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| “ | They were monks who packed a punch, and the black and silver cross on the knights' shields has come to represent in the minds of most the iconic image of a metal-clad Crusader.
— Ishaan Tharoor
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The Knights Hospitaller, or the Order of the Knights of Saint John and also famously as the Knights of Malta, nicknamed The "Religion", are a Christian military order established in the Middle Ages. Founded by a group of individuals in an Amalfitan hospital dedicated to St. John the Baptist in Jerusalem, the knights were initiated as a humanitarian movement dedicated in helping, caring and protecting pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land. During the First Crusade, the organization became a military unit by the orders of the Papal ministry. Their job was to defend the Holy Land and its Christian inhabitants from infidel tryning to raid or invade Christian lands. In the next century and the subsequent loss of Jerusalem, the Knights Hospitaller moved out and conquered Tripoli and Cyprus. When Pope Clement dissolved their rival, the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller became one of the leading fighting force of the religion, conquering and setting up their new headquarters in Rhodes. They also set up orders throughout Europe such as Germany, Britain, Netherlands and others.
After the Crusades, the traditional armored knights were dissolved with the introduction of gunpowder, but the Knights Hospitaller still existed as a powerful force by now acquiring muskets and firearms mixed in with their traditional knightly armor and virtues. They fought in many battles and sieges of the Ottoman–Venetian War, such as in Rhodes, Tripoli, Preveza, as well as the infamous Siege of Malta, which was one of the greatest sieges in human history. They also colonized small parts of America, and during the Napoleonic Wars, they had a brief war with Napoleon, to which they finally lost Malta. Today, the Knights Hospitaller still exist as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta as a humanitarian and charity organization while even retaining their militaristic allegiance to the Papacy.
Battle vs Sōhei (by 123chaseyoung)[]
In a small port somewhere in the coast of Japan, five Sohei monks were meditating peacefully on the sandy beach. Suddenly, a large pontoon boat landed on shore and disrupted their meditation. Five armored knights hospitallers landed on the beach carrying their banners.
Sensing an invasion by barbarians, the Sohei monks grabbed their weapons and charged. The shocked knights hospitallers drew their weapons in response. One Sohei monk makes a wild swing with his naginata luckily slices the neck of one hospitaller 
. But before he can regain himself, an angry hospitaller drives his knightly sword right through the Sohei 
.
One of the Sohei grabs a horse and rides to the knights, firing his arrows. His shots however, only glanced on the armor and shields of the knights. A knight with a halberd quickly skewers the Sohei off his horse and chucks his body in the air like a ragdoll .
As this was going on, a Sohei and a knight faces off with their swords. While the knight had the upperhand with his superior steel longsword against the weaker katana, the Sohei managed to land a lucky blow on the knight's leg, making him fall down dripping with blood. He then raised his sword and coup de grace the knight with a stab to the abdomen . But before he can savor his victory, he is shot with a crossbow bolt from behind by a knight .
Suddenly, a shot rang out, and a knight falls down dead after getting hit by a tanegishima musket on the chest . The knights quickly dove to the sand for cover as the remaining Sohei's fire their bows and muskets at them. A knight managed to grab his matchlock musket and shot a Sohei . But the superior accuracy of the Japanese musket kept them pin down. The knight lets out one bolt from his crossbow and hits a Sohei in the eye .
Wanting to finish this once and for all, the head knight chased and mounted the horse that was left behind by the dead Sohei as his comrade covered hi with his musket. The two remaining knights, one on foot and one on horseback, charged towards the remaining Sohei camped in the sand dunes. The Sohei lets out another shot and hit the rushing knight in the neck . But it was too late for him to reload as the other knight on horseback hacks him with his sword. The wounded Sohei tried desperately to get away, but the knight hospitaller finally decapitates him.
The victorious knight then raised his sword and yells in victory.
Winner: Knight Hospitallers
Expert's Opinion[]
The knights won because they have the overall better weapons and x-factors since they were better experienced and had better feats in wars. The Sohei's were fighting wars only in Japan while the Knights fough wars all across the globe.