Temple Sword

Chapter 212 Knight of St. George

On the morning of St. George's Day, a select group of people gathered in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Fifty men were dressed in their best holiday attire, covered by a dark black ankle-length hooded cloak.On the left side of the black cloak is a huge red coat of arms embroidered, with a white double cross in the middle, and the same snow-white IVISHFS inscription.

This strange inscription consists of the initials of the Latin In Veritate Iustus Sum Huic Fraternali Societati, which means: I will be sincerely loyal to this order.

These fifty people were not ordinary people. They stood confidently with their chins raised. At the head was their king, who was also wearing black.

They all knew that this day would be remembered for generations to come: on this day Charles of Anjou founded the Order of Saint George, the first in Christendom to be created not within the Church but under secular authority Knights.

Charlie's dream for many years finally came true on this sunny spring morning. Over the years, he had been preparing for the establishment of this knighthood. For a long time, he only vaguely mentioned it to his knights and confidants. He had some ideas, but no one knew his detailed plans.

The king gave them various tasks and commissions, and perhaps God only knows, he didn't always ask his men to do the most purely honorable things, and Charles was in a way deliberately making things difficult for them because he had to determine who was Someone he can trust.

He would consider them not just fellow knights, but brothers.

The king looked with satisfaction at the crowds that poured into the church: 49 strong, reliable, and loyal men who would obey all his orders.

As the procession progressed into the interior of the sacred building, Charles could not help but remember that he had already had this plan in mind when he was a young contender for the throne:
He will replace the old nobles who only care about their money and power with a group of heroic knights. He will let these knights protect himself and his family, and let them become his new advisory team and new cabinet.

He was convinced that he could truly trust this new group and could open his ears and follow their advice more confidently than before.

Slowly, everyone found their place in the church.The candidates of the Order of St. George took their seats. After a moment of silence, Archbishop Boleslav of Esztergom, the king's brother-in-law and one of the 49 knights, stood in front of the main altar and began the ceremony. .

Charlie had no intention of paying attention to the specific content of the mass. His mind kept wandering. He was already thinking about who he would ask for what tasks, and what his greatest responsibility as a member of the Knights should be.

Among the knights who were preparing to take the oath was the court knight Istvan Rakfi, the king's newly appointed master of the stables.There was the Governor of Transylvania, Thomas Széchenyi, there was Sandor Kotsky, and of course there was the Minister of Finance, Demit Nekse.

Several talented church officials also donned the black cloak, such as the Rector of Bratislava, Miklós Drgdi, Bishop János of Nitra and Eger. Bishop Chanard Tregdy.

Of course, members of the Naples Drug family, Charles' first supporters, were also present on this important day.

The Drugs held a very special place in the king's heart because they were the only family to leave Naples with him, abandoning Charles's relatives in favor of him, and remained loyal to him throughout.

It is true that the King rarely saw the Druggers over the years because he had sent them to the northeastern region of the kingdom to enforce his will, but Charles never forgot them.

To prove this, he bestowed upon them three places in the secular order: to Philipp Druge, who was his own age, and to his brother John, and to the latter's son William.

János Bornemisa and Count Felicien Zacher of Sumpter, as well as Queen Elisabeth's knight-captain Derzo Hedeva were also admitted to the order.

These 50 men are worth 500, the king thought proudly, believing that he had indeed selected the most capable and loyal men among his subjects.

But his eyes suddenly cast a shadow.

There is only one person missing here...

A lonely soul whom he had first called his brother years before, whom he had first made a knight of his own court, who had originally intended to place him at the head of the Order of St. George.

But you have melted into the morning mist, my friend...

No matter how high the atmosphere in the church was, no matter how strong the message the founding of this unique order conveyed to the world, Charles Anjou was still immersed in an irreplaceable sense of absence.

On this day, his Knight of Lily, who was more supportive than the Drug family, did not appear.

Antal Bato has not been heard from for three years.

The crowd eager to celebrate waited outside the church walls. They could not see or hear the Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Esztergom in person, but they were excitedly waiting for the church bells to ring and for the first batch of Knights of St. George to emerge from inside. Appear.

When the knights finally appeared, the crowd erupted in loud cheers.Of course, they couldn't get too close to the nobles this time. At least a hundred royal guards pulled away the citizens gathered in front of the door to make way for the knights coming out of the church.

