Holy Land Situation

"Sir Knight Lothar, will you be joining the Knights Templar or the Knights Hospitaller?"

After the monk finished his sermon, he enthusiastically said to Lothar, "Listen to me, a devout and valiant knight like yourself would be perfectly suited for the Knights Templar."

"The Templars are brave and skilled warriors who never compromise with heretics. Compared to the more conservative Hospitallers, they are a better fit for you to achieve glory!"

"My apologies, Father Beckett, but I have no intention of taking vows for life. My father served His Majesty Baldwin and participated in the famous Battle of Montgisard, defeating the King of the Ayyubids. I wish to continue this tradition and serve the King as a feudal lord."

"No wonder your surcoat resembles that of the old royal knights of Jerusalem. So your father received such distinguished honor. I am truly impressed," Father Beckett said thoughtfully.

"But Sir Knight, please forgive my bluntness, you don't understand the situation in the Holy Land. In my humble opinion, directly pledging allegiance to His Majesty is not a wise choice."

"His Majesty may not even have the inclination to see you, let alone grant you a fief."

"The military orders are indeed a good path, especially the Knights Templar. Joining an order does not preclude you from serving His Majesty the King."

Father Beckett began to elaborate on the prestige of the military orders in this era and their formidable influence in the Holy Land.

Although the Knights Templar were nominally just a military monastic order, they possessed thousands of manors and castles throughout the Catholic world, along with a dozen territories of varying sizes scattered across the region.

Furthermore, they frequently received enormous donations from various sources.

The territories of the Knights Templar enjoyed tax exemption. As representatives of divine authority, they had no need to worry about anyone collecting tithes from them.

Their wealth enabled them to establish what were essentially the earliest "banks" of the era. Many pilgrims on this ship had borrowed from the Templars to afford their travel provisions and passage.

They were a colossal leviathan in the Holy Land, a nominal military order in name but a de facto state in reality.

Not only was their wealth comparable to a nation's, but their military strength was also no less than that of any major monarch in Europe.

While the Knights Hospitaller were not as powerful, they were still in the same league.

However, their approach was more conservative, lacking the aggressive nature of the Templars.

The existence of these two great military orders significantly curbed the authority of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, even at times surpassing royal power.

Yet, due to external threats, the King was unable to expel or suppress them and had to court both orders.

There was a saying on the streets of Jerusalem: "Though the King wears a holy crown, Gerard (Grand Master of the Knights Templar) is the true uncrowned king."

Lothar and Father Beckett chatted at the ship's bow. The priest had sailed the Mediterranean many times, dedicated to fundraising in the Western world and calling for Crusaders.

He would then bring them to the Holy Land to serve as soldiers for the military orders or as vassals under feudal lords, thereby securing funding.

In essence, his role was similar to that of a broker, though people considered it a sacred endeavor.

Father Beckett had resided in the Holy Land for two years and possessed deep knowledge of many matters there.

"The Sasanian and Ayyubid forces have allied, while internal strife within the kingdom continues. The military orders each have their own supporters, attempting to have them marry the King's sister, Sibylla, and become the next heir to the throne."

Father Beckett displayed a rare hint of pessimism. "I don't know if 'calling' so many Christian souls to the Holy Land was the right thing to do? The hooves of those heathens might destroy everything."

Isn't that just deceiving people? Lothar thought to himself, but outwardly he said, "I truly did not expect the situation within the kingdom to be so dire. However, according to my father, His Majesty Baldwin was a most outstanding monarch. How could he have allowed the situation to develop to this point?"

"Indeed, His Majesty is an outstanding king, possessing extraordinary military talent and charisma. But his affliction with leprosy has made his reign increasingly weak and precarious."

Father Beckett's eyes reddened slightly. "We all know that the spirited young king who defeated tens of thousands of infidel troops at Montgisard is no more. All that remains is a leper clinging to life, enduring constant pain."

Lothar fell into a brief silence.

Count Werner's idea was for him to seek refuge with Baldwin III, and he had brought a letter for that purpose.

But now, it seemed, the King's great ship was far from as sturdy as he had imagined.

However, there were both advantages and disadvantages. Precisely because this ship was not strong enough, it would be easier for him to stand out and gain the King's trust and favor.

No matter how things were with King Baldwin, he was still the sole legitimate king of Jerusalem. A starving camel is still larger than a horse.

The concept of "legitimacy" in the Middle Ages was sometimes even more crucial than in the East.

As for leprosy... if he could acquire a retainer capable of healing, it might not be impossible to cure.

After a moment of thought, he decided to stick to his original plan and pledge allegiance to King Baldwin. Even if he couldn't be granted a fief for the time being, it was more reliable than joining the two military orders, which were already brimming with talent.

One must remember that many great nobles of the count's rank were willing to donate all their wealth just to join the Knights Templar. While there might be elements of piety involved, it also showed how deep the waters of the military orders ran.

Adding splendor to an already brilliant achievement was never as valuable as providing timely help in distress.

Furthermore, as military monastic orders, joining them required taking lifelong vows, renouncing inheritance rights and the right to marry, unless one made an exceptional donation of vast wealth.

This was a completely separate path from that of a feudal lord.

"I will carefully consider what you have said, Father Beckett. Thank you for discussing the current affairs of the Holy Land with me; it has been of great help. May the Heavenly Father bless you."

"Amen."

After bidding farewell to Father Beckett, Lothar was about to return to the cabin.

He saw a stout man in opulent clothing wielding a whip, furiously berating the ship's crew who were listening to the monk's sermon. "I hired you for ten large silver coins, not to stand around daydreaming! Get moving, scrub the deck, hang out the laundry, and mend the spare sails!"

"Do anything, just don't let me see you chatting here again!"

The stout man was the owner of the ship, that untrustworthy Venetian merchant.

Ryan's angry outburst yesterday proved prophetic.

This Venetian merchant was indeed a Jew.

A Jewish merchant who valued money above all else seemed like a good fit for Venice, a republic built on commerce.

But in reality, even Venetians looked down on Jews, segregating them into a special district called the "ghetto."

They were forbidden from engaging in normal commercial activities, only allowed to work as moneylenders or, like the captain of this carrack, in some gray area of transportation.

In fact, except for a few commercial city-states on the Italian peninsula, most regions strictly prohibited Jews from employing Christians.

This discrimination deepened the rift between Jews and Christians.

And this rift, in turn, made the Jews completely disregard the lives of these heathens, driving up grain prices and charging exorbitant interest, further worsening their reputation.

It was a vicious cycle.

It's worth noting that in Europe at that time, Jews only received relatively fair treatment under the rule of the Zoroastrians in Iberia.

"They aren't chatting idly, you godless Jewish merchant; they are listening to my sermon, and you are clearly not worthy of listening!" Father Beckett retorted loudly.

The man let out a cold laugh, his fleshy face full of disdain. However, after glancing at Lothar, he didn't argue further with Father Beckett.

"Lord Lothar, are you satisfied with the cabin? That is the most spacious room I specifically cleared out, perfect for a distinguished knight like yourself to reside in with your womenfolk."

Lothar walked past the Jewish merchant, casting a deep glance at the small eyes nestled between the fleshy folds of the man's cheeks.

He gave a perfunctory nod and, along with his retainers and vassals, entered the ship's cabin.

The Jewish merchant showed no anger on his face despite being ignored. He watched the backs of Lothar and his entourage disappear, a subtle curve forming at the corner of his lips.