CHIVALRY
What institutions were founded by the Church in order to "baptize" the political structures of society as well?
The Church had been working with previously existing institutions, such as the monarchy, the military, and the administrative organization of society, but decided to “baptize” them by consecrating the men in charge through a sacramental. The coronation or the anointing of the king was performed as early as the VIIth century, while that of Emperor Charlemagne was performed on Christmas Day, in the year 800 A.D. and that of St. Stephen of Hungary, on the same day in the year 1000 A.D.
At the very beginning of the IXth century, the rite of liturgical dubbing, or benediction of the new knight, was conferred by a Bishop, using the Benedictio Novi Militis, found in the Roman Pontifical. In the latter case, the Church Christianized a German tribal rite, a tradition kept by the Franks and the Lombards, in which arms were solemnly bestowed upon a boy who was quickly becoming a man and a warrior. Over the centuries, with the help of the Church, it had gradually changed from a purely human rite to one having a more profound, Christian significance.
Define Knighthood or Chivalry.
Knighthood is an institution founded by the Church for the promotion of a Christian Social and Political Order, also known as Christian Civilization, or Christendom, and which today is often called the Social Reign of Our Lord, Christ the King.
What are the two different kinds of dubbing?
Military or lay rite, which is a purely human rite: any knight may dub another knight.
Liturgical rite, or Benedictio Novi Militis of the Roman Pontifical, which is a sacramental conferred by a Bishop or a Prelate.
What is the effect of the rite of liturgical dubbing?
By the rite of liturgical dubbing, the Church, on behalf of Christ the King, gives an official mandate to a layman, thereby authorizing him to act in the temporal field, as well as the corresponding graces needed to help him fulfil that mission.
What did Christian Monarchy and Knighthood achieve generally?
The institution, concept and ideal of Knighthood, or Chivalry, gradually Christianized the very political and social institutions of society, by building up Christendom from the IXth and Xth centuries, a period of political chaos, into its apex during the XIIth and XIIIth centuries.
What is an Order of Knighthood?
An Order of Knighthood can also be called an Order of Chivalry or a Military Order, since the Latin word miles means knight, and the Latin word militia means Knighthood or Order of Knighthood. Consequently, an Order of Knighthood is a group of knights following the same Rule and the same Master, or Grand Master, which in Latin is Magister Militiae.
When were the first Military Orders founded?
The first Military Order that was ever founded was the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ, also known as the Order of the Temple, in the Holy Land about the year 1119 A.D. Subsequently, various Orders of hospitallers, like those of St. John of Jerusalem, and later those of St. Mary of the Teutons and St. Lazarus, were militarized, adopting the Rule of the Temple, or part of that Rule, written by St. Bernard at the Council of Troyes (France) in 1129 A.D.
Were other Military Orders founded in regions other than the Holy Land?
Yes. Some knightly confraternities had started as groups of lay knights in Spain (Belchite, Montreal) and in Portugal (Avis). They disappeared, merged with, or became Religious Military Orders (Calatrava, Santiago, Alcantara, Alfama, Montesa, Avis, and the Portuguese Order of Christ). All these Orders were inspired by the Cistercian monks, and/or copied the Order of the Temple, with the exception of the Order of Santiago, which had three classes of members: canons, religious knights and married knights.
On the Eastern European front, as a bulwark against local pagan tribes, or even the Mongols, the Teutonic Order (Order of St. Mary of the Germans) developed in Prussia, while the Order of the Sword-Bearers emerged from the Baltic region. On another front, in Lombardy, St. Dominic founded the Militia Christi, i.e., the Order of the Knights of Christ, in order to protect the churches, monasteries, and Christian people from the Manichees. The knights were laymen, and their spouses were accepted as sisters of the Order. The Militia Christi gave birth to the Dominican Third Order.
What was the purpose of Military Orders?
The original goal of the Templars had been to protect the pilgrims on the roads, as they visited the Holy Places. When the Military Orders grew, their task clearly became the defense of the frontiers of Christendom on many fronts, just like the Crusades. However, the Crusades were temporary, and the Crusaders were poorly trained and not used to the Orient and other fronts, while the Military Orders were permanent, fully trained, and had an excellent knowledge of the terrain.
What are the main Institutions founded by the Church for the promotion and the defense of Christendom?
From the beginning of the IXth century, Christian Monarchy and Knighthood started the process of building up Christendom. From the XIIth to the XVIIIth century, temporary Crusades and permanent Military Orders actually protected its borders and coasts.
