History+of+the+Knights+Templar

History of the Knights Templar

**History of the Knights Templar.**
**The Wealth of the Knights Templars in England and the Disposition of it after their Dissolution** Author(s): Clarence Perkins Source: The American Historical Review, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Jan., 1910), pp. 252-263 Published by: American Historical Association Stable URL: []
 * The Trial of the Knights Templars in England** Author(s): Clarence Perkins Source: The English Historical Review, Vol. 24, No. 95 (Jul., 1909), pp. 432-447 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/550361

Nicholson, Helen //History Today;// Dec 1994; 44, 12; Research Library
 * Crime and Punishment among the Teutonic Knights** Author(s): Indrikis Sterns Source: Speculum, Vol. 57, No. 1 (Jan., 1982), pp. 84-111 Published by: Medieval Academy of America Stable URL: []
 * Saints or sinners? The Knights Templar in medieval Europe**

Authors: Menache, Sophia Source: Catholic Historical Review; Jan1993, Vol. 79 Issue 1, p1, 21p, 1 Black and White Photograph
 * The Templar Order: A failed ideal?**


 * The History of the Knights Templars**

The Knights Templars were arguably the most prominent, effective, secretive, and wealthy religious order in history. The secrecy of the group led to the romantic history of the order and continues to this day as books, articles and movies recount their heroics while continuing to shroud them in growing layers of romance and secrecy. The creation of the order and its ultimate, violate destruction is one of history’s most fascinating stories. While it’s easy to believe the stories that are told, as in most history, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of fact and fiction. The rise and fall of the Knights Templar is a classic example.

The Order of the Temple was a military order (a type of religious order), created in the early twelfth century and in the wake of the Catholic conquest of the Holy Land, the mission of the order was to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land against bandits. The role soon grew to protecting Christian territory in Spain as well as the Holy Land. The order gained its name as the King of Jerusalem gave the brothers his palace in the al-Aqsa mosque. The Christians called this area the Temple of Solomon and the order began to use the temple as there headquarters. The order of the Temple soon became known as the Knights Templar and the legion began, as did the question that has haunted historians for ages. Why were they destroyed? (30)

The Order of the Temple was the first military order but soon after others followed suit. The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem had been founded as a hospice care for the pilgrims of the eleventh century and soon became involved in the protection of the kingdom of Jerusalem. The order soon became aligned with the Knights Templar and was known as the Hospitallers. The hospital of St. Mary of the Teutons was set up at the siege of Acre during the Third Crusade (1189-92) to care for German pilgrims and was eventually set up as a military order. The brothers became known as the Teutonic Knights and along with the Order of the Temple and the Hospitallers they were the most famous of the orders. They were however not the only orders that exited in there day. The concept was very popular and other orders came into play wherever Christians had a threat of confrontation with non-Christians. The concept of the military order seemed to be a development from the crusade. Instead of taking up weapons for a short period of time the military orders did so for life, but expected (at first) only entry into heaven and forgiveness for their sins. (31)

Between crusades a growing unrest toward the orders came about as territorial loses to the Muslims and politics came into play. As time passed the politics, money, and a growing fear of the unknown seems to have started unrest between the different orders and the powers that exited at the time. The political views of the time (1229-50) also began to sound the end for the orders. The Knights Templers and the Hospitallers supported the pope while the Teutonic order gave their support to the emperor. The chroniclers of the day tended to be more and more critical of the orders as they wanted to draw a moral line for the future. The other literature of the day described the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights as the romantic figures we are used to, but as the rumors of their wealth and extensive possessions grew, so did resentment toward the orders. The peak of criticism for the orders came at about 1250 and soon after they began to disappear from the headlines of the day. (32)

One of the greatest concerns in dealing with the different orders was that the Templars and Hospitallers had holdings that were widely scattered throughout the land and their legal privileges were more and more resented. This resulted in Pope Gregory IX writing a letter to the Templars and Hospitallers stating that they were not to abuse the powers that were granted to them by the papal see. As human nature would have it the orders became something other than what they were seen as by the people they served. (32)

