Knighthood, become a Knight today, Becoming a Legal Knight in a recognized Order are yours today through the Universal Ministries Holy Order of Saints. Acknowledged in 2002 by both the church of England's Highest Bishop and the Queen as a proper Religious Order of Knights raises the Holy Order above many US organizations as both a recognized Religious and Secular Order.
Create Squires, Ladyships, Maidens of your Order now. Appoint Knights beneath yourself as recognized throughout the Word as a Duly Knighted Sire.
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In the time of the Crusades and before, it was the common practice of the Church, along with different Nations, to set up Orders of Knighthood. The Church used Sacred Orders of different Saints to appoint their Knights into God's service.
These Knights were the Captains and Generals of their time. They led the men-at-arms and had the responsibility of protecting Church and State from all invaders. Whether protecting the home, or going forth, in the name of Sovereign and Church, they upheld the loyalty of their Orders.
Only Kings had the right to create Royal Orders and grant landed titles. They appointed the Lords and various Dukes or Counts. These appointed Lords maintained the districts given to them and gave loyalty to their Sovereigns above all. These men were in essence the National Guard of the time.
The Church, being already multinational, needed a different sort of protectorate. By the time of the Crusades, the Church had spread throughout Western Europe. In order for the Church to control its sacred holdings and power within the separate nations and to keep the unholy of the East from infringing upon the Holy domain, they needed several armies. To maintain loyalty within the ranks of these armies, the Church required a core of men devout to the Church. The Church set up Holy orders that the anointed Knights would swear allegiance to with their mortal souls at risk. These Knights of the Holy Order of different Saints then did the Popes' bidding.
The Knight of the Church was often the younger son of nobility without landed rights or a Freeman warrior of no stature. The purpose of the Order was to allow bestowing ranks of Knighthood upon these unlanded warriors of the Church. This raised these men to equality of rank with the Royal Knights. More often than not, the title was actually purchased from the Church. The level of rank of these Knights greatly depended on the amount paid for the title. Seldom was the highest rank given for skill, loyalty, or spiritual credence.
Through the customs of chivalry of then and even today, this conference of title gave the Knight of the Order raised status amongst the common people. Though the title does not carry with it any properties or rewards, many of the Knights that received the Holy Orders became wealthy in their own right.
Today the rules of chivalry have evolved to a less violent manner than of olden times. The title of Knight of the Saintly Order no longer requires the titled to take up arms in defense of the Church. Instead, it is now given or purchased for social prestige. In America, the government may not recognize titles of nobility given to its citizens. Only those having titles of an honorary religious nature are allowed to be in use by the citizen.
The person receiving a title of a religious order has the right to a Crest, or a Coat (Cote) of Arms. The Knight may use the epithet of Sir before their name and the initials of their Order after their name. They may set up clubs or social groups within their Order. They may appoint Knights, Squires, Pages, Ladies, and Maids of lesser rank within their group with the permission of the Main Order and by submitting the names to the Orders Registry.
A Knight of the Order will always maintain the rules of the Holy Order, the customs of chivalry, and the laws of the land in which they reside.
