The Knights Templar at War, 1120-1312

by Paul Hill

Overview

Paul Hill's highly illustrated study explores the military context of the Knights Templar, including their leadership, operation, and fortifications.

There are many books about the Knights Templar, the medieval military order which played a key role in the crusades against the Muslims in the Holy Land, the Iberian peninsula and elsewhere in Europe. What is seldom explored is the military context in which they operated, and that is why Paul Hill’s highly illustrated study is so timely, for he focuses on how this military order prosecuted its wars.

The order was founded as a response to attacks on pilgrims in the Holy Land, and it was involved in countless battles and sieges, always at the forefront of crusading warfare. This absorbing study examines why they were such an important aspect of medieval warfare on the frontiers of Christendom for nearly two hundred years.

Paul Hill shows how they were funded and supplied, how they organized their forces on campaign and on the battlefield and the strategies and tactics they employed in the various theaters of warfare in which they fought. Templar leadership, command and control are examined, and sections cover their battles and campaigns, fortifications and castles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399030885
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	06/30/2023
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	259,985
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x (d)

About the Author

Paul Hill, formerly curator of Kingston Upon Thames Museum in Surrey, is well known as a lecturer, author and expert on Anglo-Saxon and Norman history and military archaeology, and he has written several books on these subjects, among them The Age of Athelstan: Britain's Forgotten History, The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great and The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066.

Table of Contents

List of Photographs, Illustrations, Maps and Tables vii

List of Grand Masters of the Temple x

List of Military Campaigns and Milestones xi

Introduction xiv

Part 1 Origins

Chapter 1 The Danger to Pilgrims 1

Chapter 2 The Poor Knights of Christ 5

Chapter 3 The Council of Troyes, 1129 12

Chapter 4 The Latin Rule 15

Chapter 5 In Praise of the New Knighthood 18

Part 2 Battles and Campaigns

In the Latin East

Chapter 6 Damascus and the Early Campaigns, 1129-47 22

Chapter 7 The Second Crusade, 1147-8 29

Chapter 8 Siege of Ascalon, 1153 38

Chapter 9 The Struggle for Egypt, 1154-68 41

Chapter 10 The Assassins 52

Chapter 11 The Battle of Montgisard, 1177 57

Chapter 12 Marj Ayyun and the Siege of Chastellet, 1179 61

Chapter 13 The Springs of Cresson and the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, 1187 69

Chapter 14 The Third Crusade, 1189-92 80

Chapter 15 Stalemate, 1192-1216 84

Chapter 16 The Fifth Crusade, 1217-21 86

Chapter 17 The Sixth Crusade of Frederick II of Germany, 1228-9 92

Chapter 18 The Barons' Crusade, 1239-41 95

Chapter 19 La Forbie, 1244 100

Chapter 20 The Seventh Crusade, 1248-54 103

Chapter 21 Mongols and Mamelukes 109

Chapter 22 The Final Stand-Acre, 1291 114

In the Iberian Peninsula

Chapter 23 A Brief Introduction to the Reconquista 122

Chapter 24 Portugal 124

Chapter 25 Spain 127

On the Eastern Frontiers of Europe

Chapter 26 A Different Frontier 132

Chapter 27 Battles of Liegnitz (Legnica) and Mohi (Muhi), 1241 135

Part 3 Military Organisation

Chapter 28 Recruitment and Reception 139

Chapter 29 The Hierarchical Statutes 147

Chapter 30 Strategic Raiding, Camping and Marching 161

Chapter 31 Battlefield Tactics 171

Chapter 32 Training 181

Chapter 33 Penances and Life in the Convent 184

Chapter 34 Logistics, Supply and Shipping 187

Part 4 Castles and Fortifications

Chapter 35 The Role of the Templar Castles 196

Chapter 36 Templar Fortifications in Outremer 202

Part 5 After Acre

Chapter 37 Military Activity and the Plans for a New Crusade 216

Conclusion 221

Bibliography 224

Index 234

Editorial Reviews

An enduringly valued, unique, and informative study on one of the most influential of religious military orders, [this] will have immense appeal for scholars and non-professional readers alike…

Midwest Book Review