Sergeant brother

Since the 13th century, those members of the medieval Order of St. John were called sergeants who were not of noble origin. They wore the mark of the order and were subject to vows, but were excluded from leadership positions in the order.

In the early days of the order this distinction did not seem to have existed and they probably always represented a minority of the brothers. In the military branch they were referred to as sergeants-brothers-in-arms or also caravaniers and wore slightly different, mostly simpler equipment in combat.

They are not to be confused with the Order's sergeants , who were paid auxiliaries but not members.

literature

• David Nicolle: The Knights of the Order of St. John 1100-1556. Siegler, Sankt Augustin 2004, ISBN 3-87748-637-1 .
• Anke Krüger: Monastic observance and order structure among Templars and Hospitallers. In: Cistercian Chronicle. 107, year 2000, issue 2, pp. 193–213 (196–198) (PDF; 205 kB)