What is the mission of a natural leader?
The leader’s mission is to promote and protect the Common Good of his people, rather than his own interests.
Who do you consider to be a natural leader?
It is any leader given by nature, including pagan kings, tribal chiefs, fathers of families, or business entrepreneurs, be they Christian or not. As a natural leader, a knight is supposed to have more or less influence on his environment and to act for the Common Good of those who are in his charge. In this way, he would be applying the Doctrine of the Two Swords, which allows the Church to intervene by reason of ratione peccati, i.e., by virtue of Her Indirect Power.
Is the consecration of a king, or the dubbing of a knight, of any use?
Yes, for two reasons:
Being sinners, they cannot fulfil their mission properly, without the help of the graces received in the liturgical dubbing or consecration;
Because they are Christians, they receive, in addition to the Natural Mission submitted to the Indirect Power of the Church, a Spiritual Mission by virtue of the Direct Power of the Church, since it is not linked to the ratione peccati principle. This Spiritual Mission is directed at giving to Christ the King the homage of an official and public cult, to help the Church in the exercise of Her Sacred Duty, to protect Her against the wicked, to imbue legislation with the principles of the Gospel, and finally to organize the Earthly City with a view to the Celestial City.
What is the difference between a sacrament and a sacramental?
The Sacraments were instituted by Our Lord Himself, and have within themselves the power to give grace (ex opere operato) to those who receive them with the right disposition. Sacramentals were instituted by the Church, and they operate through Her imperative virtue (ex opere operantis). Both sacraments and sacramentals are administered by a bishop or a priest.
What are the various kinds of sacramentals?
Some sacramentals are objects, like blessed water or medals. Other sacramentals are actions, among which can be found invocative ceremonies (i.e., solemn blessing of a new Abbot, a Church, or a Chalice) and constitutive ceremonies (i.e., consecration of a new knight to the service of the Church).
What is the efficacy of the consecration of an Emperor, a King or a Knight?
These consecrations, being sacramental actions, are always efficacious, since they are carried out through the imperative virtue of the Church Herself. (Emmanuel Vicart, in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 17, Summer 1996, and Rev. Fr. de Cacqueray, in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 23, Winter 1997-98).
The Church had been working with previously existing institutions, such as the monarchy, the military, and the administrative organization of society, but decided to “baptize” them by consecrating the men in charge through a sacramental. The coronation or the anointing of the king was performed as early as the VIIth century, while that of Emperor Charlemagne was performed on Christmas Day, in the year 800 A.D. and that of St. Stephen of Hungary, on the same day in the year 1000 A.D.
At the very beginning of the IXth century, the rite of liturgical dubbing, or benediction of the new knight, was conferred by a Bishop, using the Benedictio Novi Militis, found in the Roman Pontifical. In the latter case, the Church Christianized a German tribal rite, a tradition kept by the Franks and the Lombards, in which arms were solemnly bestowed upon a boy who was quickly becoming a man and a warrior. Over the centuries, with the help of the Church, it had gradually changed from a purely human rite to one having a more profound, Christian significance.
Define Knighthood or Chivalry.
Knighthood is an institution founded by the Church for the promotion of a Christian Social and Political Order, also known as Christian Civilization, or Christendom, and which today is often called the Social Reign of Our Lord, Christ the King.
What are the two different kinds of dubbing?
Military or lay rite, which is a purely human rite: any knight may dub another knight.
Liturgical rite, or Benedictio Novi Militis of the Roman Pontifical, which is a sacramental conferred by a Bishop or a Prelate.
What is the effect of the rite of liturgical dubbing?
By the rite of liturgical dubbing, the Church, on behalf of Christ the King, gives an official mandate to a layman, thereby authorizing him to act in the temporal field, as well as the corresponding graces needed to help him fulfil that mission.
What did Christian Monarchy and Knighthood achieve generally?
The institution, concept and ideal of Knighthood, or Chivalry, gradually Christianized the very political and social institutions of society, by building up Christendom from the IXth and Xth centuries, a period of political chaos, into its apex during the XIIth and XIIIth centuries.
What is an Order of Knighthood?
An Order of Knighthood can also be called an Order of Chivalry or a Military Order, since the Latin word miles means knight, and the Latin word militia means Knighthood or Order of Knighthood. Consequently, an Order of Knighthood is a group of knights following the same Rule and the same Master, or Grand Master, which in Latin is Magister Militiae.
