The fact is that the knights were very fond of fighting, but did not want to die at all - neither for the lord, nor for the holy church. They had to and wanted only to win. This, in fact, served as their armor. The “wedge” also served this. After all, when a detachment of knights slowly, step by step, approached the enemy, he became an excellent target for the enemy's archers. Well, if he does not have well-aimed archers. And if there is? If they also have excellent long-range, powerful bows? The Mongols under Liegnitz and the British under Cressy and Poitiers literally shot the knights perfectly protected by armor from bows. And when building a "wedge" in front of the enemy shooters, there were only a few riders in the most reliable protective equipment.
Yes, the knights died very reluctantly. They preferred to flee or surrender in case of failure. In European wars, very few of them died - a few, and only in the largest battles that decided the fate of countries - several hundred.
And it's not just about armor. Knights to the XIII century. felt like a kind of worldwide order, a caste, for which no territorial boundaries, no citizenship are important. After all, the borders changed all the time, the regions passed from one king to another, and the knights sat in the same castles, spoke French, and all, as one, were considered servants of the holy Catholic Church. And to kill a brother, whoever and wherever he was, became indecent. Here to defeat him - to knock him off his horse, take him prisoner and, most importantly, get a ransom - this is a victory. What is the use of a corpse? Wars turned into massive tournaments. But they didn't turn.
The "rude men" - peasants and townspeople who fought in the infantry - did not allow it. The knights did not give them mercy. But even they did not remain in debt - they did not take prisoners. And when, in the 14th century, combat-ready infantry was formed, fighting in close formation, not afraid of horse attacks and rushing into battle with long halberds, the knights fled at the mere sight of Swiss “battles” and Hussite carts, talking with horror and indignation about unusual bloody battles: after all, the Swiss, for example, under pain of death, it was forbidden to take prisoners. And when the knights also began to increasingly use deep dense formations, so that the squad turned into an iron porcupine, they were again swept away - now forever - by infantry armed with firearms.
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From 1100 to 1300, 12 chivalric spiritual orders were formed in Europe. Three were the most powerful and viable: the Order of the Knights Templar, the Order of the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Order.
Templars. Officially, this order was called the "Secret Knighthood of Christ and the Temple of Solomon", but in Europe it was better known as the Order of the Knights of the Temple. (His residence was in Jerusalem, on the site where, according to legend, the temple of King Solomon (tample - temple (French)) was located. The knights themselves were called templars. The creation of the order was proclaimed in 1118-1119 by nine French knights in led by Hugo de Paynes from Champagne. For nine years, these nine knights remained silent, not a single chronicler of that time mentions them. But in 1127 they returned to France and declared themselves. And in 1128, the church Cathedral in Troyes ( Champagne) officially recognized the order.
The seal of the Templars depicted two knights riding one horse, which was supposed to speak of poverty and brotherhood. The symbol of the order was a white cloak with a red eight-pointed cross.
The goal of its members was "to take care of the roads and ways, and especially the protection of pilgrims, as far as possible." The charter forbade any secular entertainment, laughter, singing, etc. The knights had to take three vows: chastity, poverty and obedience. The discipline was harsh: "Each does not follow his own will at all, but is more concerned about obeying the one who orders." The order becomes an independent combat unit, subordinate only to the Grand Master (they immediately proclaimed de Payns) and the Pope.
From the very beginning of their activity, the Templars have gained great popularity in Europe. Despite and at the same time thanks to the vow of poverty, the order begins to accumulate great wealth. Each enterer donated his fortune to the order free of charge. The order received large possessions as a gift from the French king, the English king, and noble lords. In the Fine Arts, the Templars already have possessions in France, England, Scotland, Flanders, Spain, Portugal, and by 1140 - in Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary and the Holy Land. In addition, the templars not only guarded the pilgrims, but also considered it their direct duty to attack trade caravans and rob them.
