Chivalric order

The first religious order of knighthood are formed during the Crusades religious communities that were originally founded to protect, conduct, care of the pilgrims to the Holy Land and defend the holy places against Islam. Conditions for the members of the Order were originally poverty, chastity, obedience, and military service.

Overview

Bernard of Clairvaux called the Knights as " knights of a new type ," since they joined the fighting power of the decadent knighthood with the discipline and the austerity of the monastic orders. While the individual members of poverty remained committed to the orders were bequests, donations and conquest with the richest organizations of their time.

The Knights Templar was the oldest institution can be described as chivalrous Order since its inception. The Johanniter-/Malteserorden is older than the Knights Templar; but he was only in a slow process in the 1130er years of a pure Hospitaller Order of Knights Order, as his knights to protect pilgrims by Castle acquisition and development of the land to the landlords were who had thus to fulfill military tasks. For this, they recruited aristocratic and chivalrous mercenaries until they were fixed by self- recruitment of able-bodied brothers, to an equally charitable and military community.

Religious orders in the sense of canon law were these communities only by papal recognition of a separate, binding, Rule and by the solution of the diocesan ecclesiastical organization, the exemption ( exemption from tithes and ecclesiastical power of punishment ). Some orders of knighthood, such as the Templars no longer exist as a recognized church communities. In addition, there continues a variety of Catholic, Protestant ( brotherhoods ) and ecumenical order of knights to the present day. While some orders of knighthood, such as the St. John / Order of Malta or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre today have international significance, and even as the Order of Malta are recognized under international law, others have only historical, national or regional importance.

In addition to the spiritual orders of chivalry were from the mid-14th century, non- ecclesiastical court order of knighthood, by means of which the monarch wanted to provide a reliable power base. As a political counterweight to the powerful nascent country princes also formed from the late Middle Ages, especially in West Germany, various companies nobility and knights frets.

Order of Knights as communities give their members, are medals and decorations; its main purpose is but an ideal, such as charitable, task. Discussed in this historical order of knights limits also therefore sharply against non-recognized contemporary religious with similar-sounding names or badge of honor.

Existing Order of Knights with recognition of the Roman Curia

Other historical religious orders of knighthood

Order of the Temple ( Knights arms of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem ), founded in 1118 or 1119 by nine French knights, led by Hugues de Payns and Godfrey of Saint- Omer; dissolved 1312. Todays Medal of this name are not authorized by the Holy See.
Order of St. Salvator, donated about 1118 as Aragonese Knights. Sign was a red anchor cross.
Mercedarierorden ( Order of Our Lady of the ransoming of Christian captives ), founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolascus, King of Aragon and St. Raymond of Peñafort as a royal, military and religious order. In 1318, this order of knights was restructured into a purely religious men religious. The priests and nuns were and are very active in the mission. As a lay community a chivalrous branch in 2002 was recognized by the General Government.
Order of Montjoie Spanish order of knighthood, named after a mountain in front of the gates of Jerusalem, who lived according to the Cistercian rules in which the charitable purpose was in the foreground and soon was to become the Knights Templar.
Religious and Military Constantinischer St. George Medal ( Constantinischer Order), founded in the 4th century to maintain the faith, defense of the Holy Catholic Church and support of the Holy See.
Lazarus Medal ( Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem), founded in the 11th century to the sick, the needy, the dying, the lepers and travelers accommodate and maintain.
Order of Knights of the Cross with the Red Star (lat. Ordo militaris Crucigerorum cum Rubea stella ), founded in the 13th century from a brotherhood which looked charitable tasks in Bohemia.
Cross with the double red cross ( Fratres Ordinis cruciferorum Canonicorum regular custodum ss sepulchri Hierosolymitani cum duplici Rubea cruce. . ) Founded in 1114 by the Jerusalem patriarch Arnold; based since 1163 in Miechów ( Lesser Poland ). 1239 Order of the Breslau Bishop Thomas I. was introduced at his residence city Neisse. 1810 dissolved.
Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, founded between 1947 and 1976.
St. Georg Ritter to Millstatt ( Military Order of protection against the Turkish threat ) founded in 1469 by Emperor Frederick III.
Equestrian Order of the Most Holy Saviour and the Holy Bridget of Sweden, founded in 1366 and in 1367 by Pope Urban VI. recognized.
Order of Dobrin, Lat. fratribus militiae Christ in Prussia, a Polish military order founded in 1228 by the Polish Duke Konrad of Mazovia. It was in 1234 incorporated into the Teutonic Order.
Sword Livonian Brothers ( The Brothers of the Knighthood of Christ Livonia) (Latin: Fratres miliciae Christi de Livonia ) was a by crusaders from the region between Soest and Kassel 1204 or 1205, was established in order of knights, who took over the protection of Livonia. It was in 1237 incorporated as Livonian Order in the Teutonic Order.

