Armed priests

Throughout history, armed priests or soldier priests have been recorded. Distinguished from military chaplains, who are non-combatants that provided spiritual guidance to service personnel and associated civilians, these priests took up arms and fought in conflicts as combatants. The term warrior priests or war priests is usually used for armed priests in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and of historical tribes.

Serbian Orthodox archpriest Vukajlo Božović was a guerilla leader in the Kosovo Vilayet.

History

In Greek mythology, the Curetes were identified as armed priests.^[1] In Ancient Rome, the Salii were an order of armed priests who carried sacred shields through the city during the March festivals.^[2] Livy (59 BC–17 AD) mentions armati sacerdotes (armed priests).^[3]

Medieval European canon law said that a priest could not be a soldier, and vice versa. Priests were allowed on the battlefield as chaplains, and could only defend themselves with clubs.^[4]

The Aztecs had a vanguard of warrior priests who carried deity banners and made sacrifices on the battlefield.^[5]

In more recent times, the warrior-priest was a common figure in the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13).^[6] Several archpriests and priests were commanders in the revolt,^[7] while Serbian Orthodox monasteries sent monks to join the Serbian Army.^[6]

Legacy

The Pyrrhic Dance in Crete is said to have been the ritual dance of the Korybantes, deities described as armed priests.^[8]

Notable groups

• Chivalric military orders, Christian religious societies of knights of the Catholic Church in feudal Europe such as the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, the Teutonic Knights and many others.
• Sōhei, Buddhist monks in feudal Japan^[9]
• Shaolin Monk, Ch’an Buddhist monks in feudal China
• Righteous armies, Korean guerrilla fighters, including monks, who resisted the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98).
• Sant Sipahi, the Sikh ideology of a saint-soldier inspired by the example Sikh gurus, where one lives in strict discipline of both mind and body.
• Naga Sadhus, a militaristic Hindu sect of arms-bearing sannyasi.

Notable people

Eastern Orthodoxy

• Alexander Peresvet (d. 1380), Russian Orthodox monk who dueled a Tatar warrior in battle, both killing each other.
• Samuilo Jakovljević (1760–1825), Serbian Orthodox hieromonk, commander in the First Serbian Uprising.^[10]
• Melentije Stevanović (1766–1824), Serbian Orthodox archimandrite, commander in the First Serbian Uprising.
• Luka Lazarević (1774–1852), Serbian Orthodox priest, vojvoda (general) in the First Serbian Uprising.^[11]
• Melentije Pavlović (1776–1833), Serbian Orthodox hegumen, fought in the Second Serbian Uprising.
• Matija Nenadović (1777–1854), Serbian Orthodox archpriest, commander in the First Serbian Uprising.^[12]
• Melentije Nikšić (1780–1816), Serbian Orthodox hieromonk, commander in the First Serbian Uprising.^[13]
• Athanasios Diakos (1788–1821), Greek Orthodox priest, commander in the Greek War of Independence.
• Pajsije Ristović (1790–1814), Serbian Orthodox hegumen, fought in the First Serbian Uprising.
• Nićifor Dučić (1832–1900), Serbian Orthodox priest, fought in the 1852–62 Herzegovina uprising and 1876–78 wars.
• Mićo Ljubibratić (1839–1889), Serbian Orthodox priest, fought in the Herzegovina Uprising.^[14]
• Bogdan Zimonjić (1813–1909), Serbian Orthodox priest, fought in the 1852–62 and 1875–78 Herzegovina uprisings.
• Sava Dečanac (1831–1913), Serbian Orthodox priest, fought in the 1876–78 wars.
• Vukajlo Božović (d. 1926), Serbian Orthodox archpriest, fought in the Balkan Wars.^[15]
• Jovan Grković-Gapon (1879–1912), Serbian Orthodox priest, guerrilla in Macedonia.
• Tasa Konević (d. 1916), Serbian Orthodox priest, guerrilla in Macedonia.
• Mihailo Dožić (1848–1914), Serbian Orthodox priest, guerrilla in Potarje (1875–78).
• Stevan Dimitrijević (1866–1953), Serbian Orthodox priest, guerrilla in Macedonia (fl. 1904).
• Momčilo Đujić (1907–1999), Serbian Orthodox priest, World War II Chetnik.
• Vlada Zečević (1903–1970), Serbian Orthodox priest, Yugoslav Partisan.
• Dimitrios Holevas (1907–2001), Greek Orthodox priest, World War II Greek Resistance.
• Germanos Dimakos (1912–2004), Greek Orthodox priest, World War II Greek Resistance.

Catholicism

• Archbishop Turpin (d. 800), legendary (insofar as military accomplishments) member of Charlemagne's Twelve Peers.
• St. Heahmund (d. 871), Bishop of Sherborne, died at the Battle of Meretun under Aethelred I of Wessex against the Great Heathen Army.
• Cresconius, (c. 1036–1066), Bishop of Iria, Spanish bishop who fought Vikings raider.
• Odo of Bayeux (d. 1097), Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror
• Rudolf of Zähringen (1135–1191), Catholic bishop, Crusader.
• Absalon (1128–1201), Catholic archbishop, Crusader.
• Joscius (d. 1202), Catholic archbishop, Crusader.
• Reginald of Bar (fl. 1182–1216), Catholic bishop, Crusader.
• Aubrey of Reims (fl. 1207–18), Catholic archbishop, Crusader.
• Arnaud Amalric (d. 1225), Cistercian abbott, Crusader.
• Bernardino de Escalante (1537 – after 1605), Catholic priest
• Luka Ibrišimović (1620–1698), Francisian monk, Croatian spy and anti-Ottoman fighter in Great Turkish War
• Marko Mesić (c. 1640 – 1713) Croatian priest and anti-Ottoman fighter in Great Turkish War
• John Murphy (1753 – c. 2 July 1798), Irish Catholic priest and one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Captured, tortured and executed by British Crown forces.
• Jerónimo Merino (1769–1844) Roman Catholic priest and Spanish guerrilla commander during the Peninsular War.
• José María Morelos (1765–1815), Roman Catholic priest, Mexican independentist commander.
• José Félix Aldao (1785–1845), Dominican friar, General in the Argentine War.
• Antanas Mackevičius (1828–1863), Lithuanian Catholic priest and one of the military commanders in the Uprising of 1863.
• Stanisław Brzóska (1832–1865), Polish Catholic priest, head chaplain and one of the generals in January Uprising.
• Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu (1889–1964), Discalced Carmelite friar and priest, French naval officer, eventually admiral. As High Commissioner of the French Fourth Republic in the Far East after World War 2, set in motion the First Indochina War.
• Camilo Torres Restrepo (1929–1966), Colombian socialist guerrilla and Catholic priest.
• Gaspar García Laviana (1941–1978), Catholic priest inspired by Liberation theology to join the Sandanista revolution as a guerrilla soldier.

Anglicanism

• William N. Pendleton Confederate General, Episcopal Priest, United States Military Academy graduate
• Leonidas Polk (1806–1864), Confederate General, United States Military Academy graduate, Episcopal bishop of Louisiana
• Charles Todd Quintard Confederate Army surgeon and chaplain
• James Kilbourne Episcopal priest and volunteer colonel during the War of 1812

Other

• The tlatoani, ruler of Nahuatl pre-Hispanic states, were high priests and military commanders.
• Dutty Boukman (d. 1791), voodoo priest and Haitian Revolution leader.

See also

• Religious war
• Sacred king
• Warrior monk