The ability of the crusaders' states to maintain
themselves for many years in Syria was largely due to the foundation of two
military-religious orders. The members were both monks and knights; that is, to
the monastic vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience they added a fourth vow,
which bound them to protect pilgrims and fight the infidels. Such a combination
of religion and warfare made a strong appeal to the medieval mind.
HOSPITALERS AND TEMPLARS
The Hospitalers, the first of these orders, grew out of a
brotherhood for the care of sick pilgrims in a hospital at Jerusalem. Many
knights joined the organization, which soon proved to be very useful in
defending the Holy Land. Even more important were the Templars, so called
because their headquarters in Jerusalem lay near the site of Solomon's Temple.
Both orders built many castles in Syria, the remains of which still impress the
beholder. They established numerous branches in Europe and, by presents and
legacies, acquired vast wealth. The Templars were disbanded in the fourteenth
century, but the Hospitalers continued to fight valiantly against the Turks
long after the close of the crusading movement. [9]
[9] The order of Hospitalers, now known as the
"Knights of Malta," still survives in several European countries.
CHRISTIAN AND INFIDEL IN THE HOLY LAND
The depleted ranks of the crusaders were constantly filled
by fresh bands of pilgrim knights who visited Palestine to pray at the Holy
Sepulcher and cross swords with the infidel. In spite of constant border
warfare much trade and friendly intercourse prevailed between Christians and
Moslems. They learned to respect one another both as foes and neighbors. The
crusaders' states in Syria became, like Spain and Sicily, a
meeting-place of East and West.
