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Middle Ages

History of the Medieval Knight

Medieval Knight by Unknown

• The Knights Templar - The Knights Templar were established in the 1100s. They wore white mantles with red crosses and were famous fighters during the Crusades. Their headquarters was in the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The knights refused to retreat in battle and were often the first to lead the charge. In the Battle of Montgisard, 500 Knights of the Templar led a small force of just a few thousand men in victory over 26,000 Muslim soldiers.



• The Knights Hospitaller - The Knights Hospitaller were founded in 1023. They were formed to protect poor and sick pilgrims in the Holy Land. During the Crusades they defended the Holy Land from the Muslims. These knights wore black clothing with a white cross. After the fall of Jerusalem they moved to the island of Rhodes and to Malta.



• The Teutonic Knights - The Teutonic Knights were German knights that were once part of the Hospitallers. They wore black clothing with a white cross on the shoulder. After fighting in the Crusades, the Teutonic Knights began a conquest of Prussia. They became very powerful until they were defeated in 1410 by the Polish at the Battle of Tannenberg.

• Knights often fought for the rights to pillage. They could become quite rich with the loot they gained from ransacking a city or town.
• By the end of the Middle Ages, many knights paid the king money instead of fighting. Then the king would use that money to pay soldiers to fight. This payment was called shield money.
• The word "knight" comes from an Old English word meaning "servant".
• The knights of religious orders often made a pledge to God of poverty and chastity.
• Today, knighthoods are awarded by kings and queens to people for their achievements. It is considered an honor. Famous people who have been knighted in recent years include U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Singer Paul McCartney of the Beatles, and movie director Alfred Hitchcock.

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