Knights of the Holy SEPULCHRE, a military order, established in Palestine about the year 1114.
The knights of this order in Flanders, in 1558, chose Philip II. king of Spain for their master, and afterwards his son; but the grand-master of the order of Malta prevailed on him to resign; and when afterwards the Duke de Nevers assumed the same quality in France, the same grand-master, by his interest and credit, procured a like renunciation by him, and a confirmation of the union of this order to that of Malta.