History of the Fraters Armigeri Hospitalis
The
Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Sovereign Order of Saint John of
Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Knights of Malta, Knights of Rhodes,
and Chevaliers of Malta; French: Ordre des Hospitaliers) is a Christian
organization that began as an Amalfitan hospital founded in Jerusalem in
1080 to provide care for poor and sick pilgrims to the Holy Land by
Gerard. After the Christian conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the
First Crusade it became a religious military order under its own
charter, and was charged with the care and defense of the Holy Land.
From the start of their existence these Knights were assisted by
Esquires.
The
English word squire comes from the Old French escuier (modern French
écuyer), itself derived from the Late Latin scutarius ("shield bearer").
The Classical Latin equivalent was armiger, 'arms bearer'. A squire
was originally a young man who aspired to the rank of knighthood and
who, as part of his development to that end, served an existing knight
as his attendant or shield carrier. However, during the middle ages the
rank of esquire came to be recognized in its own right.
Following
the loss of the Holy Land by Christian forces, the Order operated since
1291 from Rhodes. In this year the members of the Order were divided
into three principal classes.
First
the knights, who provided the core of the Order and would ultimately
make profession by taking the monastic vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience. They alone could be appointed Bailifss of the Convent.
Secondly
the Chaplains, who were priest-brothers exempted from fighting but
whose responsibility was to serve the spritiual needs of the knights and
those living in areas under their rule. The Prior was chosen from among
their ranks.
Thirdly the Serjeants-at-Arms,
later Serving Brothers, divided into Brothers of Arms who could, until
1364, become knights, and Brothers of Office, who fulfilled a more lowly
role. Until the loss of Malta the Serving-Brothers of Arms could make
full profession as religious-brothers and were no less members of the
Order than the knights of Justice. They were called to the elections of
the Grand Masters, to which they could contribute their votes, although
they were excluded from any senior executive responsibility. To this VI
class in the Military Order the Esquires were counted and allowed to wear the black robe with a 6 pointed Maltese Cross.
Regarding other historic sources the group of the Serjeants-at-Arms was established by the Knight Templars and it was in
the order of the Temple that the word freres serjens or fratres
servientes signified an honorary title or degree, and denoted a powerful
privileged class of men. The fratres servientes armigeri or freres
serjens des armes, of the chivalry of the Temple, were of the rank of
gentlemen. They united in their own persons the monastic and the
military character, they were allotted one horse each, they wore the red
cross of the order of the Temple on their breasts, they participated in
all the privileges of the brotherhood, and were eligible to the dignity
of Preceptor. Large
sums of money were frequently given by seculars who had not been
advanced to the honour of knighthood, to be admitted amongst this
highly-esteemed order of men. Apparently introduced at the time of the Conquest, the serjeants developed from the narratores.
In
1275 there was already a serjeant-counter in England, and by 1310 that
office had evolved into serjeants-at-law. Later, the sheriffs were
usually serjeants-at-law. From the early fourteenth century the English
Crown conferred the degree of serjeant-at-law upon a few outstanding
barristers, on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, who acted on the
advice of the Chief Justice of Common Pleas. By the time of English King
Richard II the serjeants were a rank.
When the Knights Templar were dissolved in 1312, much of their property was given to the Hospitallers. The holdings were organized into eight tongues (one each in Aragon, Auvergne, Castile, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Provence). Each was administered by a Prior or, if there was more than one priory in the tongue, by a Grand Prior. At Rhodes and later Malta, the resident knights of each tongue were headed by a Baillif. This event changed the Military Order completly as in one night they became rich Landlords over an extreme large property all over Europe. In this there was a need of an active representive of their authority in law and order and to regulate the Economic life on the different Estate´s. For this duty the Serjeants-at-Arms were named on those places and received an inherited right on a main farm that should provide in their daily needs and fromout they would regulate as an steward economic life in the rural society. By the inherited right on such a main farm and bounded to it, a son would follow his father up in the rights and duty´s as such an Serjeants-at-Arms and by this even the function as an Esquire itself became hereditary. This process ended at the end of the 14th century by what a new group or class was created that ranked to the lower nobility in the different country´s, known in Germany under the name "Ministerialen". A class of people who were considered in their rural society "Folkfree" (Free in the eyes of the people but bounded to their grounds) with certain rights and duty´s to perform that seperated them from the rest of their society and who were only to be judged by their own class of people. A own independent Brotherhood of Esquires was formed by this time and a fact. A Brotherhood who´s members were known under many names all over Europe; Ere mann, Welgeborene, Schildboortige, Gentry, Gens de Arms (from what the French word Gendarme came from), Homme de lineage, Waffengenosse with their own rights and duty´s. From these rights we would like to name the right to inherited the farm and the right of ownership. The right to function every 6 years as an alderman in the rural district courts under supervision of the Commander of the Knights of Malta. The right to function as Corporal during the archer festivity. The right to sitt on the table of the Knights at the Commandry and even in some cases the right of some tax freedom and some hunting rights. Regarding the duty´s we first can mention the duty to pay rent or taxes and to deliver two sheep to the Commandery when a new Commander of the Knights of Malta was installed in his Duty. Also the service duty´s should be mentioned. Such a duty started with the age of 14 years and lasted for only half a year during the summer season, by what it would have to been repeated every seven years. With the age of 14 a boy started to work as a herd of the pigs, while a girl would herd the cows, at the age of 21 the boy would work as an middleservant while a girl would work as an maidservant in the Commandry. At last the boy would start than with the age of 28 years as an Porter, Gatekeeper, Guard on the bridge or as an Constable. Due to the Reformation the Military Order of Malta already lost parts of their Estates all over Europe, when Napoleon captured Malta in 1798 the Knights ceased to be associated with any one place or own territory. By this the Brotherhood of Esquires lost their connection to their former Sovereigns and the Military Order of Malta as they were bounded to the grounds they were seated on. Still they could seperate themselves by the functions and inherited rights they had in rural districts and by what they were considered to be some kind of farmers Aristocracy. Due to the process of liberalisation and Democrazy other people with not such a heritable right or background could follow in the same possitions as it openend these oppertunity´s for them as individuals. In 1848 this process was closed and nothing seperated our Brotherhood anymore from civilions, only the Historic proof and the remembarance to this Brotherhood of Esquires Hospitaler remained Since 1994 a few descendants of this Brotherhood were seeking independently from each other recognicion to this inheritable right of Esquire by differnt Entity´s like the High Council of Nobility (Hoge Raad van Adel) in the Netherlands, the Holy See in Rome, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and different Protestant Military Orders of Saint John. Although such a "right" was not recogniced, neither was it denied. The main conclussion to our question and certain application was an "probably" inherited right of Squireship by the High Council of Nobility and a recognicion of "vassal" to the Military Order of our ancestors by one of the Protestants Knights of this Order. Answers from Malta on 5 of our letters were not received, neither the Holy See gave an reaction. This did lead in 2006 to the reestablishment of this old Brotherhood of Esquires Hospitaler after an 150 years silence with the aim to combine forces as an Entity and to find the recognicion of the heritable rights of our forefathers and fromout this recognicion as Entity take an active part again in the aid to the poor like our ancestors did before us.
