The Protection of the Military Orders of Templars and Hospitallers (Edexcel A-Level History): Revision Notes
The Protection of the Military Orders of Templars and Hospitallers
Military roles
Both the Templars and Hospitallers did not begin as advanced military forces capable of defending the Holy Land. Their military function emerged gradually from the late 1120s onwards.
The transformation of these religious orders into military forces was a gradual process that took several decades, marking a significant development in the defense of Outremer.
The Hospitallers' transition to military activity
The Hospitallers transformed from their original role as care-providers to a military order between 1130 and 1140. Their military development can be traced through several key acquisitions:
- 1128: Acquired their first fortified location at Calansue, situated on the coast south of Tyre
- 1136: Received the Castle of Bethgibelin from King Fulk, marking the start of their significant defensive role in Outremer
- This castle sat in the southern region of the kingdom of Jerusalem
- Its proximity to Muslim-controlled Ascalon meant it faced greater danger of Muslim attack
- 1160s: The process of militarisation accelerated rapidly when they received approximately 12 castles and responsibility for defending the entire city of Sidon
The acquisition of Bethgibelin in 1136 was a turning point for the Hospitallers, marking their transition from a purely charitable organization to a major military force responsible for defending critical frontier positions in Outremer.
The Templars' military foundation
Unlike the Hospitallers, the Templar movement was established with a military purpose from the outset. Their development followed this pattern:
- Initially depended on volunteer support, such as Count Fulk of Anjou, who became a temporary brother in the East for one year in 1120
- Soon accumulated enough resources to maintain their own knights
- 1129: Received formal Church approval at the Council of Troyes
- This marked the Church's acceptance that its members could commit violent acts in God's name
- Represented perhaps the next logical development of holy violence following the First Crusade
- However, this concept faced criticism from some quarters
The Council of Troyes in 1129 was crucial for legitimizing the Templar order, as it provided official Church sanction for the controversial concept of warrior monks who could use violence in the name of God.
Bernard of Clairvaux's defence of the Templars
Bernard of Clairvaux wrote Liber ad milites Templi de laude novae militiae ('Book to the Knights of the Temple: In Praise of the New Knighthood') to provide a rigorous justification for the Templar lifestyle and actions.
This treatise, written in the 1130s, served several important purposes:
- Helped westerners understand why donating to the orders was worthwhile
- Demonstrated that military orders represented a completely new concept requiring justification
- Written in response to three requests from Hugh of Payns to encourage western support or acceptance of the Templars
Bernard's treatise was essential for securing western support for the Templars. Without this theological and moral justification, the concept of warrior monks might have been rejected by European nobles and the Church hierarchy.
Key features outlined by Bernard:
- Compared Templar knights favourably with conventional secular knights
- Stressed the good intentions of Templars when fighting in Christ's name
- Contrasted them with secular knights obsessed with appearance and other frivolities
- Repeated arguments for holy violence but explored the nature of the Templar movement itself
- Described the order as egalitarian yet with clear obedience to leadership and a disciplined lifestyle
- Examples of discipline: excessive laughing and growing hair too long were both discouraged
- Concluded with an enthusiastic description of the Holy Land and the importance of its proper defence
Role in military campaigns
Both orders played crucial roles in military campaigns aimed at crushing potential threats to Outremer.
Templar involvement in campaigns
The Templars contributed significantly to various military operations:
Campaign Example 1 - Support for Antioch (1149):
Following the Second Crusade, Antioch faced a direct threat from Nur ad-Din. A letter from the seneschal of the Temple indicates the order sent:
- 120 knights
- Approximately 1,000 soldiers, including a significant number of paid mercenaries
This substantial force demonstrates the Templars' capacity to mobilize quickly in response to emerging threats.
Campaign Example 2 - Battle of Montgisard (1177):
80 Templars joined other Frankish forces to achieve a remarkable victory against Saladin at Montgisard. This battle showcased the Templars' effectiveness as an elite fighting force capable of turning the tide in major engagements.
Hospitaller involvement in campaigns
The Hospitallers became heavily involved in military campaigns during the late 1100s, particularly eager to remove the threat from Egypt:
Egyptian Campaign (1167):
The Hospitallers offered an extraordinary level of military support:
- 500 knights
- 500 turcopoles (local light cavalry)
This massive commitment brought the Hospital to the brink of bankruptcy.
