Roger de Moulins facts for kids

Roger de Moulins was the eighth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller. He led this group of warrior-monks from 1177 until he died in 1187. He took over from Jobert of Syria. After Roger, two temporary leaders, William Borrel and then Armengol de Aspa, guided the Hospitallers. A new permanent Grand Master, Garnier of Nablus, was chosen in 1190.

Roger de Moulins: A Leader of the Hospitallers

Roger de Moulins was not very well known before he became the Grand Master. He might have been a knight from a place called Moulins, but we don't have clear proof.

When he arrived in the Holy Land, his main goal was to encourage Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, the king, and other important lords to keep fighting against Saladin. Saladin was a powerful Muslim leader.

The Battle of Montgisard

On November 25, 1177, Roger de Moulins took part in the Battle of Montgisard. This battle was a huge win for the Crusaders against Saladin's army, the Ayyubids. People called it "the most beautiful victory of the crusades." Saladin's defeat was so big that it was only balanced by his victory ten years later at the Battle of Hattin in 1187.

Hospitallers: From Caretakers to Warriors

The Knights Hospitaller were originally founded to care for the sick and poor. But by Roger's time, they had become a very strong military group. This was a bit different from their first purpose.

Pope Alexander III reminded them to focus on their original mission between 1178 and 1180. He said they should not fight unless they were attacked. He also urged them to keep helping those who were sick and in need.

Rivalry with the Knights Templar

The Hospitallers were often rivals with another famous group of warrior-monks, the Knights Templar. Pope Alexander III helped Roger de Moulins make a truce with Odo de St Amand, who was the Grand Master of the Templars at the time. This happened in 1179.

The Pope set up a way to solve their disagreements. People from both groups would try to work things out. If they couldn't agree, they would ask people outside the orders for help. If there was still a problem, the two Grand Masters would make the final decision. Even with this plan, the two orders often argued about their rights and lands.

Dealing with the Church

However, the Templars and Hospitallers agreed on one thing: they both had problems with the local church leaders. The church leaders didn't like the special rights and freedoms the two orders had from the Pope.

In March 1179, the church leaders complained at a big meeting called the Third Lateran Council. This council made some changes. It said the orders couldn't take churches or money from regular people without the local church leader's permission.

Even though this decision aimed to fix problems, it still kept the orders' main special rights. The local church leaders were upset and kept attacking the orders. It took two more messages from the Pope, in 1180 and 1182, to make the clergy respect the council's decisions. These messages also protected the Hospitallers and Templars, even saying that anyone who attacked them with weapons would be kicked out of the church.

A Trip to Europe

In 1184, Roger de Moulins traveled around Europe. He went with Arnold of Torroja, the Templar Grand Master, and Heraclius, a top church leader from Jerusalem. Their main goal was to ask kings and Pope Lucius III to send a new crusade. They needed more help to protect the Christian lands in the East, which were threatened by Saladin's growing power. Roger also helped set up more Hospitaller centers in England, France, and Germany.

On his way back, he helped the Kingdom of Sicily attack a city called Thessalonica in 1185. During his time, Roger de Moulins started the tradition of the Hospitaller Grand Master being involved in the politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

After King Baldwin V of Jerusalem died in 1186, Roger had disagreements with other leaders. He didn't want Guy of Lusignan to become king. At first, Roger even refused to give Guy the key to the royal treasury when Guy was crowned King of Jerusalem in 1186.

The Battle of Cresson

At the end of 1186, a knight named Raynald de Châtillon broke a peace agreement with Saladin. He captured a group of travelers, including Saladin's sister. This made Saladin very angry.

On March 27, 1187, leaders gathered in Jerusalem. They wanted to make peace between King Guy de Lusignan and Raymond III of Tripoli. Roger de Moulins, along with the Templar Grand Master and other important figures, went to meet Raymond in Tiberias.

Roger's Death in Battle

While they were on their way, they faced Muslim troops. Roger de Moulins took part in the Battle of Cresson near Nazareth on May 1, 1187. Sadly, he was killed by a spear wound during this battle.

After Roger's death, William Borrel briefly took over as a temporary leader. Then Armengol de Aspa served as a caretaker until 1190. A new Grand Master, Garnier of Nablus, was finally chosen in 1190 during the Third Crusade.

How the Hospitaller Order Changed

On March 14, 1182, new rules for the Hospitallers were put in place under Roger de Moulins. These rules were a big step for the Order in several ways.

New Roles and Medical Care

Spiritually, the Order already had brother priests or chaplains. But with these new rules, doctors and surgeons officially became part of the Order's medical staff for the first time.

In the military side, the rules also officially mentioned "brothers in arms." This meant that the Order officially became a "religious-military order." Before this, they were already acting like one, but now it was written in their rules.

The rules also said that when a brother died, a special mass would be held for them. And the stretchers used for brothers would be covered with a red sheet that had a white cross.

Focus on Charity

These rules were also the only ones to clearly talk about charity in a formal way. Three rules focused on how to welcome and care for the sick:

• They had to welcome thirty poor people to eat at their table every day.
• They had to give help to everyone who came to their door three days a week.
• On the Saturday before Easter, they had to wash the feet of thirteen poor people and give them new clothes and shoes.

Roger de Moulins also helped create a special message from the Pope on August 22, 1185, called Quanto per gratiam Dei. This message officially made the Hospitaller Order a charitable order.

These rules also gave a lot of details about patient care. They talked about hiring four doctors and four surgeons full-time. These medical staff had to take an oath because the brothers themselves didn't have enough scientific and practical medical knowledge. The rules also mentioned having a special room for all pregnant women and taking care of abandoned children. The hospital had to provide for and feed these children.

See also

• Cartulaire général de l'Ordre des Hospitaliers
• List of Knights Hospitaller sites
• Langue (Knights Hospitaller)
• Flags of the Knights Hospitaller