Douglas James Grecian

The Rise and Development of the

Knights Templar in the
Crusader States
BA (Hons) History and Politics
May 2006
University o !ort"um#ria
Contents
Introduction p. iii
I. Pilgrimage in the Crusader States p. 1
And the origin of the Templars
II. Privileges of the new Knighthood p. 8
III. Defenders of the Crusader Kingdoms p. 1
I!. Criti"ues and Pro#lems p. $$
Conclusion p. $%
&i#liograph' p. $(
ii
Introduction
)ver man' 'ears* the Templars have #een regarded with a great deal of wonder. The
secretive and almost m'stical aura that surrounds this organisation has provided
inspiration for countless conspirac' theorists and authors of fiction* with the recent
success of Dan &rown+s $"e Da %inci &ode #eing a recent e,ample. Curiousl'* much
of this inspiration comes from what might have occurred after the' had #een officiall'
dissolved* rather than the actual events of their e,istence. Authors and romantics loo-
for evidence of the )rder+s new secret life and influence or tr' to esta#lish a
connection #etween them and the .ol' /rail* rather than e,amine their achievements
in real life. Perhaps somewhat ironicall'* it was these achievements that provided fuel
for a large num#er of medieval chroniclers and commentators.
)riginall' starting out as a small group of -nights in the recentl' esta#lished Crusader
States* the' rose to #ecome one of the most powerful organisations within
Christendom* with a permanent militar' presence in the east. The e,tent of their
development was all the more e,traordinar' due to the speed at which it too- place*
having achieved a nota#le presence within the 0atin Kingdoms within a decade of
their first esta#lishment. The o#1ect of this stud' will #e to e,amine the most
important aspects of the Templars+ development* the circumstances surrounding their
rise to prominence in the east and what the conse"uences of their new position of
power and influence were* covering the period from their initial formation to the
&attle of .attin.
An immediate pro#lem facing an' stud' and anal'sis of the Templars is selecting the
appropriate sources. The amount of con1ecture and fiction surrounding the )rder
means that the first tas- of an' stud' is to ma-e sure that an' secondar' source is
written #' a relia#le author* and that primar' sources have #een properl'
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authenticated. The #oo-s #' 2alcolm &ar#er are a good starting point for an' who
wish to ma-e a serious stud' of Templars. If in dou#t* most universit' li#raries will
onl' stoc- volumes that have a decent academic #ac-ground. 3hat is most important
is that the researcher e,ercises a fair amount of discretion and caution when selecting
his secondar' reading materials.
The other pro#lem is getting access to primar' sources that deal with the Templars. As
a result of the crusaders+ e,pulsion from the hol' lands* man' of the )rders official
records were lost4 or were destro'ed when the Templar archive in C'prus was
demolished #' the )ttomans in 1%1. Apart from lac- of availa#ilit'* there is also the
difficult' in that most of these sources are in 0atin. 5ortunatel'* a large num#er of
them have #een translated into 6nglish* especiall' the chronicles of the time.
A large num#er of the primar' sources used in this discussion have #een collected and
translated in the volume #' 2alcolm &ar#er and Keith &ate* $"e $em'lars. Some of
these are e,tracts from the chronicles of people li-e 3illiam of T're and 3alter 2ap.
)thers are letters written #' various individuals concerning the Templars. 2an' are
documents including papal #ulls* grants 7land and castles8* financial documents and
the Templars+ code of conduct. The rest are accounts of various incidents relating to
then )rder
In terms of the chronicles* it is #etter to refer to the full te,t if availa#le* since an
e,tract might leave out information that puts it in conte,t. 3hen referring to these
te,ts* there are a couple of issues that one must ta-e into consideration. The first is
that the' will have their own personal #ias which will affect how the' view events.
Also* man' of them did not ta-e part directl' in the events that the' are descri#ing* so
their information might at #est #e second hand. This is compounded #' the fact that
the' are usuall' writing at a later date* and so have to rel' on their own memor' or the
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memor' of others. It also means that the' writing in hindsight* which would
undou#tedl' affect how the' interpret the reasons #ehind certain -e' decisions and
events* particularl' failures li-e .attin. Therefore* even respected historians li-e
3illiam of T're should #e read with a discerning e'e.
Documents such as the grants of castles and lands are useful for gaining insight into
certain aspects of Templar life. The pro#lem is that the' do not give a complete
picture of the circumstances surrounding them. A document ma' state the purpose of a
grant* #ut will not li-el' ela#orate on the issues that led to that decision. Therefore*
further reading of secondar' sources will #e needed to gain an accurate picture.
0etters* on the other hand* are perhaps more useful for gauging what people were
thin-ing at the time and how the' viewed the Templars. 9egardless* a decent cross:
section of primar' and secondar' sources is needed to ma-e a reasona#le o#servation
on this topic. Certain sources* such as the papal #ulls* are a crucial part of the )rder+s
histor'* and should thus #e e,amined with e,tra care. Indeed* the provisions in the
#ulls that were issued in regards to the Templars would #e of central importance to the
course of their evolution* as will #e discussed in the second chapter.
)n a final point* it should #e noted that most of the primar' sources that have #een
used come from outside the )rder. There are few surviving e,amples of official
Templar documentation. This inevita#l' means that there will #e little discussion on
events from the Templars+ point of view other than presumptions and educated
guesses* since it is nearl' impossi#le to verif' them. There will #e areas that are not
covered simpl' due to lac- of sources* and an' conclusion drawn ma' #e disproved
#' an' new evidence that turns up. Despite these difficulties* it is not unreasona#le to
assume that stud'ing what evidence is availa#le will help further our understanding of
v
how the Templars reached their position of power and how this affected the Crusader
States and the situation in the hol' lands.
;ow that we are aware of the pro#lems of researching this topic* we can discuss the
issue of how to anal'se the evidence. This stud' will focus on two aspects of the
Templars that were tied into their eventual prominence and e,amine the impact the'
had. The first is the privileges that the' received* particularl' those from the papac'.
The second is the role the' pla'ed in the defence of the realm. 3e will then loo- at
an' criticisms and pro#lems that were not covered previousl'.
.owever* #efore we #egin to loo- at the Templars themselves* a certain understanding
of the period* particularl' in the 2iddle 6ast* will #e necessar' to #egin the
investigation.
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