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HISTORY
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Lichtenberg or 'Mountain of Light' lies in the remnants of more than Twelve Hundred Autumns, Winters, Springs, Summers.
Stories of Ordinary European Peoples and Nobles together, often called upon to do extraordinary things. From Charlemagne, we have pursued 1200 years of Philanthropic and Hospital work, built upon the Dreams, Hopes, Tragedy and Triumphs of our forbears, work which continues today through the work of the 'Lichtenberg Foundation' |
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Through an amazing period of Human existence beginning with Charlemagne, 742-814, the Siege of Acre, 1189-1192 or the 3rd Crusade, Russian, Prussian, Austrian, Hungarian and Teutonic Knights, the Polish and Lithuanian Wars, conquest for foreign lands, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the good and bad causes. |
Port of Acre
| Then there are our Hospital causes, In 600, Abbot Probus was commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to build a hospital in Jerusalem to treat and care for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land.
In 800, CHARLEMAGNE Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, enlarged Probus' hostel and added a library to it. About 200 years later, in 1005, Caliph Al Hakim destroyed the hostel and three thousand other buildings.
In 1023, merchants from Amalfi and Salerno in Italy were given permission by the Caliph Ali az-Zahir of Egypt to rebuild the hospice in Jerusalem. The Hospice, which was built on the site of the monastery of Saint John the Baptist, took in Christian pilgrims travelling to visit holy Christian sites. It was served by the Benedictine Brothers and the monastic hospitaller order was founded following the First Crusade by the Blessed Gerard.
Our Teutonic Knights Leader Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, pledged his protection to the Knights of St. John in a Charter of privileges. This was prior to his drowning while leading our Teutonic Knights, later led by King Richard 1 - the Lionheart at the victorious Seige of Acre.
Today our Royals, Princes, Princesses, the Peerage, Nobles, Aristocrats, Knights, Dames and Household Members continue in their steps. We take comfort in the fact, that through all this history, our people never lost their humanity or desire, to provide Hospital Care for Others, nor a philanthropic heart to help those less fortunate, especially vulnerable children.
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Charlemagne in Knight regalia, our ancestral Father and Father also of modern Europe and all Chivalry |
This is our standard today, from a Hospital tradition begun by Charlemagne ( left ) 1,200 years of heritage, continued by his ancestors.
Knights of St John and Teutonic Knights all descended of our family line, were invited to make their spiritual home under the standard of Lichtenberg Foundation. Our Knights were foremost an illustrious military might and in the 12th century, were led by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to the holy lands. Sadly Barbarossa (see below) drowned crossing a swollen river, when his horse faltered and toppled and he was weighed down by his heavy armour. |
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Following the unexpected drowning of Barbarossa, our Knights went on to distinguish themselves at the siege of Acre 1189-1192 (3rd Crusade) under the legendary King Richard 1st of England -Coeur de Lion or 'Lionheart'.
Richard the 1st - King Richard I
''Coeur de Lion' or The Lionheart
as he is fondly known in England
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Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Visit our Teutonic Knights at : www.teutonicknight.com |
Today, we have forsaken the broadswords of battle for the torch of philanthropy, to fight a much more important battle, third world poverty and helping vulnerable children, Orphans, Hospitals and the Sick, etc.
The journey to Lichtenberg Foundation, paralleled a similar journey taken by fellow Knights Hospitaller the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, who when Acre was re-captured in 1291, sought refuge in the Kingdom of Cyprus. Becoming enmeshed in the politics of that kingdom, their Grand Master Guillaume de Villaret created a plan of acquiring their own spiritual and temporal home, choosing Rhodes. This changed of course with the siege of Rhodes which lasted six months, until finally survivors were given safe passage from Rhodes and secured refuge in the Kingdom of Sicily.
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Following this humiliation, their Red Mantle was changed to Black as a sign of mourning. Eventually, they were re-established on Malta in 1530 by Papal Bull of Pope Clement VIII and Charles V King of Spain, with consent of their feudal landlord, the King of Sicily. An annual fee (A single Maltese Falcon) was paid for Malta and given on All Souls Day to the Viceroy of Sicily. In fact, this act of historical significance was the basis for the plot in Dashiell Hammett's well known book, The Maltese Falcon'. |
Many of our Teutonic Knights descended from Charlemagne and the wonderful supporters of the Lichtenberg Foundation, are also Knights of the Venerable Order of St John Hospitallers and the facts surrounding what actually happened on Malta after Napoleon's seige, are sometimes blurred by religious fervour. A year prior to the surrender of Malta, the Knights of Malta had been formally granted the protection of Russia with Tsar Paul 1 of the House of Romanoff as Royal Protector by virtue of the Russo-Maltese Treaty of 1797.
