Jean Jerusalem Juan King kingdom Knights of St l'Ordre land Landmeister Latin Livonia Maestre Malta Mamelukes Marienburg Master of Calatrava Master of Santiago military orders monks Moslem Orden Ordensland Ordensstaat Order of St Outremer papal Paris Pedro Pierre Poor Knights pope Portuguese preceptories Prince Prior Prussia raided Reconquista Rhodes Riley-Smith Saladin Saracens Senglea ships siege soldiers Spanish St John St Lazarus St Thomas sultan sword Sword Brethren Syria Templars Temple Teutonic Knights Teutonic Order town Tripoli troops Turkish Turks Vertot