Turcopole

During the Crusades, turcopoles (also "turcopoles" or "turcopoli"; from the Greek: τουρκόπουλοι, literally "sons of Turks"; singular: τουρκόπουλος) were locally recruited mounted archers and light cavalry employed by the Byzantine Empire and the Crusader states. A leader of these auxiliaries was designated as Turcopolier, a title subsequently given to a senior officer in the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller in charge of the coastal defence and fortifications of Rhodes and Malta. In addition to the two Military Orders, the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem employed king's Turcoples under the direction of a Grand Turcopolier.

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