In the Middle Ages the great religious-military orders united two apparently distant worlds: monastic life, made of vows and prayer, and military life. To make this singular identity visible they adopted habits and insignia of precise colours. Mantles, crosses and banners formed a language that made it possible to recognise at a glance which order a knight belonged to and what his rank was.
The Templars: white and red
The Order of the Temple was born in Jerusalem at the beginning of the twelfth century. Its Rule, approved at the Council of Troyes, laid down the dress of the brothers. The knights, who had to be of noble birth, wore the white mantle, a sign of purity and chastity. The sergeants and other brothers wore black or dark mantles instead.
The red cross on the mantle was granted, according to tradition, by Pope Eugene III around the middle of the twelfth century. Red recalled the blood of Christ and readiness for martyrdom. The union of white and red thus expressed a double ideal: the purity of the monk and the sacrifice of the fighter.
The Beauséant
The Templar banner, called the Beauséant or Baucent, was divided into two fields, one white and one black. Interpretations of its meaning vary: some have read in it loyalty towards friends and severity towards enemies, others the duality of light and darkness. Beyond later readings, the Beauséant was above all a rallying point in battle: as long as it flew, the knights could not leave the field.
The Hospitallers: black and white, then red
The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, known as the Hospitallers, arose around a hospice for pilgrims and later took on military duties. Its members wore a black mantle with a white cross. Black recalled the monastic habit and the humility of serving the sick; the white cross the purity of faith.
In battle, from a certain point on, the Hospitallers adopted a red surcoat with a white cross. The eight-pointed cross, now known as the Maltese cross, became their most recognisable emblem. The eight points have been interpreted in various ways, for example as the eight beatitudes, although these symbolic readings are partly later.
The Teutonic Knights: white and black
The Teutonic Order, founded at the end of the twelfth century in the Holy Land, adopted the white mantle with a black cross. The similarity to the Templars' white mantle provoked disputes between the two orders, since white was considered a precious distinguishing sign.
The black cross on a white ground has remained over the centuries a very well-known symbol, taken up in heraldry and in military insignia of the German lands.
The Iberian orders
In the Iberian peninsula, during the Reconquista, several military orders arose with their own insignia:
- The Order of Santiago wore a red cross shaped like a sword, known as the cross of Santiago, on a white ground.
- The Order of Calatrava used a red cross fleury.
- The Order of Alcántara adopted a similar cross, but green.
The red of Santiago's sword-cross is one of the most eloquent examples of the union of religious symbol and warrior function.
Court orders of chivalry
In the late Middle Ages court orders also arose, tied to a sovereign, with refined colours and insignia. The Order of the Garter, founded in England in the fourteenth century, has as its badge a blue garter bearing the motto «Honi soit qui mal y pense». The Order of the Golden Fleece, founded in Burgundy in the fifteenth century, has as its emblem a golden fleece hanging from a collar.
Here the colours express above all prestige, loyalty to the sovereign and membership of a select circle.
A summary table
| Order | Mantle colour | Cross colour |
|---|---|---|
| Templars (knights) | white | red |
| Hospitallers | black | white |
| Teutonic Knights | white | black |
| Santiago | white | red (sword-cross) |
| Alcántara | white | green |
A symbolic reading
These habits show how colour can sum up an entire rule of life. White indicates the vow and purity, black humility and service, red sacrifice. The cross, placed over the heart or on the shoulder, unites individual identity with belonging to a greater ideal. Each mantle is a small living coat of arms, declaring who wears it even before they speak.
In short
- The religious-military orders used precise colours for mantles and crosses.
- Templar knights wore the white mantle with a red cross; the Beauséant was white and black.
- The Hospitallers wore the black mantle with a white cross, later the red surcoat.
- The Teutonic Knights adopted the white mantle with a black cross.
- The Iberian and court orders developed crosses and insignia in their own colours.
