As a fan of history and also completely fake but fun false history, I’m excited about this one.
For those who don’t know, the Knights Templar was an actual order of Knights in the Middle Ages that formed during the Crusades and have since become one of the most mythologized military groups in history.
When people think about the Crusades and Knights, the Knights Templar is pretty much what they’re thinking about.
I’m no historian, so I couldn’t tell you facts from fiction or what’s historically accurate about suits of armor. But I can share with you these really cool skins.
Regardless of your level of historical knowledge or whether you like fantasy, there’s just something about a suit of armor that’s captivating.
The yellowed hues and strong lines on this Templar Knight skin by creator PixelCrash_ give off such a powerful vibe that I’m about ready to download this skin and take it into a PvP server. Deus Vult!
What could be better than making Minecraft skins about historical military orders?
Making a Minecraft skin about an actual historical figure.
This skin is of Baldwin IV, an actual king of Jerusalem in the 12th century who died of leprosy. Not only is he a cool historical figure, but this is a cool historical skin!
The Righteous Knight by creator Kefka from way back in 2012 might be one of the coolest instances of innovative skin design I’ve seen.
The corner facing head is a unique look, admittedly not the best one, but the creativity behind it is so strong that I have to give credit where credit is due.
There’s just something about a darker, dirtier color palette that I love to see on skins. The dirtied look on this Crusader makes them seem like they’ve just gotten off the battlefield or finished a month’s long hike.
I know this probably isn’t what the creator of the skin was shooting for, but a big part of the reason I like this skin is because the helmet looks like it has a frowning mouth on it.
This frightful suit of armor, sun-stained and battle-hardened, looks flawless, but that little metal scowl puts the cherry on top of it for me.
You’ve likely noticed that most of the Crusader knights have had some cross emblem on their chest.
There are a variety of designs depending on the military order, but all of the crosses are Christian in origin as the Crusaders were off, well, crusading to reconquer the holy land.
While this isn’t a historical crusader, the Mandalorian from the Star Wars universe are heavily inspired by Crusader Knights.
The armor and the strict code by which the Mandalorian live emulates much of how Medieval knights lived from their training to their strict code of ethics called chivalry.
Dio Brando is about as iconic as anime characters come.
While I don’t know if Dio can really fall under the Crusader Knight umbrella, he falls under the Stardust Crusader umbrella, and that works just as well for me.
Castle Crashers has to be one of the most underrated games of my time.
While critics and folks who have played enjoy it, not nearly enough people have gotten to experience the fun that is Castle Crashers.
That tangent aside, the knight designs from Castle Crashers are so simple and so well done that I feel like it just makes sense that they earn a spot on this list.
While they aren’t the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights were another military order formed during the Crusades that lasted much longer than the Templars.
I’m personally partial to the Teutonic Knights because I think their black and white color scheme looks way cooler on full plate armor than the Templar red.
