The Medieval Knight II
Adolf Karpellus
Zeichnet Siebente Kriegsanleihe
[Subscribe to the Seventh War Loan]
1917, PST 0505
Seraphim
Bildet Deutsche Volksräte
[Form German People’s Councils]
PST 7243
Karpellus' design pictures a dove alighting on the arm of a knight. It urges the viewer to believe that the knights of modern German only fight to bring peace. This is not a presentation of a fearsome warrior, but an image that suggests through warfare shall come justice.
Seraphim's poster depicts a Teutonic knight. A German military order, under Roman Catholic religious vows, the Teutonic knights were formed at the end of the twelfth century in Palestine. They defended the path to the Holy Land for pilgrims, and also received Papal orders concerning crusades and holding Jerusalem for the Catholic church.
Such a combination of religious fervour and martial prowess offered the embodiment of just cause. Such orders were fighting forces whose faith allowed them to willingly enter battle and face death with a proud indifference. Qualities that were still highly valued in the ideal German soldier of the modern age. German propaganda often highlighted the inadequacies of other nations’ fighting men, whilst heralding the almost divine superiority of their own countrymen.
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