When the Knights Templar were dissolved in 1312, much of their property was given to the Hospitallers. The holdings were organized into eight tongues (one each in Aragon, Auvergne, Castile, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Provence). Each was administered by a Prior or, if there was more than one priory in the tongue, by a Grand Prior. At Rhodes and later Malta, the resident knights of each tongue were headed by a Baillif. This event changed the Military Order completly as in one night they became rich Landlords over an extreme large property all over Europe. In this there was a need of an active representive of their authority in law and order and to regulate the Economic life on the different Estate´s. For this duty the Serjeants-at-Arms were named on those places and received an inherited right on a main farm that should provide in their daily needs and fromout they would regulate as an steward economic life in the rural society. By the inherited right on such a main farm and bounded to it, a son would follow his father up in the rights and duty´s as such an Serjeants-at-Arms and by this even the function as an Esquire itself became hereditary. This process ended at the end of the 14th century by what a new group or class was created that ranked to the lower nobility in the different country´s, known in Germany under the name "Ministerialen". A class of people who were considered in their rural society "Folkfree" (Free in the eyes of the people but bounded to their grounds) with certain rights and duty´s to perform that seperated them from the rest of their society and who were only to be judged by their own class of people. A own independent Brotherhood of Esquires was formed by this time and a fact. A Brotherhood who´s members were known under many names all over Europe; Ere mann, Welgeborene, Schildboortige, Gentry, Gens de Arms (from what the French word Gendarme came from), Homme de lineage, Waffengenosse with their own rights and duty´s. From these rights we would like to name the right to inherited the farm and the right of ownership. The right to function every 6 years as an alderman in the rural district courts under supervision of the Commander of the Knights of Malta. The right to function as Corporal during the archer festivity. The right to sitt on the table of the Knights at the Commandry and even in some cases the right of some tax freedom and some hunting rights. Regarding the duty´s we first can mention the duty to pay rent or taxes and to deliver two sheep to the Commandery when a new Commander of the Knights of Malta was installed in his Duty. Also the service duty´s should be mentioned. Such a duty started with the age of 14 years and lasted for only half a year during the summer season, by what it would have to been repeated every seven years. With the age of 14 a boy started to work as a herd of the pigs, while a girl would herd the cows, at the age of 21 the boy would work as an middleservant while a girl would work as an maidservant in the Commandry. At last the boy would start than with the age of 28 years as an Porter, Gatekeeper, Guard on the bridge or as an Constable. Due to the Reformation the Military Order of Malta already lost parts of their Estates all over Europe, when Napoleon captured Malta in 1798 the Knights ceased to be associated with any one place or own territory. By this the Brotherhood of Esquires lost their connection to their former Sovereigns and the Military Order of Malta as they were bounded to the grounds they were seated on. Still they could seperate themselves by the functions and inherited rights they had in rural districts and by what they were considered to be some kind of farmers Aristocracy. Due to the process of liberalisation and Democrazy other people with not such a heritable right or background could follow in the same possitions as it openend these oppertunity´s for them as individuals. In 1848 this process was closed and nothing seperated our Brotherhood anymore from civilions, only the Historic proof and the remembarance to this Brotherhood of Esquires Hospitaler remained Since 1994 a few descendants of this Brotherhood were seeking independently from each other recognicion to this inheritable right of Esquire by differnt Entity´s like the High Council of Nobility (Hoge Raad van Adel) in the Netherlands, the Holy See in Rome, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and different Protestant Military Orders of Saint John. Although such a "right" was not recogniced, neither was it denied. The main conclussion to our question and certain application was an "probably" inherited right of Squireship by the High Council of Nobility and a recognicion of "vassal" to the Military Order of our ancestors by one of the Protestants Knights of this Order. Answers from Malta on 5 of our letters were not received, neither the Holy See gave an reaction. This did lead in 2006 to the reestablishment of this old Brotherhood of Esquires Hospitaler after an 150 years silence with the aim to combine forces as an Entity and to find the recognicion of the heritable rights of our forefathers and fromout this recognicion as Entity take an active part again in the aid to the poor like our ancestors did before us.