"Knights of Lothar, do you want to join the Templars or the Hospitallers?"

At the end of the monk's sermon, he enthusiastically said to Lothar: "Listen to me, it is only fitting that a pious and valiant knight like you could join the Templar Order. ”

"The Templars are brave and good at war, never compromise with the infidels, and are more suitable for you to make achievements than the conservative Hospitallers!"

"I'm sorry, Father Beckett, but I'm not going to swear a vow, my father was in the service of His Majesty Baldwin and took part in the famous Battle of Mongiza, defeating the king of Ayyubid. I also hope to continue this tradition and be loyal to the king in the form of a feudal lord. ”

"No wonder the burqa on your body, like the robe of the royal knights of Jerusalem, is disrespectful that your father should have received such a prestigious honor."

Beckett said thoughtfully.

"But Knight Lothar, please forgive me for being blunt, you don't understand the situation in the Holy Land, and in my own opinion, it is not wise to choose to be directly loyal to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty may not still have the heart to see you, let alone grant you a fiefdom."

"The Knights are indeed a good place to go, especially the Knights Templar, joining the Knights will not affect your allegiance to His Majesty."

Becket began to introduce Lothar to the prominence of the Order of the era and its terrifying influence in the Holy Land.

Although nominally a military order, the Knights Templar owned thousands of estates and castles in the Catholic world, with a dozen or so scattered territories of various sizes.

On top of that, they often receive huge donations from all sides.

And the territories of the Knights Templar are all tax-free, and they themselves are representatives of the divine right, and there is no need to worry that someone will collect the titheflower tax.

Wealth, which led them to open the first "bank" of this era, many of the pilgrims on this ship, it was only from the Knights that they borrowed money to buy luggage and tickets.

This is a giant crocodile entrenched in the Holy Land, a nominal Knights, and a de facto country.

Not only is it rich and rivaled, but its military strength is not weaker than that of any great monarch on the European continent.

Although the Knights Hospitaller is much inferior in strength, it is also the same level of existence.

It's just that the style tends to be conservative and not as radical as the Knights Templar.

The existence of the two major knights greatly curbed the authority of the king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, and even overrode the royal power for a time.

However, due to external threats, the king was not only unable to expel and suppress him, but also had to entrap the two major knights.

There is a slang saying in the streets of Jerusalem that although the king wears a sacred crown, Gerald (Grand Master of the Templar Order) is the true uncrowned king.

Lothar chatted with Father Beckett, who had travelled several times by boat to and from the Mediterranean, to collect donations and call for crusaders in the Western world.

Then take them to the Holy Land, as a source of soldiers for the military order, or as a vassal under the feudal lord, to obtain funding.

It's very similar to the nature of a broker, except that it's considered sacred.

Beckett had lived in the Holy Land for two years and knew a lot about it.

"The Sassanid and Ayyubids have united, while the kingdom is still at loggerheads, and the Knights each have their own supporters trying to get them to marry Sibylla, the sister of His Majesty the King, and become the next crown prince."

Beckett showed a rare pessimistic look: "I wonder if it is right or wrong to 'call' so many people of Christ to go to the Holy Land. The iron hooves of those pagans may destroy everything. ”

Aren't you cheating?

Lothar complained secretly, but said: "I really didn't expect that the situation in the kingdom would be so serious, but according to my father, His Majesty Baldwin is a very outstanding monarch, how can he let the situation develop like this?" ”

"Yes, His Majesty was indeed an outstanding king, of great military prowess and charisma, but leprosy made his rule weaker."

Beckett's eyes were a little red: "We all know that the young king who was so high-spirited and defeated tens of thousands of heretics in Mongisa is gone. Now all that remains is a leper who is barely on his breath and endures severe pain all day long. ”

Lothar was slightly silent.

Count Werner's idea was to let him join Baldwin III, and he brought him a letter.

But now it seems that the king's great ship is far from being as strong as he imagined.

There are pros and cons, and it is precisely because the ship is not strong enough that it is easier for him to rise to prominence and arouse the trust and respect of His Majesty.

King Baldwin was still the only legitimate king of Jerusalem, and a skinny camel was bigger than a horse.

The word "orthodoxy" was sometimes more important in the Middle Ages than in the East.

As for leprosy... If a cure is extracted, it does not seem impossible to cure.

He thought for a moment, and decided to follow the original plan and be loyal to King Baldwin, even if he could not get a fief for the time being, it was more reliable than to go to the two knightly orders that were full of talents.

You know, many of the great nobles of the earl rank would rather donate all their possessions and join the Knights Templar, perhaps due to their piety, but they can also see how deep the waters of the Knights are.

The icing on the cake is never as good as sending charcoal in the snow.

Moreover, if the Knights, as a military order, want to join, unless they donate a huge amount of property to make an exception, they must make a lifelong vow and give up the right to inherit the territory and the right to marry.

These are completely two distinct lines from the feudal lords.

"I'll think carefully about what you've said, Father Beckett. Thank you for sharing with me about the current situation in the Holy Land, which has helped me a lot, and may Heavenly Father bless you. ”

"Amen."

Say goodbye to Beckett.

Lothar was preparing to return to the cabin.

I saw a fat man dressed in fine clothes, brandishing a leather whip, and angrily rebuked the sailors who listened to the monk's sermon: "I have hired you for ten large silver coins, but not to let you be here in a daze, but to move me, to wipe the deck, to dry the clothes, to sew the spare sails!" ”

"Whatever you do, don't let me watch you gossip here anymore!"

The fat man was the owner of the ship, the discredited Venetian merchant.

Ryan's scolding yesterday became a proverb.

This Venetian merchant was really a Jew.

The Jewish merchants, who regarded their wealth as their fate, sounded like a good match for Venice, a commercial republic.

But in reality, even the Venetians looked down on the Jews, and they segregated them in special urban districts and named them "ghettos".

They could not engage in normal business activities, but could only be usurers or, like the captain of this Kirk, in some vague passenger business.

In fact, with the exception of a few commercial city-states on the Apennine Peninsula, Jews were strictly forbidden to hire Christians in most areas.

Discrimination has deepened the rift between Jews and Christians.

And the rift made the Jews not care about the life or death of these pagans, and they drove up the price of food and usury... As a result, the reputation is getting worse and worse.

It's a vicious circle.

It is worth mentioning that in Europe at that time, Jews could only be treated relatively fairly under the rule of Zoroastrians in Iberia.

"They're not gossiping, you godless Jewish businessman, they're listening to my sermons, and you're clearly not qualified to listen!"

Brother Beckett retorted loudly.

The man sneered, his fat face full of disdain, but he looked at Lothar again before he didn't argue with Beckett.

"Lord Lothar, are you satisfied with the cabin? It was the most spacious room I had ever set up, and it was just right for a knight like you and a lady to live in. ”

Lothar walked past the Jewish merchant, and he looked deeply at the small eyes between the fat cheeks of the other.

nodded perfunctorily, and then led his subordinates and the people into the cabin one after another.

There was no trace of anger on the face of the Jewish merchant who had been left out, and he watched as the backs of Lothar and his party faded away, the corners of his mouth curled into a subtle arc.