People followed the knights' gorgeous procession, and at the front were a dozen drummers whose loud, rhythmic rumbles made sure everyone in Visegrád knew what was going on.

Behind the drummers, the horsemen, led by the palace herald, raised the house banners of the king and his knights of St. George, besides the red and white stripes and golden lilies of the House of Anjou, the banners of every territorial title under the Holy Crown. Flags were also lined up.

After the sea of ​​flags, the king and his queen each rode a horse with a gorgeous saddle, and the reins were held by a young attendant. Elizabeth and Charles only had to make sure their backs were straight and smile to them with their most beautiful smiles. The subjects waved.

Behind the royal couple were clergy of all sizes, with bishops also riding horses, while the lower priests who accompanied them took part in the festive procession on foot.

At the end of the procession were the knights of St. George in black robes, all on horseback.Their squires, some of them brothers and some of their younger relatives, walked behind them on foot, carrying their master's shields.

To the deafening beat of drums, they marched slowly and measuredly toward the riverside palace, whose vast knights' hall had been decorated days before in preparation for this rare occasion.

When the procession arrived, flag bearers placed the flags on the side walls and end of the hall.In the dimly lit hall, the drums beat louder than ever, a thunderous beat that didn't subside until everyone in the building took their preassigned seats.

The first row is the knights of St. George, followed by their attendants. The further back, the lower the status. At the farthest place are the families of these knights.

King Charles, Archbishop Boleslav, and other church dignitaries sat in a row opposite the crowd.Before them stood a low, richly carved pulpit and an ornate stool covered in red velvet.

One by one, the bishops approached the pulpit, urged those gathered to pray, and then each prayed for God's blessing on the newly founded order.

Finally, Demit Nekse began the investiture ceremony: he invited the king to receive the decorative sword newly forged for the occasion and to step onto the stool to welcome the person he had personally selected to the order.

Demeter called the names of the knights in turn in a melodious tone suitable for this joyous occasion, and each one was individually anointed by Charles and officially became a member of the Knights of St. George.

Istvan Lakfi had kept his cool so far, but his heart jumped into his throat when his name was called out.

He stepped forward, knelt on the velvet-covered stool, clasped his hands, and bowed his head submissively before the king.Charlie looked at him, stood proudly, and repeated the words of the investiture ceremony in a loud voice that resounded throughout the knights' hall. He had memorized every word by heart in advance.

“I, Charles of Anjou, by the grace of God, King of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania and Bulgaria, Salerno and Monte Lord of Sant'Angelo, Grand Master of the Order of St. George,
In the glorious name of the Lord Almighty, we knight you and gladly accept you into our ranks.Remember, the Redeemer of the world was crucified!
I warn you, remember the shame he suffered, take up his cross, and avenge his death! "

After hearing these words, Lakfi took a deep breath, and in a clear and colored voice, carefully said the oath he had repeated countless times in the past few weeks. “I, István Lakfi of gens Hermán, a member of the Order of St. George, pledge myself to my Christian brothers and to my faithful congregation that I will uphold the rules of the Order and the King’s will.

I will hold each other accountable to live an active and moral life with my companions, and I will defend my beloved kingdom, my faith, and our order in peace and war.

I will do whatever I can to protect my fellow believers, the weak, the oppressed and the poor.I will be sincerely loyal to this Order, God bless! "

Then, Charlie held the heavy decorative sword in both hands and touched Rakfi's left and right shoulders with the blade.

"I now appoint you a member of the Knights of St. George." After saying this, the king lowered his sword.

When Istvan stood up from his stool, the drummers lined up on the right side of the hall beat out short and powerful beats on their instruments. Everyone applauded, and Dmitry Nekse He handed a sealed ornate document to the man with a slightly red face.

In this way, Istvan Lakfi, who five years ago had been just a captain with a hundred infantry, now became the glorious knight of St. George.

His heart was still pounding, his chest heaving with pride, and when he returned to his seat, his mind was still so full of thoughts that he could barely pay attention to the rest of the ceremony.

Not much happened after that, and it was well past noon when Charles made all 49 candidates knights of St. George and took their oaths of initiation.

