The ranking system

[Anonymous]

I could find a lot of information about the different ranks for the Templar Knights on the homepage but what I couldnt find was how they showed it. They must have had, and that I have read, some kind of markings to separate the higher ranked brothers from the regular ones.

Now I hope you can help me to describe and if possible add some pictures how it looked.

Thanks a lot!

[ktlon]

Full knights wore white mantles and seargeants wore brown or black mantles.

[Templario]

The Templar knights wore a white mantle with a red cross:



The sergeant brothers wore a brown mantle with a red cross:



The servants of the Order wore a black mantle with no cross:

[Anonymous]

@Templario,

did sergeants really wear a cross pattee not a normal cross. I have just read the book 'Knight Templar' published by Osprey and at the old illustrations most templars wear an ordinary cross.

Greetings
the_meier

[Templario]

did sergeants really wear a cross pattee not a normal cross. I have just read the book 'Knight Templar' published by Osprey and at the old illustrations most templars wear an ordinary cross.

The crosses worn by the Templars were of different types. See the thread "Fish tail cross" in the Templar History section. It is true however that the simple, red, non pattee Greek cross was the most common.

[Anonymous]

I think I was a bit unclear with the question before. I didn't ask about the difference beteween the sergants and the knights. I asked about the difference between the knights. For example, how could you tell who The Grand Master was and the Commander of the City of Jerusalem or any other keep commander. I read something about they had a black stripe on their mantles. I mostly refearing to the time in the Holy Land at the 1200-centuary.

[Dashinvaine (GN)]

I don't know if there was any visual distinction between knights, local masters/preceptors regional masters/preceptors, and high officials of the Order. I suspect they more or less dressed the same. I suspect, also, that higher members allowed themselves a little more decoration, and felt freer to have slightly more creative cross designs on their cloaks, but I don't think there was any organised insignia system.

The Grand Master, though, was distinguished by carrying a staff called a baculus, which had a disk at the top with a cross on it.

[cooltof]

Maybe they recognize themself with seals or rings they use to sign documents...???

[Templario]

All the Templar dignitaries and simple knights had the same white coat with two different types of crosses: simple Greek cross or pattee Greek cross. These attributes weren't distinctive. However it was possible to distinguish the Templar dignitaries by the privileges they had:

- Grand Master: he carried the abacus and his own personal seal ("boule"). He also had a crowd of people around him: he was surrounded by a chaplain brother, a clerk, a sergeant brother, a valet, a farrier, a Saracen scribe, a Turcopole and a cook. Sometimes the Grand Master could also have two knight brothers as companions. He stayed in a round tent while in campaign.

- Seneschal: he carried a seal like the Grand Master. He also had several people around him: two squires, one knight brother as a companion, a sergeant, a deacon scribe, a Turcopole, a Saracen scribe, and two foot soldiers. The Seneschal carried a bauceant. While in campaign, he also stayed in a round tent.

- Marshal of the Convent: he had a Turcopole and a sergeant brother with him. While in campaign, he stayed in a pavilion with four flaps.

- Commander of the Land of Jerusalem: he was surrounded with one sergeant brother, a Turcopole, a Saracen scribe, two foot soldiers, and a deacon scribe; while in campaign, he had the same tent as the Marshal.

- Commander of the City of Jerusalem: he had a sergeant brother, a Saracen scribe and a Turcopole; he also had ten knights under his command and they constantly stayed with him; while in campaign, he stayed in a round tent and carried a bauceant; he also was in charge of keeping the True Cross.

[Anonymous]

Hello friends…

I just found this picture with the following text.


From the left:
“Knights templar with the kingdom of Jerusalem’s marking”
“Knights of Malta or The Hospitallers”
“Knights templar “
“Knights templar caste lord”
“St Jacobs knights templar (German order)”

Is there any truth in this painting?
The Hospitallers and the Knights Templar seem to be right.

Tobbzs have you been reading Jan Guillou? =)

[Templario]

GiM.

There seems to be some inconsistencies with the armors of the Knight Templar and of the Knight Templar associated with the kindom of Jerusalem. Steel plates didn't appear until the late 1300s...

[Anonymous]

It has been suggested by the sweedish writer Jan Guillou that templars use black diagonal stripes (barres) to destinguish the different rank of officers in the order.

Mr. Guillou is a writer and journalist of some renown in Scandinavia, and is known for doing serious research for his novels. In his Arn triology he depicts one of the main characters (Arn), when he returns from service with the order as haveing served as Castellan of Gaza and therefor entitled to three black stripes on his mantle.

This is ofcoures just a suggestion, and I don't know what he based this on or if it is just the writers progotive in fiction. But Bars and Cheverons are a old form of showing ranks of office in medieval times.