The Templars were a true elite, but were required to strictly follow the rules of their Rule. Even for - it would seem - a minor offense, brave monks with a red cross on their chests faced severe penalties, including exclusion from the community. How easy was it to get fired?
Paul Hill in the recently published book "Templars in the war 1120-1312" emphasizes that the Knights Templar attached great importance to maintaining proper discipline in the order. As he writes:
Discipline was required from the brothers for a reason. There were numerous penalties for violating it, ranging from minor penances to immediate removal from the order. The temple needed to be sure that the brothers understood the need for good behavior.
We would like to thank these gentlemen
One of the possible consequences of breaking the rules was exclusion from the fraternity. Written in the second half of the 12th century, part of the Order's Rule provided for this punishment for as many as nine offenses . Removal threatened for:
joining an order through simony, revealing issues raised at chapter meetings, killing or contributing to the killing of a Christian, leaving the fortress other than through the gate, conspiracy, transition to the Saracens, heresy and the abandonment of the banner and the cowardly flight from Muslims.
The temple had to be sure that the monks would follow the rules of the Rule.
As it is easy to see, as many as five offenses on the list concerned matters related to the conduct of war. And while in most cases the matter is clear, perhaps you are wondering what is it about leaving the "fortress other than through the gate"? Well, Paul Hill translates in his publication that a friar leaving the castle by a route other than the designated one:
[could - ed. ed.] be considered a thief. The rule takes the issue of robbery very seriously and describes in detail what can and must not be taken out of the house. Taking out weapons and armor and other related items was prohibited.
It is worth adding that the Templars did not particularly believe in such a mitigating circumstance. Even if a monk broke a rule under duress, he still had to suffer severe punishment. Such was the fate of, for example, Brother Roger the German, who, as we read in the book "The Templars in the War of 1120-1312", was taken prisoner at Gaza. "The Muslims forced him to" swear an oath "(to be faithful to the Prophet)," says Hill, "" He had to leave the Order after his release. " .
The curiosity was based on the book by Paul Hill “The Templars at War. 1120–1312 ″ (Rebis Publishing House 2019).
Cloak makes Templar
Another severe punishment was the deprivation of the cloak, which tended to degrade the condemned man. It was used, inter alia, for "broadly understood insubordination" during military operations. She threatened, for example, for "starting the charge without permission" or a flag attack - or even its inclination ! Moreover, the Templar also had to be careful about how he dealt with the quadrupeds. Well:
Another military offense at risk of losing a coat was the death or injury of a horse or mule, followed by donation without permission of any quadruped except a cat and dog . In this case, the brothers also had the right to decide on the punishment.
In addition, the temple knight had a duty to properly care for his weapons. He could lose his coat even if the weapon was damaged during the exercises. There is a story of a certain Templar from Montpellier, who, after breaking his sword, had to go as far as the Holy Land to beg forgiveness.
The Templars had to be careful with their weapons. Its damage or loss could result in severe crashes.
Those who wasted valuable supplies were also not dealt with. The commander of Piwnica Morska in Akka was painfully convinced of it, who once bought moist wheat and immediately ordered it to be placed in a granary. In doing so, he ignored the warning that the grain could deteriorate. After some time, it actually happened and "the commander of the Piwnica lost his coat because he had deliberately caused the damage" .
These are, of course, just a few examples, which, however, show well how much the monks had to be careful. The rule provided for as many as 36 cases in which the Templar was threatened with this disgraceful punishment . Though it's always better to lose your cloak than to be thrown… especially for mistaking the gate.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on the book:
- Paul Hill, Templars at war. 1120-1312 , Rebis 2019 Publishing House.
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