Although Stephen had long since become a palace knight, he still insisted on observing the etiquette on the eve of the investiture and stayed up all night.But because of this, he had to work hard not to fall asleep in the hall when the investiture ceremony was coming to an end.

Finally, they recited the Lord's Prayer together and emerged from the dim hall into the pleasant spring sunshine. Rakfi felt as if he were surfacing and breathing fresh air.

He was so exhausted by this series of experiences that he wished he could drink a keg of wine immediately and then sleep all afternoon.

Of course, he couldn't do that, now he was a lord, with titles, ranks and power, and with that came responsibilities.

Now it was time to gather his guests, lead them into the palace courtyard, drive them home after the luncheon banquet, supervise the preparations for the dinner at home, and then...

He would rather not think about these headaches anymore.

Lakfi decided to take things one by one, and if he did, he should be able to complete his voluntary work in no time.

"Dezo!" he shouted when he saw Dezo Hedva, who was also a knight of St. George, among the bustling crowd in the palace courtyard. "We have become companions, Dezo! According to the rules of the Knights, we are considered brothers!"

"It was my pleasure, Istvan," the Queen's Master of Stables approached him, "I am proud of you as you take your oath."

"Me too," Rakfi said, even though his mind was no longer on the ceremony when Dezo Hedwa was awarded the title. "We are both stable masters. We should unite as one, don't you think?"

"As you said, my friend." The young but battle-hardened man nodded.

He and Rakfi became friends during a court joust, and in a long and grueling duel, neither defeated the other, with the queen's ladies-in-waiting each placing a garland on their lances.

From then on they trained together whenever they could, and they traveled twice with the royal mission, once to the south and once to the east.

"Where are you going to celebrate this wonderful day?" asked Istvan Lakfi. "If you happen to stay in the city, you are welcome to come to my house. There is enough food and food to satisfy me and my seven brothers." Good wine and you won’t go hungry…”

"Thank you, but I have to go to Buda with my father," Dezo politely declined the invitation. "He held a grand celebration banquet for me and summoned half of my relatives. I couldn't stay. here."

"Well, let's go!" Istvan patted him on the shoulder, "After we wake up from the drunkenness, let's have a good fight!"

"I am looking forward."

With that, Dezo Hedwa disappeared into the crowd, and Lakfi began to look for his brothers.

"Where the hell are your brothers?" After a long struggle, he only found Paul. "We should have arrived at the banquet hall by now. What are they waiting for?"

"I saw Lark with a woman not long ago," his youngest brother laughed, "Imre is somewhere nearby, I just saw him."

"What about the rest?"

Paul just shrugged, but Istvan was running out of patience.After a while, he found Mihai and Denis, sent them to Paul, left a stern word and then continued to look for his other brothers.

When he was about to chase a figure who looked very much like Imre, Lakfi suddenly ran into Felicien Zahe.He hit the old knight's chest, not hard, but awkwardly and awkwardly.

Felicien looked at him coldly, and then reluctantly greeted in a lifeless voice: "Lord Rakfi."

"Lord Zach," Istvan murmured, taking a step back involuntarily, "Nice to meet you."

"Very happy? Really?" The white-haired knight raised an eyebrow, "If I remember correctly, the tone you used when talking to me was completely different."

"That was a long time ago," the Stable Master said with a forced smile, "You and I have been through a lot since then. You have proven your loyalty to the king, and I have learned to think with a cool head.

I admit, I misunderstood you.But now that we are brothers, let us behave in a manner consistent with that. "

"You said it well, Lord Rakfi," Felicien nodded, "I'm glad you've come to your senses."

"Better late than never." Lakfi grinned reluctantly. Felicien nodded again, then turned around as if he saw someone in the crowd, ending the discussion. forced conversation.

"What a stinky face!" Istvan exhaled and complained to Paul who came to him, "Even the dog won't lick him!"

"I thought brothers couldn't hate each other, brother," the youngest commented jokingly, while the stable master raised an eyebrow casually.

"Who said I hate him?" He asked with a sly smile, "Have you ever heard me say such a thing? He and I just reached peace, or something similar..."

"You said yes."

"Okay, that's enough for the unpleasant topic," the man shrugged, "It's the holiday season, let's have a good meal, otherwise I will starve to death here!"

(End of this chapter)