The issue of military orders in the service of Western monarchies is a vast, important and still little studied theme. Kirstjan Toomaspoeg elaborates on few main issues. In this blog we focus on the services the Military Orders provided to the Western princess.
"The
orders distinguished themselves above all as specialists in maritime
warfare, taking care not only of strictly military aspects, but also of
naval logistics and the organization of navigation. This was the case of
the Temple in the England of Henry III (1207-1272, TN), of the Hospital
in the Angevin kingdom of Sicily (after 1265) and in the England of
Edward II (1284-1327, TN) and Richard II (1367-1400, TN), as of Santa
María de España in Castile under Alfonso X (1221-1284, TN). Another
specialty of the orders was the defense of border regions (...) But we
still know many examples of their participation in land expeditions, in
“internal security” operations or to episodes of civil war where they
supported, in principle, the sovereigns in place. (...) Another function
regularly exercised by the members of the military orders, (was, TN)
that of ambassador, envoy and negotiator (...)
The
brothers of the military orders exercised administrative
functions (...) in the pontifical, French, English and
Castilian courts, appearing in the second half of the 12th century. They
rarely exercised similar functions in most other states, such
as the kingdoms of Bohemia, Poland or Hungary, or even in Scandinavia
and in the Germanic world. This difference can be explained by the
various methods of recruiting civil servants (...)
Top
explain the motivations which drove the kings to use the brothers, it
does not seem at all naive to underline the importance of the discretion
and the internal discipline of the military orders, therefore their
ability to maintain secrecy. The other explanatory factors reside in the
capillary presence of the houses of the military orders throughout
Europe, the fascination they exerted on the ideological and religious
level, finally, the personal capacities and the knowledge of the
brothers. The orders were highly regarded by most monarchies, which
sometimes even entered into competition for their collaboration (...)"
This blog quotes subsequent sections, translated from French to English bij TN and slightly edited to provide a continuous storyline, from Les ordres militaires au service des pouvoirs monarchiques occidentaux by Kristjan Toomaspoeg, consulted here on 2023-07-25. Illustration Departure of French King Louis IX to the crusades using a Hospitaller vessel, by Maître De Boucicaut (Actif vers 1408/1420). Louvre Musum Paris. source
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