Grand Holy Order of the Temple of Cato
| Grand Holy Order of the Temple of Cato | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Country | Jingdao |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1593 AN |
| Headquarters | Citadel, Zhaoqin |
| Leadership | |
| Grand Master | Siwu Ersan |
| Manpower | |
| Available for military service | 5,000 |
| Active personnel | 100 |
The Grand Holy Order of the Temple of Cato is a militaristic and monastic order founded to preserve and protect the Catologian Faith. The Order was founded around in 1593 AN in the Empire of Jingdao and Southbatavia.
History
The Order was founded by Jieke Qiangweicheng (Jack Mounford / Montfort), former Prince of Calbion and Grand Master of the order. After the schism caused by the Calbain independence war, the Order has seized to be a prominent factor in Jingdaoese society. Montfort later moved to the isle of Ynys Corrach, where the Order surfaced for a brief period but then withered away following the Storm of Swords.
Shortly after his arrival on the island, Jieke Qiangweicheng died, bestowing the title of Grand Master on his cousin, Maikeer Qianweicheng (Michail de Montfort). From 1593 AN up to the death of Jieke-qi Qiangweicheng in 1622 the office of grandmaster has been in the possession of the Qianweicheng family.
It was only a few years ago that Yuese Qiangweicheng (Josephat de Montfort), heir to the family, received a vision from the Goddess Germania, in which she let him know that the way the Order had gone was not according to the will of the Gods. The Heavenly Light needed to be served once again. Josephat saw this as a sign and restored the Order, this time once again in Jingdao.
In the years after the death of the last Montfort Grandmaster, the order became more isolated. Knighthood was seen as somewhat of an anachronism in Jingdaoese society at the time, and without clear figurehead, the order could no longer gain recruits interested in swinging swords. The Citadel remained in existence but no longer had active knights remaining. During the reign of the Mingshi Emperor, some of the audiutors of the order joined the emperor in his self-imposed exile to Nandao. During the reign of the Chidao Emperor the order the was revived under the guidance of Grandmaster Siwu Ersan, who previously acted as special Jingdaoese envoy to Shireroth. Grandmaster Siwu Ersan was appointed by direct order of the Heavenly Light, bringing an end to the tradition that the order was tied to the Montfort family. Siwu Ersan ordered the construction of several libraries, teaching halls and tea houses in the Citadel, in line with the architecture of the Imperial Palace of Daocheng. In the vision of Grandmaster Ersan, the Citadel had no real remaining military value. Instead he wished to refurbish the order as a retreat for bureaucrats who needed to develop their spiritual life in accordance with the Tianchaodao. The order did not do away with its military heritage and would still retain a small force to defend its premises. In total 5,000 men are still required to take up the arms should the Grandmaster order them to. Few expected this to happen unless a major war arrived, and the military aspect of the order was most often seen as a relic from the past.
Former Structure
The Order was divided into two classes: Audiutor and Knight. The Audiutor were the serving class, they were often taken from among the lower clergy. Audiutor could function in many different roles, such as teachers, priests or farmers.
Grand Masters
| No. | Name | Reign (AN) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jieke Qiangweicheng | 1593 - 1600 | All grandmasters named 'Qianweicheng' were known as 'de Montfort' or 'de Mounford' during their lifetime. |
| 2 | Maikeer Qiangweicheng | 1600 - 1601 | |
| 3 | Baolian Qiangweicheng | 1601- 1605 | |
| 4 | Jieke-liang Qiangweicheng | 1605- 1606 | |
| 5 | Yalishanda Qiangweicheng | 1606- 1606 | |
| 6 | Yalishanda-liang Qiangweicheng | 1606 - 1608 | |
| 7 | Baolian-liang Qiangweicheng | 1608 - 1609 | |
| 8 | Baolian-san Qiangweicheng | 1609 - 1610 | |
| 9 | Jieke-san Qiangweicheng | 1610 - 1612 | |
| 10 | Makeximilian Qiangweicheng | 1612 - 1613 | |
| 11 | Baolian-si Qiangweicheng | 1613 - 1614 | |
| 12 | Yuehan Qiangweicheng | 1614 - 1614 | |
| 13 | Jieke-si Qiangweicheng | 1614 - 1615 | |
| 14 | Jieke-wu Qiangweicheng | 1615 - 1616 | |
| 15 | Jieke-liu Qiangweicheng | 1616 - 1617 | |
| 16 | Sidifen Qiangweicheng | 1617 - 1617 | |
| 17 | Stephan-liang Qiangweicheng | 1617 - 1618 | |
| 18 | Balian-wu Qiangweicheng | 1618 - 1619 | |
| 19 | Jieke-qi Qiangweicheng | 1619 - 1622 | |
| Position vacant | 1622 - 1666 | ||
| 20 | Siwu Ersan | 1666 - present | Appointed by the Chidao Emperor |
