The Forgotten Knights: How the Order of St Lazarus Fought Disease and War

Discover the remarkable story of the Order of St Lazarus—a forgotten band of leper knights who fought for faith, cared for the sick, and defied medieval society’s harshest stigmas.

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Not All Knightly Orders Wore Red Crosses

When it comes to medieval warrior monks, the Knights Templar tend to steal the limelight. Drenched in mystique and myth, they’re pop culture icons. The Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights also have their place in the history books. But there’s another order—far less known, and far more extraordinary—that deserves its due.

Enter the Order of St Lazarus: defenders of pilgrims, caretakers of the sick, and perhaps the most remarkable fighting force you’ve never heard of.

 

Born of Faith and Disease

Founded in 1119, the Order of St Lazarus shared roots with the Templars. Both were formed to aid Christian pilgrims in the dangerous journey to the Holy Land. Both took religious vows, had military duties, and bore distinctive insignia—a red cross for the Templars, a green one for the Lazarites.

But the Lazarites weren’t just about protection. Their mission was deeply personal, even radical for the time: they cared for lepers—and many of them were lepers themselves.

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A Brotherhood of the Afflicted

Leprosy in the medieval world was terrifying. It disfigured the body, deadened nerves, and led to a life of exile. Lepers were often forced to wear bells around their necks to warn the “clean” of their presence.

But within the walls of the Order of St Lazarus, leprosy wasn’t a mark of shame—it was a reason to serve.

A legendary early figure, Alberic, embodied this compassion. Chronicles describe him eating food left by lepers, kissing each of them daily, washing their feet, and even rinsing his own face in their bloodied water. It was extreme—but to his followers, it was saintly.

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Royal Backing and the Leper King

Even royalty took note. King Amalric of Jerusalem became a supporter of the Lazarites—likely influenced by his son, Baldwin IV, who had leprosy himself. Despite his condition, Baldwin ruled as the “Leper King” and gained fame after defeating Saladin at the Battle of Montgisard, his bandaged hands gripping the reins of power and destiny.

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From Caregivers to Crusaders

As the 13th century wore on and leprosy spread among knightly ranks—particularly within the Templars—the Order of St Lazarus shifted. It transformed from a caregiving brotherhood into a fighting force, welcoming leper knights into its ranks.

The world had never seen anything like it: an army of diseased men, armored and armed, fighting alongside the great orders of the Crusades.

But their valor came at a cost.

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The Battle That Broke Them

In 1244, the Lazarites joined forces with the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights to fight the Egyptian army at the Battle of La Forbie. The result was catastrophic. Every single Lazarite knight was killed in the slaughter.

By 1253, so many had died that Pope Innocent IV issued a decree allowing healthy knights to take leadership roles, writing that “all the leper knights of the said house have been miserably killed by the enemies of the faith.”

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The Lazarites’ Quiet Legacy

The Order of St Lazarus didn’t vanish with the Crusades. Its legacy lingered in leper hospitals across Europe and even in modern charitable organizations that bear its name. But their most powerful story is still the one buried in forgotten battlefields and dusty chronicles: that of leper knights who faced exile, illness, and death—and chose to serve anyway.

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Why Their Story Still Matters

The Lazarites remind us that courage takes many forms. In a world that shunned them, they built a sanctuary. In a war-torn land, they fought for faith. And in the face of one of history’s most feared diseases, they stood tall.

They weren’t just knights—they were rebels against stigma. And they deserve to be remembered.