The Armour Archive

Can anyone show me some pictures of monks in history that fought?

When Di Sebastion does his Warriors of history a guy always shows up every year wearing monk robes and armor. Di is pretty strict so I know there is precedence I just don't know where to start looking.

Googling it just brings up fantasy Templar images and such.

Thanks

Just to clear things up I don't mean eastern monks and martial arts and stuff I am thinking of european brown monk robe rope belt etc.

I know templars were considered holy warriors I am just curios if there is examples of a monk that wore armor and fought.

They called them the "military orders," the Templars and the Hospitallers. Drew their names from locales in Jerusalem. The Teutonic Order also dates from about this time, but headquartered in Acre, and it too had its monastic note, particularly in its first century of existence.

But Dominican or Franciscan friars? Not to my knowledge.

Damon wrote:Just to clear things up I don't mean eastern monks and martial arts and stuff I am thinking of european brown monk robe rope belt etc.

I know templars were considered holy warriors I am just curios if there is examples of a monk that wore armor and fought.

I think the guy you are talking about is Brother Amos the Pious. He posts her as B. Amos.

I believe his persona is a crusader era "non affiliated" hospitilar/templar/Knight of Malta type. I don't exactly know the specifics on it though.

Bishop Odo---not a monk but clergy...

Look into the I.33 manuscript (also called the "Tower Fechtbuch" or Walpurgis) dated to the late 13th century. It is an instructional book, one of if not THE earliest, on sword fighting. The illustrations mostly show a monk and an apprentice doing the positions.
-Cian

OK,

Monks were generally cloistered, which means they didbn't get out and about from the cloisters excepting in special circumstances, and the VAST majority would never have fought, as a monk (although some wopuld have been ex-soldiers who gave up the life).

Mendicant orders come about in the late 12th-13th centuries, and these friars were 'in the world, though not of it'. They wore habits like monks, they were tonsured, and they would go about and preach, and do good works and the like. Again, they were pacifistic as a general rule, although many were ex-soldiers (St. Francis, founder of the Fransicans being an excellent example).

Many clergymen would fight, in certain circumstances - the bishop of Durham in the late 13th century, Bishop Odo are excellent examples.

The Templars, Hospitaliers, and the like, were military orders, that happened to be organized as monks, but who were not in cloisters, and who's primary purpose was of course fighting (or healing, gaurding pilgrims routes, etc). The were knights who had taken vows of monks, but they weren't really monks per se, as thier entire raison d'etre, and their method of living were not what monks as a rule did.

In other words, not all of these things are alike, even if they superficially appear to be. Are you interested in actual monks who may have fought in specific circumstances? I am sure examples can be found, but you won't find batallions of fighting monks, I'm afraid, regardless of input given to the contrary.

Chef,

That is what I am lookingn for basically is to say yes this did happen so it is period. I never had any vision of platoons of storm monks or anything just to know that yeah in history guys wearing monk robes would be seen on the battlefield even if it was just in defense of a city or such.

I was planning on doing some light weight armor under monk robes with flesh colored guantlets and most likely a kettle helm with a chain mail drape.

Basic non descript monk both on and off the field.

You would be better off portraying a friar, on and off field.

You get the robes, you get the tonsure if you want it, and all the other costume doo-dads, and it is perfectly normal for you to be out and about, instead of working the Abbys beehives, or in the scriptorum.

Playing a monk, specifically, in such a general circumstance, is as odd and generally incorrect as wearing a wristwatch, and trying to explain it.

Heck you can sell fake relics, and chase after wives with absent husbands as a friar, and be historically correct.

chef de chambre wrote:You would be better off portraying a friar, on and off field.

You get the robes, you get the tonsure if you want it, and all the other costume doo-dads, and it is perfectly normal for you to be out and about, instead of working the Abbys beehives, or in the scriptorum.

Playing a monk, specifically, in such a general circumstance, is as odd and generally incorrect as wearing a wristwatch, and trying to explain it.

Heck you can sell fake relics, and chase after wives with absent husbands as a friar, and be historically correct.

Chef that sounds pretty dead on a friar is really what I want to portray I was just unsure of the terminology. Thanks for the help.

"Brother Simon the Simonizer?"

Konstantin the Red wrote:"Brother Simon the Simonizer?"

I was thinking Brother Benjamin Rowbottom. Rowbottom is a surname from topography. It referred to a low or depressed area that deer frequented. There are some villages with the name Rowbottom. One in particular I read about was wiped out by the plague and then burnt to the ground. The only Rowbottoms that survived from that village were the 2nd born sons who had been sent to monastaries for education.

It is what I want in a persona. It is accurate, simple, and has a bit of flavor to it.

Be a Dominican... accuse everyone of Heresy!

MJBlazek wrote:Be a Dominican... accuse everyone of Heresy!

I could whip up some racks and iron maidens and such.

or you could Whip them up on some racks!

Whip Iron Maiden on the rack?

(We're not at 'C-c-c-combo breaker!' yet)

Boy am I flirting with getting this transferred to Political.

As it happens, I'm in the same boat as Damon. I'm wanting to put together a friar's kit for fighting, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what types of helm would be appropriate. I know kettle helms are fine, but what about shovel faced helms?

Monks from St. Cuthberts Priory took thier relic to the battle of Nevilles Cross (1346) and knelt and prayed throughout the battle. No actual taking part in the bloodshed though.

You do see at times issues with monks leaving their monastery and getting into fights and such. I have a few original documents from England where secular leaders tried to fix the situation but because they could not try them in court had to get the king involved.... Edward I seems to have had some friends high up in the church who he has deal with these rowdy monks. That said the vast majority of monks seems to have not been so violent. I have a great account of monks fiighting townsmen in Bury St. Edwards. Monks win and townsmen go home for siege engines!

RPM

There was also an account of monks forming a criminal gang to rob travellers on the road. England but cant think of exactly where or when.

I actually only wore the friars habit in the first WoH and whoever said I.33 was spot on for my documentation. If you look at the WoH website it should be on there. Others who have stated that friars fighting was not commin were correct which is one of the reasons that I was drawn to the persona. It is documentable though, I always tell folks as a joke that I am a friair but I never said I was a good friar.

I like the idea of the criminal friar. Brother Amos and I could waylay people at Pensic....

Eesh. You two and that guy under geas to attack all bagpipers on sight. Or site.