The orders were not only wealthy and privileged they were proud and treacherous. By the 1160s pride had become the chief complaint against the Templars and Hospitallers and it has been written that it was seen as “their sin”. The Templars and Hospitallers began to quarrel and the loss against the Saracens in the Holy Land became a rally point for several of their most outspoken critics. The Troubadour, Daspol summed up the problem as infighting between the orders. After the final loss of Acre in 1291, Pope Nicholas IV said that the military orders infighting contributed to the defeat, and most of the churchmen and chroniclers of the day agreed. (32)

So, here we have the problem of a group of knights that had amassed a great amount of wealth in the name of God, only to succumb to the most basic of sins, pride, greed, and envy. The pope and the emperor both have a dragoon growing in their land that may become to powerful for either one to control for any extended period of time. The accusations began to become more prevalent and the rumors of heresy, homosexuality, theft and even their record of fighting against the Muslims and other non-Christians came under suspicion. Some thought that the orders were too willing to fight those that could be won to Christ by peaceful means. Others thought that they were not enthusiastic enough about winning back land that had been taken. There were even rumors that the Muslims were exploiting the orders greed. (33) In all this disorder the Templars were really no more disliked than any of the other orders. They were less criticized then some of the orders and had a long history of service. The question of why they were singled out for complete destruction is one of great debate.

The Templars were seen as the sole Defenders of the Holy Church and after the city of Acre fell in 1291 the Templars were chronicled as being completely ineffective and solely concerned with saving their wealth. The problem the Templars had was a simply one, but impossible to ignore, if you claim to be solely responsible for the defense of the Holy Land you cannot fail to protect it. From the evidence the charges brought against the Templars in 1307 were unheard of in 1300 and the hardest question to answer is still “why them”? (36)

The end comes in October of 1307 as an order is signed by King Phillip IV of France stating that all Knights Templar within the French domain were to be arrested. In November of 1307 Pope Clement V gave orders to have all the Knights Templar arrested throughout Europe. The brothers were formally accused of (among other things) serious abuses in the admissions ceremony, homosexuality, idol worship, secret meeting, not believing in mass and interesting enough defrauding patrons who had paid to have masses said for their families souls. The order was also accused of not making charitable gifts or giving hospitality as a religious order should. (30) After a trial that included several confessions (after torture) the order was dissolved and their possessions were given to the Order of the Hospital.

The question of why becomes clearer as the relationship between Pope Clement V and King Phillip IV is looked at with appropriate suspicion. The financial situation that King Phillip V faced and the cozy relationship he enjoyed with Pope Clement V cannot be overlooked. The crown was in trouble and the dragoon that is becoming more and more of a problem just happens to be wealthy. The destruction of the Knights Templar solved everybody’s problem. The issue we have today with the history of the trials is that we cannot help but get caught in the modern day chronicler’s version of the events. We see the romance and excitement of the Knights Templar and the mystery surrounding there death and destruction. We do not see that the situation was simply one of power and politics. The Knights were growing strong while the king grew weak and the pope grew empathic to the situation, but will do as he is told by the king that made him pope (if only in France).

The trials of the Templars in France are remarkably quicker and more brutal than the trials that take place in England, Ireland, Scotland, and elsewhere in the British Isles. The King of England was slow to agree to the quick torture that was handed out in France and amazingly enough the Templars were allowed to keep some possessions and servants for a time. The treatment of the Templars only became brutal when they steadfastly refused to confess the appropriate sins and the pope himself writes to King Edward II imploring the temporary legalization of torture to bring the situation to a close.

In the end, there are more questions than answers concerning the brutal end to this fascinating group of people. The romantic idea that we have as we begin to study the arrest and trail of the Knights Templars becomes cloudy as we see the infighting that takes place between the three orders in question and the continuing rumors of their wealth, power, womanizing, and secrecy. It’s not really unusual to see that they created a great deal of the situation, and that they really created a separate society all to themselves. People feared what they did not understand more than anything else in the Middle Ages, when the kings and clergy began to fear the Templars and the king has financial trouble, the stage is set for one of history’s most iconic showdowns. The final lesson we see is that people are in fact just people and not the romantic figures we believe in. Ockham’s razor says that the simplest solution is usually the right solution and in the case of the Knights Templar we see that greed was really the motive, not the secret conspiracy we want to believe in. Nicholson, Helen //History Today;// Dec 1994; 44, 12; Research Library
 * Saints or sinners? The Knights Templar in medieval Europe**


 * The Trial of the Knights Templars in England** Author(s): Clarence Perkins Source: The English Historical Review, Vol. 24, No. 95 (Jul., 1909), pp. 432-447 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: []

