- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Messages
- 1,585
Hi all,
One of our members, Villars, loves talking crusader history and collecting crusaders and Saracens but hasn't quite gotten the hang of posting. He asked me to post this conversation starter on his behalf. If any of you could take him under your wing and help him figure out the forum ropes (posting etc.) that would be fantastic.
Here is an excerpt from a recent exchange we had regarding Hospitallers:
You might well ask why Hospitallers sometimes have black surcoats, and sometimes red. Admittedly a source of confusion. The Hospitallers actually pre-date the Templars, though originally they were dedicated to work in hospitals and pilgrim hostels, wearing black and dark brown like good monks did. Only after the militant Templars became popular did the Hospitallers take up arms, but still in black and dark brown. In the mid-1200s the Pope relaxed the Hospitaller dress code and the Hospitallers were allowed to adopt white crosses on red, though the change probably didn’t happen overnight. There were already serious rivalries between the Templars and Hospitallers, and I have no doubt the Hospitallers were pleased with their bright red glitzy new uniforms. And they didn’t miss the fact their colors were the reverse of the Templars (red crosses on white.) The alternate Templar colors of white over black – or vice versa – rather mystically symbolized heaven and earth.
Feel free to join in and discuss. It's always great when our members can get connected with one another.
Best regards,
Shannon Reuss, Forum Admin
One of our members, Villars, loves talking crusader history and collecting crusaders and Saracens but hasn't quite gotten the hang of posting. He asked me to post this conversation starter on his behalf. If any of you could take him under your wing and help him figure out the forum ropes (posting etc.) that would be fantastic.
Here is an excerpt from a recent exchange we had regarding Hospitallers:
You might well ask why Hospitallers sometimes have black surcoats, and sometimes red. Admittedly a source of confusion. The Hospitallers actually pre-date the Templars, though originally they were dedicated to work in hospitals and pilgrim hostels, wearing black and dark brown like good monks did. Only after the militant Templars became popular did the Hospitallers take up arms, but still in black and dark brown. In the mid-1200s the Pope relaxed the Hospitaller dress code and the Hospitallers were allowed to adopt white crosses on red, though the change probably didn’t happen overnight. There were already serious rivalries between the Templars and Hospitallers, and I have no doubt the Hospitallers were pleased with their bright red glitzy new uniforms. And they didn’t miss the fact their colors were the reverse of the Templars (red crosses on white.) The alternate Templar colors of white over black – or vice versa – rather mystically symbolized heaven and earth.
Feel free to join in and discuss. It's always great when our members can get connected with one another.
Best regards,
Shannon Reuss, Forum Admin