In the same year with the creation of the order of the Templars, took place that of the Teutonic order. A Ger man nobleman, observing the inconvenience to which pil grims of his nation were exposed in the hospitals at Jeru salem, where their language was unknown, erected an hos pital in Jerusalem for their use. This hospital soon became rich by the liberality of its German visitants. Pope Ce lestine created these hospitallers into an order of knight hood, under the obligation of living according to the rule of St. Augustin, and continuing to fight against the Infidels during life. The emperor Frederic II. brought them with him into Europe, and proposed to them to occupy their arms in the conquest of Prussia. The infidelity of the people of that country was the pretence; but his real mo tive in this proposition, was nothing more than to get rid of a band of warriors whose unemployed valour began to incommode him. Bring joined by the marquis of Turin gen, they soon rendered themselves masters of Prussia, and buiit Marienburgh in honour of their patroness, the Virgin Mary. This country they possessed till A. D. 1525, when Albert of Brandenburgh, their last grand-master, became feudatory to Sigismund, king of Poland, who crea ted him first duke of Prussia. From him the present royal family of Prussia derive their right. The ensign of this order was a plain black cross on a white cassock.
In addition to these, there were, about the same time, founded various other orders of the same kind, which all distinguished themselves in their day by a diligent use both of the sword arid the breviary ; but few of these succeeded in obtaining any settlements in Europe after the failure of the crusading expeditions ; and the few re maining knights were gradually incorporated into the orders of the Temple, or of St. John, or into the Teutonic order.
In Spain, however, the encroaching spirit of the Sa racens kept alive the flame of devotion, and of patriotism ; and the same cause which produced in the Holy Land the first religious orders of knighthood, gave birth to a Variety of similar establishments in the kingdoms of Cas tile and Arragon. The four principal orders in Spain were those of Santiago, or St. James of Gallicia ; of St. Sa viour in Arragon ; of Alcantara ; and of Calatrava. Dur ing the subsistence of the Moorish kingdom.of Grenada, the influence possessed by these orders was immense. The grand-masters controlled the sovereign in every thing tespecting the administration, either of foreign or of do mestic affairs. The rich commanderies distributed through every province of the peninsula, attracted the young nobles to enter into these orders ; and nothing could exceed the insolence of their demeanour. By a dexterous piece of policy on the final expulsion of the Moors, Ferdinand, having his power already increased by the junction of the two kingdoms of Castile and Arragon in the persons of him self and his wife, contrived to have the grand master ship and principal cornmanderies united to the crown ; an event which has, more than any thing else, contributed to the subsequent political degradation of the Spanish people.
Tdere is little doubt, that the establishment of orders of men 6o constituted as to be liable to all those excite ments of the imagination, which are inseparable from a retired mode of life, and at the same time to have full opportunity for putting all their romantic dreams into exe cution by their military pi ofession and pursuits, must hare exertt d a powerful influence on the idle and high spirited nobility of the 12,n century. These orders laid hold of human nature by the strongest of all attractions; and the magnificent possessions which they so soon ob tained, are a sufficient proof how well their founders had calculated their measures, when they broached the novel idea of enhancing the ardour of chivalry by the enthu siasm of perpetual devotions, and the undiverted constancy of a life of celibacy.
One very singular effect of the establishment of these orders in Europe, cannot fail to attract the notice of every one who peruses the history of those times. The practice of duelling increased immediately to a most alarming de gree. Distinguished valour was the only means of ac quiring the rich rewards which these orders had it in their power to bestow. The young knight, newly admitted into an order, had no ambition but that of making himself re markable by some feat of arins. This ambition, which easily found a proper channel of displaying itself in the East, where they lived in a state of perpetual war, and amidst a succession of skirmishes, found no other vent, on their establishment among the peaceful kingdoms of the West, except in personal rencounters. The capricious impatience of insult, at all times the characteristic of the northern nobility, was now tenfold increased in each indi vidual by the desire of personal or social distinction. The protection, too, afforded to the absurd punctilios of honour, and ridiculous ideas of satisfaction, by bodies so set apart as the religious orders, was more constant, as well as more powerful, than any thing they had ever before enjoyed. What had heretofore been tolerated abuse, became now a commended and a constant rule of practice. Doctors and jurisconsults set about reducing to order the fanciful rules invented by illiterate bravoes, and Europe soon became ac quainted with a new science—the science of knighthood, as it was called, or acienza cavallerescha.