Source: Catholic Historical Review; Jan1993, Vol. 79 Issue 1, p1, 21p, 1 Black and White Photograph
 * 1.**
 * Article Analysis:** Authors: Menache, Sophia
 * Focus**: The article describes how the Temple Order is suppressed from three angles: 1. The result of the changing attitudes towards the Knights from the nobility. 2. The Templars exemption from clerical patronage. 3. The appearance of the Templars as a threat to King Phillip.
 * || Evidence || Main Idea ||
 * The relationship between Templar ideology and practice on the one hand, and the expectations of their contemporaries on the other. (2) || A quote from the Abbot of Clairvaux regarding the order gives one view. “They are seen to be more gentle than lambs, and more ferocious than lions”. (2) || The literary and epic sources also reveal broad support for the Templars. One Arab chronicler noted that of six-hundred Templars captured by Bendocdar and offered their lives in return for conversion only one accepted. The rest willingly died. (2) ||
 * Efforts of Alexander III and subsequent popes to repress attacks against the Templars are testimony to the varying degrees of hostility they encountered. (3) || However, writers such as William of Tyre wrote that the order had vast possessions; on both sides of the sea and beyond and that their property is reported to be equal to the riches of kings. (3) || Although he was considered to be biased against the order, William of Tyre provided an appropriate starting point. He praised the first knights but soon accused the later ones of aspiring to the riches of kings. (3) ||
 * William’s testimony at last proves that there was criticism of the Order as early as the twelfth century, before the knights entered into banking and finance on a large scale. (4) || Such testimony confirms the existence of a widespread resentment against the Templars among ecclesiastics. A resentment that was fed by the knight’s privileges. || As the view of the order declined, Pope Honorius III said that the English Templars abused privileges as rumors of their drinking, cursing, and womanizing abounded. (4) ||
 * At this point one may conclude that, prior to 1307, support for the Templars was neither universal nor conclusive. (5) || The Knights increasing importance in the financial market and, mainly, their assistance to the royal administration brought them the support of those monarchs who benefitted from their services. (5) || The growing reliance on royal support, however, had its dangers, as it exposed the order to changing national priorities. This state of affairs paved the way for Phillip the Fair to suppress the Order. (5) ||
 * The charges of heresy brought against the Templars in 1307 suggest that their negative image and other criticisms played only a minor role in the suppression of the Order. (6) || The king’s avoidance of the issue of the Crusades suggests that this issue may not have served his purpose, while charges of heresy, sodomy, and blasphemy were more appealing to the public. (6) || After suppression of the Order at the Council of Vienne, fourteenth century accounts suggest that the Templars might have been a “failed idea”. However, this is questioned by Phillips actions, his domestic policy, and his search for sovereignty.(6) ||
 * The question of whether or not the Templars were capable of threatening royal authority and, if so, if such a policy would be at all in their interest is irrelevant. (7) || Phillip’s pre-1307 policy does not demonstrate any animosity toward the Templars, nor did he criticize their administration of the treasury. Now we have to ask what factors lay behind Phillips change of heart. (7) || The nobility had an opposition to new taxes, which were not popular with the French. Italians, Jews, and, to a lesser extent the Templars were a tempting target in times of financial crisis. Only charges of heresy against the Templars could invalidate their status and expose them to the manipulations of the French King. (7) ||
 * The Jews, Lombards, and Templars played a vital role in the financial market. The reflections of Geffroi de Paris uncover the economic crisis and social unrest that followed the expulsion of the Jews just one year before the arrest of the Templars. (8) || Actually, this was one of the main purposes of the arrest of the Templars, namely, to foster a new dynamic in the financial field, by patronizing a new breed of royal servants, i.e., skilled men dependent on the king and able to meet his financial needs. (8) || In sum, the arrest of the Templars in the Kingdom of France was integral to a political process in which the king promoted townsmen to key positions in administration and finance. (8) ||


 * Implications**: The relationship between the Templar ideology and practice, and the expectations of their contemporaries were directly related to the fact that the situation surrounding the Templars was almost at a point that it was on a countdown clock. The King was in a situation whereas he needed to foster a new financial dynamic which would allow him to maintain his ability to place people in the right position to make him money. The king began a systematic restricting of the financial situation beginning with the explosion of the Jews and continuing to the charges of heresy against the Templars. What a fascinating plan this must have been (if it was provable), to arrange the destruction of the wealthiest groups within the kingdom, and place your own people in line to control the loans, credit and finances. It almost seems more fantastic than the romantic stories that surfaced after the trials. I wonder if Phillip the Fair imagined that he would make the Templars martyrs, and romantic legends, and in the end only temporarily alter his financial empire.

