1800s-1900s? Masonic Knights of Malta w/in the Knights Templar of the York Rite

Description

Terms
1) I am happy to sell to anyone who is able to use the eBay International program, where I ship to their hub in the USA and eBay then sends it on to you. However, if you are outside the USA and buy multiple lots, I cannot send you an invoice and you may have to pay separate s/h for every lot, which is quite expensive. That is beyond my control.
2) Due to eBay's invoicing policies, generally a maximum of 20 items can be put on an invoice.
3) Please wait for me to send an invoice before you pay. I send all items insured or at least with a tracking number. The cost of this is included in the total s/h cost of listed in the ordering information.
4) Wins from the same day will be combined for combined s/h savings, but not for auctions over more than one week. Thanks!
5) I combine postage, so multiple items will be sent together for the higher of the shipping prices quoted. (For example, if you win a banknote with a .99 stated s/h rate and a heavier coin set with a .49 quoted s/h rate, they will be sent together and your total s/h would be .49.
6) I will combine the first 4 wins at the highest quoted price. After 4 wins I will charge an extra 25 cents per item sent at the same time, in addition to the base s/h.
7) Books will likely be sent media rate and may have to be sent separately from non-book items. Ask if you have questions on shipping.
Here is a historic Masonic medal from the Knights of Malta within the Knights Templar of the York Rite. Nice medal and black
silk ribbon.
Size 7.7cm X 4.7cm.
The item shown is the one for auction.
History:
The Degree of Knight of Malta (Order of Malta)
This degree is universally associated with the Masonic Knights Templar. In the York Rite system it is conferred before the Templar Degree; in the 'stand-alone' tradition it is conferred subsequently to the Templar Degree. It is known by varying degrees of formality as the Order of Malta, or the Order of Knights of Malta, or the Ancient and Masonic Order of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes, and Malta. In practice this last and fullest version of the name tends to be reserved to letterheads, rituals, and formal documents.
The ceremony for conferring the degree (which is always worked in full) contains a mixture of masonic tradition, historical accounts of the Order of St John, moral teaching, and the communication of modes of recognition between members. A series of banners is employed in the ceremony, each representing one of the great battles of the historic medieval Order of St John, whose story is the basis of the moral teachings of the degree.
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which (in most Regular Masonic jurisdictions) only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple (Knights Templar), the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.
Like the Masonic Red Cross of Constantine being inspired by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of Malta being inspired by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Masonic order of Knights Templar derives its name from the medieval Catholic military order Knights Templar. However, it does not claim any direct lineal descent from the original Templar order.
In the United States, a Knights Templar commandery is traditionally the final body that a member joins in the York Rite after the chapter of Royal Arch Masons and a council of Royal & Select Masters. Some jurisdictions, however, allow members to skip over membership in a council. A local Knights Templar commandery operates under a state-level Grand Commandery, however American commanderies also operate under The Grand Encampment of the United States. This is less common among American Masonic bodies, as many report to the state level alone.
While a chapter bestows the Royal Arch degrees, and a council bestows the Cryptic degrees, a Knights Templar commandery bestows three orders and one preparatory degree onto its members. This is opposed to the standard degree system found elsewhere in Freemasonry, and they are the only ones not to deal with the Hiramic Legend. The York Rite orders are:
The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross
The Degree of Saint Paul (or the Mediterranean Pass)
The Order of the Knights of Malta (or simply Order of Malta)
The Order of the Temple
Templar degrees in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
History and legend concerning the historical Knights Templar also play an important role in the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, notably in the Rite's 30th Degree, Knight Kadosh. Other Scottish Rite degrees sometimes styled "Templar Degrees" include the 28th Degree (Knight Commander of the Temple, formerly denominated the 27th Degree in the Southern Jurisdiction of United States), the 29th Degree (Scottish Knight of Saint Andrew), the 32nd Degree (Master of the Royal Secret), and the 33rd Degree (Inspector General)
The item shown in the scans is the one for sale. Please see scans for condition.