Monastic Orders: Templars, Teutons, Jesuits and Others

Dark medieval Europe in the West was shaped by the dominance of rulers of souls—secret and public monastic orders. From this book, readers learn about the practical, economic Cistercians; the “Dogs of the Lord,” predecessors of the “Holy Inquisition”; the Dominicans; the clever Jesuits; the warlike Teutonic and Knights Templar orders; and the mendicant orders—Franciscans, Dominicans, Capuchins, Jesuits—all their best-known founders. The book tells about the creation of Western monasticism, their monasteries, the papacy in Rome, the Vatican, and nearly forty monastic orders subordinate to it, as well as their history from the 5th to the 20th centuries. The first orders led by Benedictines, Cistercians, and Carthusians, spiritual chivalric orders—the Knights of Malta, the Templars, the Teutons, and the Sword-Bearers; mendicant orders—Franciscans, Dominicans, Capuchins, Jesuits—plus their most famous founders—all of this is covered in detail by the book’s authors, who include a comprehensive terminological dictionary at the end. Also read other books in the series “Mystical Orders,” “Eastern Orders,” “Political Orders,” a biography of Ignatius of Loyola, and more.