Nicholson, Helen //History Today;// Dec 1994; 44, 12; Research Library
 * 2.**
 * Article Analysis:** Saints or sinners? The Knights Templar in medieval Europe
 * Focus**: The article was focused on the chronological history of the Knights Templar and their ultimate demise.
 * || Evidence || Main Idea ||
 * In October 1307, by order of Phillip IV of France all the Knights Templar within the French domain were arrested. (30) || The brothers were accused of an array of crimes and successfully tried in France first. Torture seemed to be the grease that caused the trial machine to turn. (30) || In March 1312, Pope Clement dissolved the Order of the Temple and gave their property to the Order of the Hospital.(30) ||
 * The Order of the Temple was the first military order, but others soon followed. (31) || The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem and the brothers known as the Teutonic Knights soon followed. (31) || The concept of the military order was a natural development from the concept of the crusade. Rather than a short period of defending Christ’s people the order did so for life. Pardon for sins and entry into heaven seems to be the original draw. (31) ||
 * Political views begin to shape the criticism of the Knights Templar in particular. The Teutonic order supported the emperor as the Hospitallers and Templars supported the pope. (32) || As the Templars become more and more wealthy the criticism and rumors of their heresy continue to grow. (32) || In 1236 Pope Gregory IX wrote to the Templars and Hospitallers ordering them not to abuse the privileges granted to them by the papal see. (32) ||
 * The wealth and privilege accumulated by the orders caused the orders to become proud and treacherous.(32) || The troubadour, Daspol, writing in 1270 summed up the complaint as such: the Templars and Hospitallers had become proud and greedy and did evil instead of good therefore they were unable or unwilling to defend the Holy Land. (32) || After the final loss of Acre in 1291 Pope Nicholas IV said that the military orders quarrels had been a factor in the defeat. Most churchmen and chroniclers of the time agreed. (32) ||
 * Interestingly, no critic before 1300 really accused the Templars of immorality.33) || In the mid-thirteenth century a poet surveyed the whole of the society and accused most of the clergy of womanizing, even dropping hints toward the Hospitallers. He exempted the Templars who were too busy making money to have time for sex. (33) || Pope Gregory IX wrote a letter of rebuke to the Hospitallers in Acre. He heard that the order was keeping harlots and were cheating the dying. As for the Templars he only said that they were not keeping the roads safe for pilgrims. There were other complaints before 1300 and the most significant was probably the divided opinions of their record of fighting. (33) ||
 * The chroniclers also alleged that the Muslims exploited the brother’s greed. (34) || Many accusations that t he military orders were unwilling to attack the Muslims arose from a misunderstanding of the true situation in the Holy Land. (34) || In 1250 the Orders advised against the attack of the Muslims in Mansourah. The brother’s were accused of laziness and participated but the attack failed. (34) ||
 * The peak of criticism of the military orders came at about 1250. (35) || The accusation that the order did not practice charity and hospitality. This may have sprung from the rivalry between the Templars and the Hospitallers. The Hospitallers emphasized their dual role in contrast to the solely military role of the Templars. (35) || There is no indication before 1300 of public scandal over the order abusing the admission procedures, or of heresy, idolatry, or homosexuality. (35) ||
 * The Templars were no more disliked than other military orders, and less criticized than others. They had a long history of faithful service to the French crown, so why were they singled out for attack? (36) || The orders prominence could also be its undoing. The most popular account of the defeat of the city of Acre in 1291 dismissed the Templars as ineffective and concerned with their treasure. (36) || From the evidence, the shocking charges against the Templars in 1307 were unknown in 1300. The order was guilty of fraud and greed, but so were others. The real crime seemed to be that they claimed to be solely responsible for the defense of the Holy Land and after it fell they were not needed. (36) ||


 * Implications**: The question of why seems to be tied to the question of need. The Templars were becoming wealthier, which was fine as long as they were needed, but when the Holy Land fell they were more of a threat to both the king and pope, because they were becoming a juggernaut in terms of wealth, and power. The King of France suddenly begins to need a solution to his financial situation and the pope (whom he appointed) fell in line with the orders of the king. The elimination of the Templars served the needs of the pope and king and assured both would stay in power.


