Military Order Knights on horse 3 (2)

The concept of the military orders was a twelfth-century innovation which brought together the evolving ideals of knighthood with the discipline of regular monastic life. Where knights fought for personal profit, the military orders devoted themselves to a higher cause – initially the protection of pilgrims in the dangerous roads of Outremer, and, then by extension, the defence of the whole kingdom. With a steady supply of recruits, money and equipment from western Europe and hard-won experience of fighting the forces of Islam and campaigning in the harsh climate of the Middle East, the Templars and Hospitallers soon found themselves playing a critical role in the armies of the crusader states.