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=======================> GET HOSPITALLERS.SS
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GRASS/Hospitallers
Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
a.k.a. Knights of Malta
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