In Spain and Portugal emerged during the Reconquista further order of knights, which also came knights from all over Europe to take part in the crusade declared by Pope fight against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula:

Order of Calatrava, Spanish order of knighthood, which was founded in 1158 in the fight against the Moors and his headquarters entertained for a long time in Calatrava in the southern Mancha.
Order of Knights of Aviz, Portuguese secession of Calatrava.
Alcántaraorden, the first of the Spanish orders, which was founded in 1156 in the fight against the Moors and his headquarters entertained for a long time in Alcántara in Extremadura.
Order of Santiago, Spanish order of knighthood, which is dedicated to Saint James since 1170.
Order of Montesa, Spanish order of knighthood, founded in 1316 in the fight against the Moors, on the dissolution of the Templars at a portion of their assets was transferred to the Spanish mainland.
Order of San Jorge de Alfama, Spanish order of knighthood, founded in 1201 in the fight against the Moors, 1400 united with the Order of Montesa.
Order of the wing of St. Michael, Portuguese order of knighthood " Ordem de São Miguel da Ala ", founded in the fight against the Moors.
Order of San Salvador de Monreal, Spanish Knights.

Courtly orders of knighthood

From the first half of the 14th century saw the courtly order of knights that King Arthur's legendary Round Table were modeled. The most important among them were:

The Saint George Order of Knights ( Hung, Szent György Lovagrend ) founded in 1326 by the Hungarian King Charles Robert.
The Order of the Garter, founded in 1348 by King Edward III. (see also List of vehicles of the Garter ).
The Annunziaten Order, founded in 1362 by Amadeus VI. of Savoy.
The Dragon Order, founded in 1408 by King Sigismund of Hungary.
The Order of the Golden Fleece, founded in 1430 by the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good (see also List of Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece ).
The Order of St. Hubert founded November 3, 1444 by Duke Gerhard II of Jülich -Berg.
The Ordre de Saint -Michel founded in 1469 by the French king Louis XI ..
The Order of the Holy Spirit, founded in 1578 by the French king Henri III. (see also List of Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit).
The Order of the Star, founded in August 1066 by the French king Robert II, then of Philip VI. decommissioned and founded in 1352 by Johann II new.
St. Henry's order, founded by Elector Friedrich August II of Saxony King August III. of Poland - Lithuania on October 7, 1736 is the oldest German Order of Merit
The Order of the Golden Stole (or stole d' oro ), was a Venetian Knights.

The oldest Order of the Prussian house was the swan Order, which was founded in 1440 to counter the demoralization of the Brandenburg nobility and curb the Up and feud pleasure.

Ritter companies

In the late Middle Ages sprung up, especially in West Germany, various (rich chivalrous ) Adel companies. As political interest groupings they tried - to form a counterweight to the rising power of the cities and princes - with varying degrees of success, but in the form of imperial knights until the end of the Old Kingdom.

Modern Knights frets

With the romance came to the revival of the medieval knightly ideal. 1790 founded the Austrian Councilor Anton David Steiger as " Hainz am Stein of the Wild ", the " Wildensteiner knighthood on blue earth ". The Altritterliche company was dissolved in 1823 at the instigation of Prince Metternich. Presumably, the members met in secret from now on. Mid-19th century knight frets increasingly produced in Bavaria and Austria; 1884 should have 32 such associations exist.

After the dissolution of most of the orders of knights during the period of National Socialism, it came in the 1950s, a revival of some frets, as well as start-ups, especially in Germany (currently 20 frets ) and Austria (about 21 frets ).

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