The Cost of Military Ambition:
After the Egyptian campaign, the Hospitallers owed around 100,000 bezants due to further promises made by Gilbert of Assailly, the master of the Hospital. This financial crisis nearly destroyed the order, yet they continued involvement in battles between 1170 and 1187 to halt Muslim invasions, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to Outremer's defence despite severe financial strain.
Defence of settlements
The military orders provided more than just knights for planned campaigns. They took on formal responsibility for defending key locations throughout Outremer.
Defence of urban sites
At various points during the 12th century, the orders were tasked with manning the ramparts at important cities including:
- Acre
- Tripoli
- Tyre
Urban defence was a critical responsibility that required the orders to maintain permanent garrisons in multiple cities simultaneously, stretching their resources across Outremer's major population centers.
Governance of entire settlements
In some Frankish settlements, the orders were entrusted to both govern and defend entire towns or cities:
- Tortosa: Given to the Templars to govern in 1152
- Sidon: Granted to the Hospitallers in the 1160s
This pattern reveals that Outremer's rulers, lacking sufficient resources to defend their states, increasingly turned to the military orders for support.
Growing burden on the orders
The reliance on the orders meant the burden on their brother knights grew heavier as the Muslim threat increased:
- 1164: Evidence of 60 Templars killed when Artah was attacked
- 1187: The number of casualties had grown considerably
- At the Battle of Hattin, the Templars lost around 230 brothers attempting to stop Saladin from reaching Jerusalem
- This demonstrates how heavily Outremer's defensive strategy depended on the military strength of both orders
The Ultimate Sacrifice:
The loss of approximately 230 Templar brothers at Hattin represents not just a single battle's casualties, but the devastating culmination of decades of increasing military burden. This catastrophic defeat demonstrated both the orders' central role in Outremer's defence and the impossibility of their position when facing Saladin's united Muslim forces.
The control of border castles by Templars and Hospitallers
The Templars and Hospitallers were required not only to strengthen troop numbers and provide military advice, but also to run or construct a substantial number of Outremer's castles.
Reasons for castle control by the orders
There were several important reasons why rulers granted castles to the military orders:
Reason 1: Resources to garrison castles
In 1178, Baldwin IV gave the Templars the castle at Jacob's Ford. In return, they were expected to garrison it with 80 knights and maintain 900 troops ready to call upon.
This example shows how rulers turned to the orders because they possessed the financial and manpower resources to maintain substantial permanent garrisons.
Reason 2: Trustworthiness
When Raymond III of Tripoli became regent for Baldwin V in 1185, the castles were placed under military order control. This arrangement minimised Raymond's capacity to permanently overpower the rulers of Jerusalem.
The orders' independence from local political factions made them reliable custodians of strategic fortifications.
Additional reasons:
3. Resources to build fortifications:
- The Hospitallers received Platta in the 1140s on condition they fortified it within one year
4. Weakened government due to Muslim threat:
- 1157: Baldwin III gave half of the Hospitallers Banyas because he believed it would be captured
5. Financial needs:
- 1180: Raymond III of Tripoli gave the Hospitallers the fortress of Tuban and other territories to pay off his debt of 80,000 bezants
- This debt had been incurred to pay for Raymond's release from a Muslim prison
The transfer of castles to the military orders often served multiple purposes simultaneously - providing defence, resolving financial problems, and ensuring political stability. This made the orders indispensable to Outremer's rulers.
Key strongholds
By the 1180s, the military orders controlled a considerable number of castles due to the government's increased reliance on them for Outremer's defence:
- Hospitallers: Approximately 25 castles
- Templars: Around 17 castles
Some of these were exceptionally powerful castles with substantial territorial control:
Castle of Margat (1186):
Given to the Hospitallers by Bernard Le Mazoir, this castle came with extraordinary privileges:
- Granted jurisdiction to conduct their own negotiations with Muslim invaders without consulting the ruler of Antioch
- Confirmed their social status and power was equal to that of a lord
This example illustrates how the military orders achieved quasi-sovereign status in certain territories, operating with independence typically reserved for nobility.
