What Is the Difference Between Templars and Hospitallers?
The Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller (or Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem) were the two great military religious orders of the Crusades. Founded within a few years of each other in the early twelfth century, the two Orders shared many features: both were recognized by the papacy, both were exempt from the jurisdiction of local bishops, both maintained networks of preceptories across Europe, and both played central roles in the defense of the Crusader states in the Levant. They also had a long history of rivalry, and they competed for donations, territory, and royal favor for two centuries.
This article summarizes the key differences between the two Orders, and is intended as a companion to the military orders pillar page and to the complete history of the Templars.
Origins and Mission
The most fundamental difference between the two Orders lay in their origins and mission:
- The Hospitallers were founded in Jerusalem around 1099 by the Italian merchant Fra’ Gérard, who established a hospital to care for sick and poor pilgrims. The Order’s original mission was charitable: to care for the sick, the poor, and the wounded. The Order took on a military role only gradually, and it was formally recognized as a military order only in 1163 with the bull Militantis Ecclesiae of Pope Alexander III.
- The Templars were founded in Jerusalem in 1119 by the French knight Hugues de Payens, who formed a small brotherhood dedicated to protecting pilgrims on the dangerous roads of the Holy Land. The Order’s mission was military from the start, and it was formally recognized as a religious order at the Council of Troyes in 1129.
For more on the founding of the Templars, see The Founding of the Order. For the Hospitallers’ origins, see The Military Orders of the Crusades.
Symbolism and Dress
The two Orders were distinguished by their symbols and dress:
- The Hospitallers wore a black mantle with a white cross. The black color symbolized the Order’s humility and its willingness to serve the poor. The white cross was a symbol of the Order’s purity of purpose.
- The Templars wore a white mantle with a red cross. The white color symbolized the Order’s purity, while the red cross was a symbol of the knight’s willingness to shed his blood for the cause of Christ.
The symbolism of the Templar cross. See The Templar Cross and Mantle.
Hierarchy and Government
The two Orders had similar hierarchies and structures of government:
- Both Orders were headed by a Grand Master (the Magister) who was elected for life by the brothers of the Order.
- Both Orders were organized into provinces (the Hospitallers called them “Tongues” or “Languages”) headed by Provincial Masters.
- Both Orders maintained preceptories and commanderies across Europe, headed by Preceptors or Commanders.
The Templars’ hierarchy. See The Grand Masters of the Order.
After 1312
The two Orders had very different fates after the suppression of the Templars in 1312:
- The Templars were suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1312, and the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burned in 1314. The story. See The Trial and Suppression of the Knights Templar.
- The Hospitallers survived and went on to become a major naval power. After the fall of Acre in 1291, they moved first to Cyprus and then, in 1310, captured the island of Rhodes from the Byzantine Empire. They ruled Rhodes for over two centuries, becoming a major naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean. They were eventually expelled from Rhodes by the Ottomans in 1522 and settled in Malta, which they ruled from 1530 to 1798.
The Rivalry
The two Orders were rival institutions, and their rivalry is one of the great themes of Crusader history. The two Orders competed for:
- Donations from kings, nobles, and ordinary Christians.
- Territory in the Crusader states, especially in the cities of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
- Royal favor with the kings of the Latin Kingdom and of Western Europe.
- Military glory in the field.
The rivalry was sometimes intense, and the two Orders occasionally came into open conflict. The most famous such conflict was the Mahdian Crusade of 1240–1241, in which the two Orders supported rival claimants to the regency of the Latin Kingdom.
The story of the rivalry. See The Military Orders of the Crusades.
Conclusion
The Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller were the two great military religious orders of the Crusades. Although they shared many features, they had distinct origins, missions, symbols, and fates. The two Orders were rivals for two centuries, and their rivalry is one of the great themes of Crusader history. The story of the two Orders is told in more detail in the military orders pillar page.