 * 3.**
 * Article Analysis:** The Trial of the Knights Templars in England Author(s): Clarence Perkins Source: The English Historical Review, Vol. 24, No. 95 (Jul., 1909), pp. 432-447 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: []
 * Focus**: The article describes the trial and its results of the Knights Templars in England and the striking difference between the trials in England and the first trials in France.
 * || Evidence || Main Idea ||
 * The sudden arrest of the Knights Templars in France. (432) || The fall of Acre in 1291 left the Christians without a foothold in Syria and the chief reason for the orders to exist was removed. (432) || On October 13, 1307 all Templars in France were rounded up and immediately put to torture to secure confessions. (432) ||
 * The delayed arrest of the Knights Templars in England.(432) || The arrests came in England after some debate and only after urging by the pope and the king of France. (432) || Between January 9th and January 11th, 1308 all Templars in England were arrested. On February 3rd, 1308 Templars in Ireland were also arrested. (432) ||
 * William De La More and other s are transported to the central castle of the county. (432) (433) || The conditions were different than France and the Templars were allowed servants along with and allowance and there armor. Edward II originally meant no more harm than necessary. (433) || On November 28th, 1308 the templars were arrested and were held more securely. The order came after a bull (ordering evidence to be secured)was issued by Pope Clement V on August 12th, 1308 orders more severe treatment. (433) ||
 * The brothers were charged with an array of crimes against God and country. The crimes charges were staggering in there variety. (434) || The papal inquisitors did not arrive in England until about September 13th, 1309. Only then were the Templars brought to London, Lincoln, and York for the trials. (434) || During the examinations the inquisitors tried in vain to induce the brothers to confess the sins. From October 20th to November 18th 1309 forty-three brother s were questioned in London and all refused to confess. (434) ||
 * The inquisitors are at a loss as to what to do as English law does not permit torture. (435) || The charges against the templars were of such nature that outsiders could not sustain them. The inquisitors begin to petition for the rights to temperorly legalize torture. (435) || The brothers are questioned for a second time, with no success. On February 8th, 1310 writs were sent out ordering jailers to help the inquisitors and William de Dien was appointed to oversee torture. (435) ||
 * On March 8th, 1310 the brothers are questioned again. The original orders to torture had not been obayed. (436) || The brothers were questioned again and the only result was that they seemed to misunderstand the orthodox doctrine of absolution. (436) || When the inquisitors returned to Lincoln they questioned William de la More who gave information on ceremonies that were probably best held by the church. Twenty three Templars also corroborated the information. (437) ||
 * After all their effort the inquisitors got very little information and they were disgusted with the obstacles that prevented that results that came from France. (437) || Although they had their own nominee to carry out the torture they complained that no one would do the work. (437) || The inquisitors proposed to return to the holy see and let the archbishop finish the work. They also give the Archbishop of Canterbury eight ways to finish the affairs of the Templars more quickly. (437) ||
 * On August 6th, 2010 Pope Clement V writes to Edward II and bitterly reproaches him for not allowing torture. (439) || On December 23rd, 1310 Clement V again wrote to King Edward II offering him remission of his sins and the eternal mercy of God if he would be no hindrance to the inquisition and subsequent torture. (439) || The order of torture produced no results until about June 10th, 1311 when Stephen de Stapelbrigge was arrested and tortured. Under oath he stated there were two receptions to the order: the first was good and the second was evil. (441) ||
 * By July 12th, 1311 the inquisition had induced fifty-nine of the order to abjure the errors of which they were accused and from which they could not clear themselves. (442) || With the means of torture now available to them the bulk of the order still refused to confess. (443) || The examinations that took place in Scotland, Ireland, and England produced essentially the same untrustworthy results. The only real result that could be proven across the board is that the Templars did not as a whole understand confession and absolution. (444) (447) ||
 * Implications**: The trails of the Knights Templar in England, Ireland, and Scotland produced far different results than the more brutal and immediate torture methods used in France. The idea that Pope Clement V would offer the eternal mercy of God in return for torture is stunning, as the Templars are being charged with crimes against God, that do not approach the desires of the Pope or Phillip the Fair. The trails never produce the exact results needed and in the end the Templars are removed, their property taken and distributed to the Hospitallers and others, as the coffers of the king and pope are lined. The interesting point for me is the fact the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights are not targeted by the powers that be. I believe that the main reasons are simply this; The Knights Templar are almost exclusively a military order without a great enough cause (after the fall of Acre) and they are a jewel in the eyes of a struggling king and his weak pope.


