The Knights of Christ

Osprey Men at Arms #155

by Terence Wise, Richard Scollins (Illustrations)

The ancient warrior code which persisted in medieval Christian Europe dictated that a man's greatest virtues were physical strength, skill at arms, bravery, daring, loyalty to the chieftain and solidarity within the tribe. The primitive Church had been diametrically opposed to such ideals, however by the early 8th century the Church had grown wealthy, and the Saracen invasions of Spain and France posed a threat to that wealth. The Roman Church began to support war in defence of the faith, and by channelling the martial spirit into the service of God, the brutal warrior of the past was transformed into a guardian of society.

Genres: Medieval, History, Military History, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Religion

48 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 1984

About the author

Terence Wise has been a respected historical writer for more than 25 years. He passed away in August 2010.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's nice to include all the post-Acre spin-off holy orders up to the French Revolution, but at an alinea per order that isn't one of the big three (Templars, Hospitaliers, Teutons) Wikipedia caught up with this one.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Osprey always supplies interesting reading and excellent artwork.