Knight from the Order of Saint Lazarus- the forgotten Leper-Knights, Fall of Acre 1291
One of the most unknown and forgotten Orders in the Holy Land:
Order of Saint Lazarus
The Order of Saint Lazarus is one of the most ancients of the European Orders of Chivalry. Originally established to treat the virulent disease of leprosy, its knights being lepers themselves.
Its foundations is about the 11th century ( other sources tell the 9th century), their hospitals were the basic for the Templars and Hospitallers - the hospitals from Jerusalem.
Found as a leper hospital, it is unknown when the order became militarised.
It must be before the end of the 12th century due to the large number of Templars and Hospitallers send to the leper hospitals to be treated.
The leper knights were protected by a number of able-bodied knights but in times of crisis the leper knights themselves take up arms.
The knights were known as the "living dead" for the reason that they often wear no headdresses or helmets so that their from leprosy distorted faces causes real horror by their enemies. They were heroically fighter, in their mind it was better to die in combat than on their diseases.
From April 6th to Mai 28th 1291 twenty-five of the leper Knights fight at Acre. All of them die.
The Knight:
His equipment is very simple and poor. A short chainmail and a simple helmet are the standard from a foot soldier or sergeant more than from a knight.
A low quality sword and an old style shield with a rough painting shown that they were reissued. He wears no leg protection and easy made shoes. For him its enough to wear…
His face shows the disease, his eyebrows are fallen out and his hands are in bandages. Not a good looking crusader as we might think but that was reality at that time. Hard days in the Holy Land!
All parts self-made, molded and hand-sewn.
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One of the most unknown and forgotten Orders in the Holy Land:
Order of Saint Lazarus
The Order of Saint Lazarus is one of the most ancients of the European Orders of Chivalry. Originally established to treat the virulent disease of leprosy, its knights being lepers themselves.
Its foundations is about the 11th century ( other sources tell the 9th century), their hospitals were the basic for the Templars and Hospitallers - the hospitals from Jerusalem.
Found as a leper hospital, it is unknown when the order became militarised.
It must be before the end of the 12th century due to the large number of Templars and Hospitallers send to the leper hospitals to be treated.
The leper knights were protected by a number of able-bodied knights but in times of crisis the leper knights themselves take up arms.
The knights were known as the "living dead" for the reason that they often wear no headdresses or helmets so that their from leprosy distorted faces causes real horror by their enemies. They were heroically fighter, in their mind it was better to die in combat than on their diseases.
From April 6th to Mai 28th 1291 twenty-five of the leper Knights fight at Acre. All of them die.
The Knight:
His equipment is very simple and poor. A short chainmail and a simple helmet are the standard from a foot soldier or sergeant more than from a knight.
A low quality sword and an old style shield with a rough painting shown that they were reissued. He wears no leg protection and easy made shoes. For him its enough to wear…
His face shows the disease, his eyebrows are fallen out and his hands are in bandages. Not a good looking crusader as we might think but that was reality at that time. Hard days in the Holy Land!
All parts self-made, molded and hand-sewn.
