Templars. Livonian Order. Teutonic. Maltese. These are, perhaps, all the military monastic orders that even a person with a higher education can list. In fact, in the Middle Ages there were more than 20 orders of knighthood, most of which are now known only to specialists. And once upon a time, the glory of the knights-monks thundered throughout the world, their courage, training and military art were recognized even by their sworn enemies, they were respected and feared for their power and wealth, crowned heads listened to the advice of their masters. The new book by Sergei Zharkov tells about ALL knightly orders of Europe and their five-century history, about the order's charters and weapons, training and tactics, about all the battles in which the knights-monks took part - from Hattin, Arzuf and the Battle of the Ice to the Battle of Grunwald, the fight against piracy in the Mediterranean and the defense of Rhodes and Malta.