Public Domain (PD) Oct 1990
by Walt Cummings (phobe@milton.u.washington.edu)
All Rights Reversed! Thou Shalt Not Restrict This in Any Way!

IMPORTANT STORIES
Creation Story

The origin of the Hospitallers was an 11th-century hospital in Jerusalem, close to the church of St. John the Baptist, founded
by Italian merchants from Amalfi to care for sick pilgrims. After the crusaders' conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, the hospital's superior, a monk named Gerard, intensified his work in Jerusalem and founded hostels in Provencal and Italian cities on the route to the Holy Land.

Recent History

On Feb.15, 1113, the hospital was taken under papal protection, a status confirmed by later popes. Raymond de Puy, who succeeded Gerard in 1120, substituted the Augistinian rule for Benedictine and took the title of master of the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem. Grateful crusader knights healed of their wounds in the hospital bestowed on it portions of their estates, while others remained in the Holy Land as members of the hospital, which thus developed into a wealthy and powerful body, dedicated to combining the task of tending the sick and poor with waging war on Islam in the Levant.

From 1803 onward, the order has confined activities to its original humanitarian tasks. Hospitals run by the order now exist in Hungary, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, England, Germany and Switzerland.

Some have claimed that the latter-day Knights of Malta take an active part in influencing modern day world policy, and that, under a secret pseudo-Masonic wing known as P2, they have been engaged in money-laundering and other illegal activities for some unknown purpose.

SYMBOLS and DOGMA

As per the Roman Catholic church.

RULES and RESTRICTIONS

Hospitallers must be celibate and may not be married. They are expected to donate most or all of their lands to the order. Knights who join the Hospitallers become members for life.

The Hospitallers and the Templars were great rivals, during the early years of both orders.

HIERARCHY and ORGANIZATION

Under the order's rule, the master (grand master from 1489) was elected for life and ruled a celibate brotherhood of knights, chaplains, and serving brothers. His election was subject to papal confirmation. Only the knights had a voice in the government of the order, through its legislative body, the chapter-general, convoked by the grand master. Always an international body, the order of St. John while at Rhodes evolved its characteristic form by grouping the knights into Langues ("tongues"). Originally seven (Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Spain, England, and Germany) existed. Spain later split into Castile-Portugal and Aragon.

In Rhodes, as in Malta, each Langue had its headquarters in its own auberge ("inn") where its members messed and lodged. The head of the Langue, known as the "pillar," presided over his auberge and was ex officio a bailiff of the order, a member of the chapter-general, and one of the great officers of the covenant.

1. The pillar of France was the Grand Hospitaller.
2. The pillar of Castile was the grand chancellor.
3. The pillar of Italy was the grand admiral.
4. The pillar of Provence was the grand commander and treasurer.
5. The pillar of England was commander of coastal defenses
and bore the title Turcopolier, derived from the native
mounted bowmen known as Turcopoles whom the order recruited
in Palestine during the Crusades.
6. The chaplains where subordinate to the prior of St. John.

SCHISMS AND HERESIES

As per Roman Catholic church.

GM RECOMMENDATIONS
Should PCs become members?

PC Hospitallers should be ready to participate in several tasks, even if they are warriors: guard duty (for years on end), building fortifications, and seeking military conquest.

If a PC is a doctor, or a clergyman in the service of St. John, he may spend time at a hospital of St. John tending to the wounded of a crusade or war.

Methods by which the GM may encourage/discourage PC membership

See RULES and RESTRICTIONS. Knights often joined the hospitallers because their life was saved by the expert medical attention they received at the hands of the order. Clerical PC may be assigned by their superiors to a hospital.

General Tech Level and Timeframe

Medeival Mediterranean.

How to fit the cult into your campaign

They might come into existence because of any long period of warfare.

Cult reactions to changes in Tech Level or Timeframe

Medical innovations were made by the order from soon after its inception up to the present time, where they specialize in opthamology.

Bibliography. Where to go for more information. also see GRASS/Templars -