Knights of St Lazarus is my favorite

The Hospitallers also briefly had the world’s second largest airforce. Immediately after WW2, Italy was forbidden to have an airforce, but the western allies feared Soviet expansion spilling over, so did a deal in which it nominally belonged to the Knights of Malta.

Explanation: During the period of the Christian Crusades, a number of new ‘knightly orders’ arose, mixing religious fanaticism with military discipline and the extensive resources of the European knightly aristocracy.

Funny enough, despite their poor reputation in the modern day, the Templars were actually one of the less abhorrent of the lot, being renowned for relatively chivalrous behavior - possibly connected to their extreme concern with contractual obligations and their proto-banking system (which eventually got them killed by the French monarch, looking for fast cash).

By contrast, despite the Hospitallers both sounding benevolent and having very benevolent origins, as both escorts for pilgrims and providing basic care for the ailing in the Levant, they actually were notoriously impulsive in battle, and would later become anti-Muslim pirates. Which, while becoming Pirate-Knight-Crusaders is badass, is also shitty. LET THE PEOPLE TRADE, YOU BARBARIANS

The Teutonic Knights, on the other hand, well-earned their reputation in the modern day. Once crusading in the Holy Land no longer entertained them, they championed an expansionist war in the Baltics against pagans and, eventually, Christian Slavs as well, acquiring vast resources for the use of their own military order by the looting and extermination of the native population of the Baltics. Eventually, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth would shatter their power in a series of battles and leave them a husk of their former selves. Very cool horned helmets though.

Personally, I’m with The Knights Who Say “Ni!”

L’Hôpital’s rule indeed.

“Which Chapter do you Stan”

– Warhammer 1.40K edition.