A
Anrando
Guest
*Friend, you are not correct on this matter. The Johanniterorden was a contrived manifestation of the Hospitaller/St. John spirit created by the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Germany after the original Knights of Malta were split up in 1798. They were always an elitist bunch who refused entry to anyone who was not noble, Lutheran, or German (often Prussian). The Johanniterorden is entirely connected with the St. John Ambulance, by the way, so they’re not all evil. 
You must remember that the original Cross of St. John (“Maltese Cross”) was not adopted by even the official Order of St. John of Jerusalem - the Hospitallers - until 1530, when they were granted Malta. Before that, they had simply used the original crusader cruciforms on their surcoats, but nothing special. Once the cross was adopted in 1530 and the Knights repelled the Turkish siege in 1565, they briefly regained their status as an ancient crusader order of chivalry and skill.
This meant that many presumptuous kings started to take the Maltese Cross as their own, and especially in the late 19th century. They created their own “orders of chivalry”, all managing to steal the poor St. John’s cross. Practically every king, emperor, or duke (Catholic and Protestant alike) can be seen with a Maltese Cross pinned on in photographs between 1850 and 1910. This does not mean they were of the same order which that German gentleman of your photograph was in.
The modern Catholic order is not anywhere near akin to the Protestant offshoots of 1798-1914. Please be clear about that: the Catholic Order, the original Hospitallers of 1113, who started with chain-mail armour and now use the internet, are still around and recently relaxed the standards one must fulfill in order to be a Knight. Either way, their Order always allowed non-nobles to join the Brother-Sergeants; just not Brother-Knights. Now, there’s practically no difference! On the other hand, since all the Protestant monarchies who instituted the elitist Johanniterorden are gone (1918), it doesn’t technically exist anymore, except as St. John Ambulance and its related societies.*
Thanks for the explanation. MY error.
William Unland
You must remember that the original Cross of St. John (“Maltese Cross”) was not adopted by even the official Order of St. John of Jerusalem - the Hospitallers - until 1530, when they were granted Malta. Before that, they had simply used the original crusader cruciforms on their surcoats, but nothing special. Once the cross was adopted in 1530 and the Knights repelled the Turkish siege in 1565, they briefly regained their status as an ancient crusader order of chivalry and skill.
This meant that many presumptuous kings started to take the Maltese Cross as their own, and especially in the late 19th century. They created their own “orders of chivalry”, all managing to steal the poor St. John’s cross. Practically every king, emperor, or duke (Catholic and Protestant alike) can be seen with a Maltese Cross pinned on in photographs between 1850 and 1910. This does not mean they were of the same order which that German gentleman of your photograph was in.The modern Catholic order is not anywhere near akin to the Protestant offshoots of 1798-1914. Please be clear about that: the Catholic Order, the original Hospitallers of 1113, who started with chain-mail armour and now use the internet, are still around and recently relaxed the standards one must fulfill in order to be a Knight. Either way, their Order always allowed non-nobles to join the Brother-Sergeants; just not Brother-Knights. Now, there’s practically no difference! On the other hand, since all the Protestant monarchies who instituted the elitist Johanniterorden are gone (1918), it doesn’t technically exist anymore, except as St. John Ambulance and its related societies.*
Thanks for the explanation. MY error.
William Unland