Following the capitulation of Malta and with most of Europe under the domination of Napoleon, the Order was forced to disperse, with the majority of the Knights taking refuge in St. Petersburg under the protection of the Tsar. October 21 1798, the majority of the Knights elected Tsar Paul 1 of Russia as 70th Grand Master with the approval of Pope Pius VI and the Langues of Bavaria and Prussia. In March 1802, at the Treaty of Amiens signed by Britain, France, Spain and Russia, the Order was formally recognised as being that in St. Petersburg headed by Tsar Alexander 1, its Royal Protector and the Grand Prior of Russia.
After the passing of Tsar Paul 1, fourteen nominations for Grand Master were compiled under the authority of Tsar Alexander 1 and forwarded to Rome in 1801. Napoleon selected Bartolomeo Ruspoli in 1802 who was subsequently appointed Grand Master by Pope Pius VII - in direct contravention of the Code de Rohan. However, Ruspoli declined to accept the appointment.
Subsequently, Pius VII appointed Giovanni Bastista Tommasi di Cortona as Grand Master in 1803 - again contravening the Code de Rohan. These and many other interventions by Rome were considered by the Knights in Russia and Germany, both Catholic and Protestant, as ‘ultra vires’ [beyond one’s power or authority] as the Order had always been an independent, democratic body that had always elected its Grand Masters from within its ranks. In effect, Pius VII created ‘motu proprio’ [from the Pope on his own initiative] his own Order under direct papal control, separating it from the original Order of Blessed Gerard still in existence in Russia. In 1805, after Tommasi’s passing, the Pope named an interim Grand Master. However, the Convent in Catina rejected this continued interference, and elected their own nominee, Bali Guiseppe Caracciolo de Marchesi di San’t Eramo, who was subsequently vetoed by Napoleon through the Pope.
Displeased with this act of defiance, Napoleon declared the Order destroyed in 1806, but it continued in its original form in Russia despite being proscribed and having lost much of its property at the Congress of Vienna.
Possibly complicit with Napoleon’s intention to destroy the Order, in 1807 the Pope changed the name of the remnants still under papal influence from the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem to the:
Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM).
The period 1805 to 1879 saw the SMOM under direct supervision by the papacy with interim Lieutenant Grand Masters subordinate to cardinals appointed by the Pope. Pope Gregory XVI directly appointed one of these as Grand Master in 1834 - again flaunting the Code de Rohan. The SMOM came under complete papal domination from 1826 when it was on the point of foundering. The seat of this now collapsed Order was transferred to Ferrara in a move to rescue it, and then to the via Condotti in Rome in 1834, thus completing its total dependence on the papacy. The period from 1805 to 1879 reflected nearly 80 years of dormancy for the SMOM, until, in 1879, Pope Leo XIII appointed a Lieutenant Grand Master Johann Baptist Ceschi a Santa Crose as Grand Master – again in complete disregard for the Code de Rohan. In true historical terms therefore, the SMOM is no longer independent or democratic. SMOM now requires Papal approval of its Grand Masters and Knights of Justice and ceased to be part of the Order from 1803 due to irregular papal intervention !
Nonetheless, with this power base, they have managed to carve our Diplomatic relations with almost 100 countries and enjoy observer status at the United Nations, without being a Country in their own right. Lichtenberg is in similar dialogue, with several countries, who have expressed interest in providing the same independent status, to help further philanthropy.
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With 1,200 years of lineage, the Court of Lichtenberg chose a similar course for this journey if you will; for this is what it is, a journey, 'Success is not a Destination it's a Journey'
This is the journey of an illustrious Family line from mediaeval times, a journey which has also seen Teutonic Knights at the forefront of support and which will ensure the survival of Lichtenberg for a further 1,200 years, as an influential and luminary beacon, heralding major humanitarian and philanthropic programmes. |
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(above and right) St Johns Cathedral Valetta Malta, This magnificent structure built by Knights of St John, is the Westminster Abbey of mainland Europe and houses half of all the Nobility of Europe, who lie buried within her Crypts.
We invite you to discover how you can be involved in this Mission as Special Envoys to the Lichtenberg Foundation and earn an Order of Chivalry or Title of Honour, under the auspices of HSH and The Grand Council.
Since 1823 - Copyright - Principality of Lichtenberg
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