Military Orders VS Chivalric Orders

The Difference Between Military and Chivalric Orders

A Military Order is made up of warrior monks who serve the Church, and Knights who give up all their worldy lands and titles in order to serve their god without the interference of worldly desire. They are granted a charter, live under a Rule, are clerici, and pledge their allegiance to the Church in order to serve god uninhibited by the corruption of secular influence. Sometimes a Military Order will have an obligation of obidence to the King (or in our case, the various Lords) as they will more then likely be dependant on operating on land which belongs to them. It is possible for a Military Order to become a sovereign nation itself, as many have. The Knights Templar in the Holy Land often ignored the orders of the King of Jerusalem because they were living on land purchased with their own funds, and they were protected from persecution by the Church. However, when the King of France showed up for a Crusade, they fell in line because most of their land lay in France, and most of them were French.

A Chivalric Order is made up of Knights who serve the King (or in our case, the various Lords). They are still expected to do what is right by the Church, as do all Knights because religion is an important aspect of Chivalry. They may have some benefits bestowed upon them by the Church, depending on how religious they are, but more then likely not. They are VERY similar to Military Orders because they are meant to replicate the Military powress Orders such as the Knights Templar, and Hospitaller displayed in the Holy Land. There members are not clerici, do not follow a rule, and are bound by oath to their liege.

What Does This Mean to You?

If you are looking to be recognized as a Military Order, there are requirements which you must fufill in order to be considered official.

First, you must have a Rule which is approved by the Church. All a Rule is, is the "Rules" by which the organization operates. It includes things like, uniforms, chain of command, obidience, and all sorts of stuff. The Rule of Auros is an example of what a Rule would look like.

Second, it must be granted a Charter by the Church. This is what legitimizes your Order as a Military Order, and not just a bunch of religious nuts running around trying to cleanse evil.

Third, the Grand Master must be ordained by the leader of the diocese. This would be your Bishop. Independant nations would fall under the Archbishop.

Fourth, you must have the approval of the Sovereign so that he's aware of what you're doing. (If you plan on being an independant nation, not a sub-guild, then this obviously isn't neccessary as you are the sovereign).

Fifth, it must be founded by someone with the rank of Knight, or higher. Of course, the Bishop of the diocese can Knight you once you accomplish the first four goals.

If you want to found a Chivalric Order, talk to your Sovereign. I'm sure they are more lenient on requirements then we are.

It's possible for a Chivalric Order to become a Military Order. You can't go from a Military Order to a Chivalric Order however. If you did rescind your oath to god, you'd be excommunicated outright.

Serving The Church as a Knight

Members of the Church are expected to be high quality RPers, and to know the lore well. This is why we give a seris of exams to the Clerci, to ensure they know what they're doing. Just like a herald, or a yeomen must prove their skills, so too must a Priest. Given that we have practical RP standards in Hyperion, you can't claim to be a "Military Order" even though your clan lore says you are, because that would also mean all of your members are clerici, and more specifically, friars. Impersonation of a member of the clergy was a much more serious crime back in the day then it is today because it is also an offense against God/god (small g for us), and I realize people don't mean to do it; which is why I'm explaining this now.

As a Knight - you are not expected to preach, but you should still be RP/lore suavy. This is why the Grand Master is ordained. We leave it to his discretion whether or not his members are up to snuff. We hope that by holding the leader to a higher standard, it will disiminate among his membership, but as Knights of the Church are called to serve upon the battlefield...they're less likely to be very well educated, and less likely to be able to preach effectively. The Grand Master may require his members to be lore fluent, however. It just depends on the standards he sets for his Order.

Also, not all members of a Military Order are Knights - in fact, most of them are lay persons. The founder would be a Knight, and his Lts would probably be Knighted by a Bishop for helping to found a Military Order as well. The point is that you don't become a Knight just for signing up to be a member of a Military Order. Though I imagine it would become easier to be Knighted by serving in a Military Order - you more or less just have to prove your military poweress to earn it...there's no official esquiring process in the Church.

One Final Note From The King:

It's important that everyone knows their place in Hyperion society, and therefore everyone must fall into one of the five social classes. Being a member of a military order places you within the clerici social class, so if you make this commitment it's important to understand the limitations and benefits of being in that class.