Strategic importance of castle locations
The castles served crucial strategic purposes for controlling access to Outremer:
Control of mountain passes:
- Key passes through mountainous territory needed monitoring by castles
- Provided front-line defence against invasion forces
- Allowed imposition of local duties on traders
Castle of Gaston (Baghras):
This strategically vital fortress was placed under Templar control in the 1130s and demonstrates the military importance of mountain passes:
Location: Controlled the Belen Pass in the Amanus Mountains
Strategic value:
- Provided access from the north-east into Antioch
- Could cut off invaders from Armenian, or later Edessan, territory in the mountains
- Served as a crucial chokepoint for controlling movement between regions
This castle exemplifies how the orders' fortifications could control entire invasion routes into the crusader states.
Offensive and defensive purposes
Offensive purposes:
- Jacob's Ford (from Baldwin IV) carried the expectation that the castle would apply pressure on Damascus and help capture the city
Original defensive purposes:
- Smaller outposts at places like Destroit and Yazur
- Met the original aim of the Templar movement: protecting pilgrim roads
By the 1180s, both orders possessed an array of different castles, of different sizes and serving different purposes.
Loss of castles to Saladin
The events of Saladin's incursions in the 1180s dramatically transformed the situation. By the close of the decade, the military orders had lost control of the majority of their castles.
The Catastrophic Impact of Saladin's Conquests:
After Saladin's victories in the 1180s, only four significant fortresses remained in the orders' control:
Hospitallers:
- Krak des Chevaliers
- Margat
Templars:
- Tortosa
- Roche Guillaume
All these remaining fortresses were located in the northern part of the crusader states.
This reversal of fortunes demonstrated how much responsibility the military orders had for defence. Without their castles, the situation became desperate enough to finally convince European rulers to launch the Third Crusade.
Financial support for the military orders by European nobles
Both military orders maintained property in western Europe which they used to fund their activities in Outremer.
Sources of property and revenue
How property was acquired:
- Often gifted by sponsors who requested spiritual support in return
- This spiritual support typically included prayers after the sponsor's death
- Helped the orders develop large estates
Estate management:
- Each estate had a commandery building at the centre to run it
- These commanderies were expected to pay a tax called a responsion
- The responsion amounted to approximately one-third of their revenue
- This money was sent to their counterparts in Outremer
The system of commanderies and responsions created a reliable stream of revenue from Europe to the Holy Land. By dedicating roughly one-third of western revenues to support operations in Outremer, the orders established one of the medieval period's most sophisticated international funding mechanisms.
International network
To transfer the responsion to the crusader states, the orders developed a sophisticated international network that could move:
- Messages
- Money
- Materials across wide distances
This created a sophisticated infrastructure which the orders used effectively.
Additional financial services
The Templars made further use of their infrastructure by offering financial services in the West, which helped them raise even more money.
The Templars' financial services, including early forms of banking and money transfer, allowed them to maximize the value of their international network. This gave them additional revenue streams beyond traditional estate income.
Thanks to these sources of revenue, combined with effective estate management, both the Templars and Hospitallers were able to contribute substantially to the defence of the crusader states.
Key terms
Seneschal: An officer within the Templars who looked after the administration of the order's land and possessions.
Bezants: A form of currency used in the medieval period.
Turcopoles: Local light cavalry forces employed by the crusader states.
Militarisation: The process of transforming an organisation to take on military functions and capabilities.
Commandery: A building at the centre of an estate that managed the order's property and activities.
Responsion: A tax of approximately one-third of revenue that commanderies in Europe paid to support the orders' operations in Outremer.
Key Points to Remember:
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Both the Templars and Hospitallers evolved into crucial military forces protecting Outremer, though the Hospitallers transitioned from a care-giving role while the Templars were established with a military purpose from the start.
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The orders provided substantial military support through troop contributions (e.g. 230 Templars died at Hattin), defence of settlements, and control of strategic border castles (Hospitallers had about 25 castles, Templars around 17 by the 1180s).
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Financial support from European nobles through property donations created a sophisticated international network that funded the orders' operations, with commanderies paying approximately one-third of their revenue to Outremer.
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Saladin's incursions in the 1180s resulted in the loss of most castles, leaving only a few northern strongholds (Krak des Chevaliers, Margat, Tortosa, and Roche Guillaume), demonstrating how critical the orders were to Outremer's defence.
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The orders' growing responsibilities reflected the weakening of Outremer's government, as rulers increasingly relied on the Templars and Hospitallers to garrison castles, defend cities, and provide military leadership against the Muslim threat.