 * 4.**
 * Article Analysis:** Authors: **The Wealth of the Knights Templars in England and the Disposition of it after their Dissolution** Author(s): Clarence Perkins Source: The American Historical Review, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Jan., 1910), pp. 252-263 Published by: American Historical Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1838333
 * Focus**: The article describes how the distribution of the Knights Templars wealth after their dissolution.
 * || Evidence || Main Idea ||
 * The wealth of the Templars, which was the immediate cause o f the attack on them by King Phillip IV; has been variously computed but always in large and indefinite sums. (252) || When they were arrested in January, 1308, the sheriffs were required to take a detailed inventory of all movables on each Temple site. (252) || Unfortunately, no one class of this material gives complete data for all the Templars’ possessions in England, either for one year or the time the king held the lands. We can however name and estimate the value of each estate. (252) See chart on page 253. ||
 * The value of the Templars moveable property was much less than we might expect. (254) || We have a very precise account of all household goods, agricultural implements, stock, food, ecclesiastical goods, clothing, books, and all other articles. (254) || There was a marked absence of rich armor, vestments, and expensive trapping, showing that the Templars were living simple lives and cared little for luxury. (254) ||
 * The Royal officials seem to have believed that much property had been concealed and several attempts were made to trace it. (255) || It has been suggested that many Templars must have escaped with their moveable goods, but considering that the inquisitors’ rigorous search only turned up nine fugitives, other explanations seem more probable. (255) || A careful scrutiny of every available record shows that there were only 144 Templars in the British Isles and among these only 20 knights and 16 priests. The great body was serving brothers and sergeants busied with agriculture and labor. (255) ||
 * Since a desire to replenish the royal treasury from the Templars’ property was an important motive for their arrest even in England, it’s interesting to learn how the king succeeded. (256) || Notwithstanding his failure to find much gold and treasure at the New Temple or elsewhere, Edward II derived a good income from such movables as were found. || Edward II was in such straits for money between 1310 and 1312 that this income must have given him valuable help, but it could not have played a large part in the normal revenue of the crown. (258) ||
 * Immediately after the dissolution of the Temple Order, Pope Clement V. ordered Edward II to deliver all Templar property to the Hospitallers at once. (259) || The king held the property and began to make as much money as possible from it. This made it far from easy for the Hospitallers to take possession of their gift from the pope. (259) || After 1312, the Hospitallers made every effort to secure the Templars land and were supported by the popes. King, nobility, and clergy were ordered to assist but in the end the Hospitallers turned to bribery to secure the lands. (260) ||
 * With the aid of the king and Despencers, the Hospitallers secured the enactment of a statute stating that no lord had any title or right to the temple lands by escheat or otherwise, and granted them to the Hospitallers. (261) || The difficulties of the Hospitallers were aggravated by great delay in securing the Templars archives, without which they often could not prove their claims to the property. The disorder of the Hospitallers finances also hinders the Hospitallers in their attempt at seizure. (262) || The difficulities of the English Hospitallers were duplicated on every continent; in fact the immediate result of the dissolution of the Order was a wild orgy of plunder which quickly passed beyond papal control. (263) ||


 * Implications**: The wealth of the Knights Templar seems to have been overestimated in England. The Templars were living simpler lives than expected, but were still great businessmen and possessed large amounts of property. The King immediately tried to make as much money off the property as possible for himself as the pope ordered the property to be given to the Hospitallers. The resulting standoff continues for years as the infighting goes back and forth. The end result is that the Hospitallers succeed but lose a great deal of their finances in the process due to the expense and their bad management of the money they have. It’s interesting that the Hospitallers were immediately given the property by the pope and the Teutonic Knights are not mentioned. The natural inclination is to ask whether or not the Hospitallers and the pope had a prior arrangement as to the immediate possession of the property for themselves.