The Situation in the Holy Land

"Sir Lothar, are you planning to join the Knights Templar or the Knights Hospitaller?"

After the monk finished preaching, he said eagerly to Lothar, "Listen to me. A devout and valiant knight like you could not be better suited to join the Knights Templar."

"The Templar Knights are fierce warriors who never compromise with heretics. Compared with the conservative Hospitaller Knights, they are far better suited for you to win glory and establish yourself!"

"I'm sorry, Father Beckett, but I do not intend to take lifelong vows. My father once served His Majesty Baldwin and took part in the famous Battle of Montgisard, where he defeated the Ayyubid king. I too hope to continue that tradition and serve the King loyally as a feudal lord."

"No wonder your surcoat resembles those worn by the old royal knights of Jerusalem. So your father received such distinguished honors. My apologies for my disrespect."

Father Beckett seemed thoughtful.

"But Sir Lothar, forgive my bluntness. You do not understand the situation in the Holy Land. In my personal opinion, choosing to pledge yourself directly to Your Majesty is not a wise move."

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

"The Knightly Orders are indeed good places to go, especially the Knights Templar. Joining them would not prevent you from serving His Majesty the King."

Beckett began introducing Lothar to the prominence of the Knightly Orders in this age and their terrifying influence in the Holy Land.

Though the Knights Templar were nominally only a military monastic order, they possessed thousands of manors and castles throughout the Catholic world, along with more than a dozen territories of varying sizes scattered across different regions.

On top of that, they frequently received enormous donations from all quarters.

Moreover, the lands of the Knights Templar were exempt from taxation. As representatives of Divine Authority themselves, they had no need to worry about anyone coming to collect tithes from them.

Their wealth had allowed them to establish the earliest "banks" of this age. Many of the pilgrims aboard this ship had borrowed money from the Knightly Order to afford their luggage and passage.

They were a colossal beast entrenched in the Holy Land, nominally a Knightly Order but in truth a state.

Not only were they as wealthy as nations, their military strength was no weaker than that of any great monarch in Europe.

Though the Knights Hospitaller were considerably weaker, they were still of the same order of magnitude.

They were simply more conservative in style and not as aggressive as the Knights Templar.

The existence of the two great Knightly Orders had greatly curtailed the authority of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, at times even placing them above royal power.

Yet under pressure from external threats, the King could neither expel nor suppress them. Instead, he had to court both Knightly Orders.

There was a saying in the streets of Jerusalem: though the King wore the sacred crown, Gerard, the Grand Commander of the Knights Templar, was the true uncrowned king.

Lothar spoke at length with Father Beckett at the bow of the ship. The priest had crossed the Mediterranean Sea many times, dedicating himself to raising donations in the Western world and calling for Crusaders.

He would then bring them to the Holy Land, where they would become soldiers for military monastic orders or subjects under feudal lords in exchange for funding.

In essence, it was much like the work of a broker, except everyone considered it a sacred undertaking.

Beckett had lived in the Holy Land for two years and knew many things there quite well.

"The Sassanids and the Ayyubids have already formed an alliance, yet the kingdom remains trapped in endless internal strife. The Knightly Orders each have their own supporters and are trying to marry His Majesty the King's sister, Sibylla, so that they may become the next Crown Prince."

For once, Beckett showed a trace of pessimism. "I do not know whether it is right or wrong to call so many Christian faithful to the Holy Land. The iron hooves of those heretics may destroy everything."

Wasn't that just deception?

Lothar grumbled inwardly, but aloud he said, "I truly had not expected the situation within the kingdom to have grown so severe. Yet according to my father, His Majesty Baldwin was an exceptionally outstanding monarch. How could he have allowed matters to deteriorate to this point?"

"That is true. His Majesty the King is indeed an outstanding ruler, blessed with extraordinary military talent and personal charisma. But leprosy has left his rule increasingly frail and feeble."

Beckett's eyes reddened slightly. "We all know that the spirited young king who defeated an army of tens of thousands of heretics at Montgisard is gone forever. All that remains now is a leper barely clinging to life, enduring agonizing pain every day."

Lothar fell silent for a moment.

Count Werner had intended for him to seek Baldwin III's patronage and had even given him a letter.

But now, it seemed that the King's great ship was far less sturdy than he had imagined.

Still, there were advantages and disadvantages. Precisely because the ship was not sturdy enough, it would be easier for him to stand out and earn His Majesty the King's trust and regard.

No matter what, King Baldwin remained the only legitimate King of Jerusalem. Even a dying camel was larger than a horse.

In the Middle Ages, the word "legitimacy" could sometimes matter even more than it did in the Eastern world.

As for leprosy... if he drew a healing attendant, it might not be impossible to cure.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to follow the original plan and pledge himself to King Baldwin. Even if he could not receive a fief for the time being, it was still more reliable than joining either of the two great Knightly Orders, where talent was abundant.

After all, many great nobles of count rank would rather donate all their property than join the Knights Templar. Their devotion may have played a part, but it also showed just how deep the waters of the Knightly Orders ran.

Adding flowers to brocade would never compare to offering charcoal in the snow.

Besides, as military monastic orders, joining them required one to take lifelong vows and renounce the right to inherit land or marry, unless one made an exception through an enormous donation of property.

They were completely separate paths from that of a feudal lord.

"I will carefully consider what you have said, Father Beckett. Thank you for speaking with me about the current situation in the Holy Land. It has been of great help to me. May Heavenly Father bless you."

"Amen."

After bidding Beckett farewell,

Lothar was about to return to the cabin.

Then he saw a fat man in luxurious clothing waving a whip and berating the sailors who had been listening to the monk's sermon. "I paid ten large silver coins to hire you, not to have you stand around here doing nothing! Get moving! Scrub the deck, hang out the clothes, mend the spare sails!"

"Whatever you do, do not let me see you standing here chatting again!"

The fat man was the owner of the ship, that untrustworthy Merchant of Venice.

Ryan's furious outburst yesterday had proven prophetic.

This Merchant of Venice really was a Jew.

A Jewish merchant who valued money as dearly as life did seem rather suited to Venice, a republic founded on commerce.

But in truth, even the Venetians looked down upon Jews. They segregated them in designated districts and named those areas "ghettos."

They could not engage in normal commercial activities and could only become moneylenders or, like the captain of this carrack, work in vaguely defined passenger transport.

In fact, aside from a few Merchant Republics on the Apennine Peninsula, most regions strictly prohibited Jews from employing Christians.

Discrimination caused the divide between Jews and Christians to grow ever deeper.

And that divide, in turn, made Jews utterly indifferent to the lives of these heretics, driving up grain prices and charging usurious interest. As a result, their reputation grew even worse.

It was a vicious cycle.

It was worth mentioning that in Europe at that time, Jews could only receive relatively fair treatment under the rule of the Zoroastrians in Iberia.

"They were not chatting, you godless Jewish merchant! They were listening to my sermon, while you clearly have no right to hear it!"

Father Beckett shouted back.

The man sneered, his fat face filled with contempt. But after glancing at Lothar, he did not argue with Beckett.

"Lord Lothar, are you satisfied with your cabin? I specially cleared out the most spacious room for you. It is perfect for a distinguished knight such as yourself traveling with female companions."

Lothar passed before the Jewish merchant and gave the man's tiny eyes, buried in the folds of fat on his cheeks, a deep look.

He nodded perfunctorily, then led his retainers and subjects into the cabin.

The Jewish merchant showed no anger at being ignored. He watched Lothar and his party's backs gradually disappear, and the corner of his mouth curled into a subtle smile.