When were the first Military Orders founded?
The first Military Order that was ever founded was the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ, also known as the Order of the Temple, in the Holy Land about the year 1119 A.D. Subsequently, various Orders of hospitallers, like those of St. John of Jerusalem, and later those of St. Mary of the Teutons and St. Lazarus, were militarized, adopting the Rule of the Temple, or part of that Rule, written by St. Bernard at the Council of Troyes (France) in 1129 A.D.
Were other Military Orders founded in regions other than the Holy Land?
Yes. Some knightly confraternities had started as groups of lay knights in Spain (Belchite, Montreal) and in Portugal (Avis). They disappeared, merged with, or became Religious Military Orders (Calatrava, Santiago, Alcantara, Alfama, Montesa, Avis, and the Portuguese Order of Christ). All these Orders were inspired by the Cistercian monks, and/or copied the Order of the Temple, with the exception of the Order of Santiago, which had three classes of members: canons, religious knights and married knights.
On the Eastern European front, as a bulwark against local pagan tribes, or even the Mongols, the Teutonic Order (Order of St. Mary of the Germans) developed in Prussia, while the Order of the Sword-Bearers emerged from the Baltic region. On another front, in Lombardy, St. Dominic founded the Militia Christi, i.e., the Order of the Knights of Christ, in order to protect the churches, monasteries, and Christian people from the Manichees. The knights were laymen, and their spouses were accepted as sisters of the Order. The Militia Christi gave birth to the Dominican Third Order.
What was the purpose of Military Orders?
The original goal of the Templars had been to protect the pilgrims on the roads, as they visited the Holy Places. When the Military Orders grew, their task clearly became the defense of the frontiers of Christendom on many fronts, just like the Crusades. However, the Crusades were temporary, and the Crusaders were poorly trained and not used to the Orient and other fronts, while the Military Orders were permanent, fully trained, and had an excellent knowledge of the terrain.
What are the main Institutions founded by the Church for the promotion and the defense of Christendom?
From the beginning of the IXth century, Christian Monarchy and Knighthood started the process of building up Christendom. From the XIIth to the XVIIIth century, temporary Crusades and permanent Military Orders actually protected its borders and coasts.
What is the mission of a natural leader?
The leader’s mission is to promote and protect the Common Good of his people, rather than his own interests.
Who do you consider to be a natural leader?
It is any leader given by nature, including pagan kings, tribal chiefs, fathers of families, or business entrepreneurs, be they Christian or not. As a natural leader, a knight is supposed to have more or less influence on his environment and to act for the Common Good of those who are in his charge. In this way, he would be applying the Doctrine of the Two Swords, which allows the Church to intervene by reason of ratione peccati, i.e., by virtue of Her Indirect Power.
Is the consecration of a king, or the dubbing of a knight, of any use?
Yes, for two reasons:
Being sinners, they cannot fulfil their mission properly, without the help of the graces received in the liturgical dubbing or consecration;
Because they are Christians, they receive, in addition to the Natural Mission submitted to the Indirect Power of the Church, a Spiritual Mission by virtue of the Direct Power of the Church, since it is not linked to the ratione peccati principle. This Spiritual Mission is directed at giving to Christ the King the homage of an official and public cult, to help the Church in the exercise of Her Sacred Duty, to protect Her against the wicked, to imbue legislation with the principles of the Gospel, and finally to organize the Earthly City with a view to the Celestial City.
What is the difference between a sacrament and a sacramental?
The Sacraments were instituted by Our Lord Himself, and have within themselves the power to give grace (ex opere operato) to those who receive them with the right disposition. Sacramentals were instituted by the Church, and they operate through Her imperative virtue (ex opere operantis). Both sacraments and sacramentals are administered by a bishop or a priest.
What are the various kinds of sacramentals?
Some sacramentals are objects, like blessed water or medals. Other sacramentals are actions, among which can be found invocative ceremonies (i.e., solemn blessing of a new Abbot, a Church, or a Chalice) and constitutive ceremonies (i.e., consecration of a new knight to the service of the Church).
What is the efficacy of the consecration of an Emperor, a King or a Knight?
These consecrations, being sacramental actions, are always efficacious, since they are carried out through the imperative virtue of the Church Herself. (Emmanuel Vicart, in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 17, Summer 1996, and Rev. Fr. de Cacqueray, in Le Sel de la Terre, No. 23, Winter 1997-98).