[campeador77]

Hey all, I'm currently doing my undergraduate thesis paper and have chosen to focus on the Knights Templar. My angle is that other organizations and confraternities encroached upon the operational and organizational niche of the Templars within the last century of their existence. To quote Janet Nelson in the foreword of selected Templar sources compiled by Malcolm Barber:

"When late thirteenth century disasters overwhelmed crusading enterprise in the eastern Mediterranean, critics and rival firms closed in with astonishing speed in the west."

So basically I want to find examples of how these rival firms closed in and contributed to the diminution and deterioration of the Templars and their reputation. So far Ive found examples of the Teutonics being favored over the Templars by the Hohenstaufen emperors and the tightening of Templar rights and privileges in Spain throughout the 13th century with an increasing reliance on the Spanish Orders.

I thought perhaps I could maybe structure the paper around the 3 devastating defeats of Hattin, La Forbie, and Acre and tell my story that way but I'm not sure.

I would greatly appreciate any help or further examples of what I'm trying to get at. Thanks in advance

[Xbow]

You're probably much more knowledgeable about the Templars than I am but

I understand that the Templars downfall was that they became heavily involved in Freemasonry, banking, Usury, maritime transport of material and people to and from the holy land as opposed to being a purely military order. They were incredibly useful to merchants and travelers in facilitating the safe transport of wealth in the same way that Brinks does today. Often they simply accepted a deposit from clients and issued notes that could be redeemed in gold at any Templar bank in Europe or the middle east (Essentially the first paper money). I believe the notes were in the form of coded letters that were easy for member banks to verify. In time the order became so focused on banking and business enterprises that the military component of the order went into decline. In any case they found themselves to be increasingly at odds with the Knights of Malta (Hospitallers) and The Teutonic knights.

In time the order became so wealthy that they even loaned money to royalty at interest (usury was an illegal activity at the time). Perhaps their mistake was in loaning so much to King Philip IV of France and then denying him further loans because he hadn't repaid earlier ones. I find it interesting that at the same time King Philip moved on the Templars Pope Clement V or Raymond Bertrand de Got (the Pope that moved the administrative office of the Vatican to Avignon) began his investigation into Templar activities. That Pope Clements and King Phillip conspired to take the order down and get their hands on their wealth and perhaps even the fabled templar treasure seems to be almost assured.

One history of the Templars

a modern templar?

[pugsville]

Increasingly at odds with the Hospital? They generally where at insane bickering, competing, near warfare conditions between the Temple and the Hospital for most of their shared history. Relations were rarely good.

After the loss of the Holy lands they were really without much purpose. They were wealthy, had independent armed force, obivious target for Kings as it infringed on their power structure. Much like Monastries in England later.

[Xbow]

After the loss of the Holy lands they were really without much purpose.

Their fish were frying elsewhere well before the loss of the holy lands.