The age of the crusades . twenty-eighth day (December 14, 1144) it news spread a dismay which could have beensurpassed only by the capture of Jerusalem itself. The report of Zenghis death two years later gaveto the Christians a ray of hope for at least fewerdisasters. That hope was quickly extinguished bythe exploits of Nourredin, his son, whose deeds stirredthe prophetic spirit of Moslem imams to foretell thespeedy fall of the Holy City. At the same time theyexcited the superstitious fears of the Christians, whosaw in comets, as well as in the flash of Nourredinscimeters, the signs o
The age of the crusades . twenty-eighth day (December 14, 1144) it news spread a dismay which could have beensurpassed only by the capture of Jerusalem itself. The report of Zenghis death two years later gaveto the Christians a ray of hope for at least fewerdisasters. That hope was quickly extinguished bythe exploits of Nourredin, his son, whose deeds stirredthe prophetic spirit of Moslem imams to foretell thespeedy fall of the Holy City. At the same time theyexcited the superstitious fears of the Christians, whosaw in comets, as well as in the flash of Nourredinscimeters, the signs of Heavens displeasure, and inter-preted the very thunders of the sky as the celestialecho of his tramping squadrons. The tidings of the fall of Edessa was the immediateoccasion of the second crusade. Before considering this, let us note briefly the in-fluence upon Europe of the first crusade and of thekingdom of Jerusalem which it had established. CHAPTER XXII. MILITARY ORDERS—HOSPITALLERS—TEMPLARS—TEUTONIC j]NE of the most significant fruits of thefirst crusade was the creation and growthof the military orders—the Hospitallers,or Knights of St. John, the Templars, andthe Teutonic Hospitallers, or Knights of St. John.—Thisfamous organization, which was for centuries a bul-wark of Christendom and which still exists, originatedearlier than the crusades, but first attained powerand repute in those exciting days. In the year 1023the Egyptian caliph, who held possession of Jeru-salem, was induced by the entreaty of the mer-chants of Amalfi to allow them to found in the sacredcity a hospital for the care of poor and sick Latinpilgrims. A building near the Holy Sepulchre wassecured for the purpose and dedicated to the Virgin,with the title of Santa Maria de Latina. As themultitude of pilgrims and their needs increased, amore commodious hospitium was erected. This wasnamed after the sainted Patriarch of Alexandria, 156 The Hospitallers. 15 7 John Eleemon
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidageof, booksubjectcrusades
