出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/06/20 04:07 UTC 版)
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem (Official names: Latin: Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum, German: Orden der Brüder vom Deutschen Haus St. Mariens in Jerusalem), or for short the Teutonic Order (Today: German Order = Der Deutsche Orden, also Deutschherren- or Deutschritterorden), is a German medieval military order, turned into a modern purely Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured. Its members have commonly been known as the Teutonic Knights, since they also served as a crusading military order during the Middle Ages. The membership was always small and whenever the need arose, volunteers or mercenaries augmented the military forces. After the Reformation, the Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Order became Protestant; this branch still consists only of knights, though the modern Roman Catholic order consists only of Roman Catholic priests, nuns, and associates.