What Was a Templar Sergeant?
A Templar sergeant (also called a serving brother, Latin frater serviens) was a non-noble member of the Knights Templar who served the Order in a variety of capacities. While the knights of the Order were drawn from the noble families of Christendom, the sergeants were typically drawn from the non-noble classes. They served as soldiers, administrators, craftsmen, and stewards, and they were an essential part of the Order’s life.
This article examines the role of the sergeants in the Templar Order. It is a companion to The Preceptories and Commanderies and to What the Rule of the Templars Said.
The Three Classes of Brothers
The Templar Order was divided into three classes of brothers:
- Knights (Latin fratres milites): The noble members of the Order, who bore arms as heavy cavalry. The knights wore the white mantle with the red cross.
- Sergeants (Latin fratres servientes): The non-noble members of the Order, who served as soldiers, administrators, and craftsmen. The sergeants wore a brown, black, or grey mantle, sometimes with a red cross.
- Chaplains (Latin fratres capellani): The priests of the Order, who served the religious needs of the brothers. The chaplains wore a brown or black mantle, and they were ordained priests.
The distinction between the three classes was an important part of the Order’s life, and it was reflected in the brothers’ clothing, their quarters, and their privileges. The symbolism of the Order’s uniforms. See The Templar Cross and Mantle.
The Role of the Sergeants
The sergeants performed a wide variety of roles in the Order:
- As soldiers: Sergeants served as light cavalry and as infantry. They were often armed with bows, crossbows, and spears, and they performed the routine military work of the Order, such as garrison duty and patrolling.
- As administrators: Sergeants served as stewards, accountants, and secretaries of the Order. They managed the Order’s properties, collected rents, kept accounts, and corresponded with the Order’s various houses.
- As craftsmen: Sergeants worked as carpenters, smiths, masons, and weavers. They maintained the Order’s buildings, produced the Order’s equipment, and made the Order’s clothing.
- As servants: Sergeants served in the Order’s refectories, kitchens, stables, and dormitories. They performed the routine work of the Order, such as serving food, cleaning, and caring for the horses.
- As attendants: Sergeants often served as personal attendants to the knights. The knights, by the Order’s Rule, were not allowed to perform certain tasks, and the sergeants performed them.
The sergeants were, in many ways, the backbone of the Order. Without them, the Order could not have maintained its vast network of preceptories, and it could not have performed the routine work of the Order’s daily life.
The Recruitment of Sergeants
The sergeants were typically drawn from the non-noble classes of medieval society. They were often recruited from the Order’s preceptories, where they had grown up as oblates (children dedicated to the Order by their parents) or as lay servants. Some sergeants were recruited from outside the Order, often from the families of the Order’s tenants or neighbors.
The Order’s recruitment practices are examined in Templar Initiation and the Charges of Secret Rites.
The Clothing of the Sergeants
The sergeants wore a brown, black, or grey mantle, often with a red cross. The color of the mantle distinguished them from the knights, who wore a white mantle. The sergeants’ mantle was typically of a coarser fabric than the knights’ mantle, and it was sometimes called the “brown mantle” to distinguish it from the knights’ “white mantle.”
The symbolism of the Order’s uniforms. See The Templar Cross and Mantle.
The Privileges of the Sergeants
The sergeants had fewer privileges than the knights, but they were still full members of the Order. They were required to take the same three vows (poverty, chastity, obedience), and they were bound by the same Rule. They were entitled to the same religious services, the same medical care, and the same burial rights as the knights.
In the chapter meetings of the Order, the sergeants had a limited voice. They could attend the chapter meetings and offer their counsel, but they could not vote on major decisions. The Preceptor of the preceptory was typically drawn from the knights, and the sergeants served under his authority.
The Sergeants in Battle
In battle, the sergeants played a major role. They served as light cavalry and as infantry, and they performed the routine military work of the Order. The knights, by contrast, served as heavy cavalry and as the principal striking force of the Order.
The combined-arms tactics of the Order are examined in The Battle of Hattin and in The Fall of Acre 1291.
The Sergeants in the Trial
The sergeants played a major role in the trial of 1307. Many of the sergeants were arrested along with the knights, and many of the confessions that supported the charges of heresy came from sergeants. The sergeants’ confessions were often less detailed than the knights’ confessions, but they were used by the trial judges to support the charges.
The trial is examined in The Trial and Suppression of the Knights Templar and in The Trial of Jacques de Molay.
Conclusion
The Templar sergeants were an essential part of the Knights Templar. They served as soldiers, administrators, craftsmen, and servants, and they were the backbone of the Order’s daily life. The sergeants were typically drawn from the non-noble classes, and they wore a brown or black mantle to distinguish them from the knights. Without the sergeants, the Order could not have maintained its vast network of preceptories, and it could not have performed the routine work of the Order’s daily life.