The Hospitallers of St Thomas of Canterbury at Acre, usually called the Knights of St Thomas Acon was a Christian Military order. Membership was restricted to Englishmen. St. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... Flag of the Knights Templar A military order is a Christian order of knighthood that is founded for crusading, i. ...

Foundation

It was established in 1191, at Acre, after the capture of that city by Richard I of England and Philip II of France. After the capture of the city, William, Chaplain to the Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral at London, formed a small religious order, its members taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The purpose of the Order was tending to the sick and wounded, and burying the Christian knights who fell in battle in the Holy Land. To that, William, as Prior of the Order, added the purpose of raising funds to ransom captives from the Muslim armies of Saladin. The success of the Order enabled it to establish a church and hospital which was dedicated to St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket was martyred in 1170 and canonized in 1173. For other uses, see Akko (disambiguation). ... Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England and ruler of the Angevin Empire from 6 July 1189 until his death. ... Philip II Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223) was the King of France from 1180 until his death. ... The Siege of Acre was the most important event of the Third Crusade, lasting from August 28, 1189 until July 12, 1191, and the first time in the history of the crusades that the king was compelled to personally see to the defense of the Holy Land. ... For alternative meanings see St. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A Taoist monk playing an instrument. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... For other uses, see Holy Land (disambiguation). ... Prior is a title, derived from the Latin adjective for earlier, first, with several notable uses. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Saladin, properly known as Salah al-DÄ«n Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Arabic: , Kurdish: ) (c. ... Saint Thomas à Becket (or Thomas Becket) (ca. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

It was militarized by Peter of Roche, the Bishop of Winchester, during the Fifth Crusade 1217-1221. According to Pope Gregory IX this was done thanks to the indulgence of the existing canons of the Hospital of St Thomas in Acre. Peter of Roche was a the crusader Bishop of Winchester who contributed to the defences of Jaffa and Sidon. In 1236, Pope Gregory IX accorded Papal confirmation to the Order, and the Order became known as the Knights of St Thomas Acon (Acre being anglicised to Acon). The Order adopted the rule of the Teutonic Knights. Peter des Roches (died 1238) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin. ... Arms of the Bishop of Winchester The diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most important in England. ... Frisian crusaders confront the Tower of Damietta, Egypt. ... April 9 - Peter of Courtenay crowned emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople at Rome, by Pope Honorius III May 20 - First Barons War, royalist victory at Lincoln. ... // Events May 13 - End of the reign of Emperor Juntoku, emperor of Japan Emperor Chūkyō briefly reigns over Japan Former Emperor Go-Toba leads an unsuccessful rebellion against the Kamakura Shogunate Emperor Go-Horikawa ascends to the throne of Japan January - Mongol Army under Jochi captures the city of... Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino dei Conti, was pope from 1227 to August 22, 1241. ... St. ... The Old City of Akko in the 19th or early 20th century, looking south-west from atop the Land Wall Promenade, the open space now a parking lot. ... Arms of the Bishop of Winchester The diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most important in England. ... Jaffa (Hebrew יָפוֹ, Standard Hebrew Yafo, Tiberian Hebrew Yāp̄ô; Arabic يَافَا Yāfā; also Japho, Joppa), is an ancient city located in Israel. ... View of the new city the Sea Castle. ... Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino dei Conti, was pope from 1227 to August 22, 1241. ... For the state, see Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. ...

For the next 100 years, the crusaders held and defended the city of Acre. During this period, about the year 1279, as the purposes of the Order shifted from that of religious hospitallers to a more military role, the position of Prior, the Order's religious head, lost its pre-eminent position. After that, the pre-eminent position was accorded to the Master of the Order. They acquired property and privileges, and created a provincial organization in the British Isles, with its headquarters in Cheapside London and a subordinate preceptors in Kilkenny. In 1257 Alexander IV noted that the foundation did not have adequate resources. By 1279 it appealed to Edward I for funds, and the proposal to merge them with the Knights Templar seems to have arisen from their financial problems. However opposition from the knights to this both in the Levant and England. In 1316 members successfully appealed to Edward I against a Templar takeover and also opposed an attempt takeover by the convent of Bonhommes at Ashridge Prior is a title, derived from the Latin adjective for earlier, first, with several notable uses. ... This article is about the street in London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... Edward I; illustration from Cassells History of England circa 1902. ... For other uses, see Knights Templar (disambiguation). ... The Levant The Levant (IPA: ) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Bonhommes, or bluefriars on account of the colour of their robes, were a holy order set up in 1276 by Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, Lord of Berkhampstead castle and cousin of Edward I, with an Abbey at Ashridge in Hertfordshire. ... Ashridge Forest, April The Bridgewater Monument View from Bridgewater Monument to the house Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. ...

At the fall of Acre, 12 May 1291, the Master and nine knights of the Order were killed. Following the battle, the Holy Land was lost to the Saracens, the Order of St Thomas, along with the Order of Knights Templar, moved their Priory to the island of Cyprus where they erected the beautiful St. Nicholas Church at Nicosia. (The ruins of the Church are still standing and have been recently restored.) However divisions arose between the master in Cyprus and the master of the London. by 1320, with a deteriorating situation in the Levant, Henry of Bedford, the master in Cyprus, came to London and ousted the incumbent master there. When he then appointed a deputy to handle the situation in Cyprus, the brothers there resisted this move. Although this resistance was overcome, within a few years control of the organization had once more reverted to Nicosia. However the financial situation continued to deteriorate with reports of the London premises being reported as being in ruins by 1330 and the order ceased to be a viable military organization with nothing more being heard of the master in Nicosia after 1360. The Siege of Acre took place in 1291 and resulted in the fall of Acre, the last territory of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For broader historical context, see 1290s and 13th century. ... For other uses, see Holy Land (disambiguation). ... Saracens was a term used in the Middle Ages for those who professed the religion of Islam. ... For other uses, see Knights Templar (disambiguation). ... A priory is an ecclesiastical circumscription run by a prior. ... District Nicosia District Government  - Mayor Eleni Mavrou Population (2004)  - City 270,000 (Greek part) 85,000 (Turkish part) 355,000 (Total) Time zone EET (UTC+2) Website: www. ...

Having abandoned a military role, they also abandoned the rule of the Teutonic Knights, adopting that of the Augustinians and carrying out charitable work and running a grammar school. Links developed with the Mercers livery company at this time - Becket's father, Gilbert had been a mercer. The latter became their patrons, holding meetings there and using the chapel for prayers. The Order was dissolved in 1538, along with the other monastic orders in England, by Henry VIII. The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430), are several Roman Catholic monastic orders and congregations of both men and women living according to a guide to religious life known as the Rule of Saint Augustine. ... The Worshipful Company of Mercers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. ... Livery Companies are trade associations based in the City of London. ... For other uses of the term dissolution see Dissolution. ... Monasticism (from Greek: monachos—a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

The Worshipful Mercers' Company of London

After the dissolution of the Order, the King offered the hospital and chapel for sale. It was purchased by the Mercers But the buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The Mercers Company is the premier livery company of London, ranking first in the order of precedence of the "Great Twelve City Livery Companies". Detail of painting from 1666 of the Great Fire of London by an unknown artist, depicting the fire as it would have appeared on the evening of Tuesday, 4 September from a boat in the vicinity of Tower Wharf. ... Livery Companies are trade associations based in the City of London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of people; it is used by many organizations and governments. ...

The second hall, opened in 1676, was destroyed in 1941 during the Blitz. The present-day Mercer's Hall and Chapel, opened in 1958, are built on the site. It incorporates some of the fixtures, 17th-century woodwork and Victorian stained glass from the second hall. All that remains of the original Chapel is the recumbent statue of Christ which lies at the entrance to the Mercer's Chapel. The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the only London livery company to have its own private chapel. For other uses, see Blitz. ... Strictly speaking, stained glass is glass that has been painted with silver stain and then fired. ...

See also

• St Thomas Becket
• Archbishop of Canterbury
• Order of St. Thomas of Acon
• Crusades
• Military orders

Saint Thomas à Becket (or Thomas Becket) (ca. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader and senior clergyman of the Church of England, recognized by convention as the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... The Commemorative Order of St. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... Flag of the Knights Templar A military order is a Christian order of knighthood that is founded for crusading, i. ...

References

• The Order of St Thomas of Acre by Dr. Alan Forey