Between Two Faiths: the Arabization of the Knights Templar During the Crusades
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University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 1999 BETWEEN TWO FAITHS: THE ARABIZATION OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR DURING THE CRUSADES Paula Regina Stiles University of Rhode Island Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Stiles, Paula Regina, "BETWEEN TWO FAITHS: THE ARABIZATION OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR DURING THE CRUSADES" (1999). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1805. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1805 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BETWEENTWO FAITHS: THE ARABIZATIONOF THE KNIGHTSTEMPLAR t DURINGTHE CRUSADES BY PAULA REGINASTILES A THESISSUBMITTED IN PARTIALFULFILLMENT OF THE . REQUIREMENTSFOR THE DEGREEOF MASTEROF ARTS IN HISTORY it~ 3 3(9 7839 UNIVERSITYOF RHODEISLAND . 1999 Abstract "Between Two Worlds: The Arabization of the Knights Templar during the Crusades, 1119-1314 ." Paula Stiles The military orders , especially the first, the Order of the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon (Knights Templar) played a critical role in the preservation of the Crusader kingdoms in Palestine between 1119 and their fall in 1291. It is generally acknowledged that part of the Templars' success, in both Palestine and Spain, stemmed from their ability to deal with the Muslim enemy in a variety of situations. This naturally involved some assimilation of the Templars into the local culture during the 12th and 13th centuries. This thesis explores the nature of that assimilation (either arabization or islamization), and how it changed over time and geography. The Templars' arabization appears to have been an adaptive mechanism . There is apparently no more tolerance toward Islam inherent in the Order's structure than in other medieval Christian institutions. Under the right conditions, Templars could be as intolerant as any other Christian group of the era. The Templars came under severe criticism during this period for their real, and perceived arabization. Their perceived arabization was, in fact , much greater than their real assimilation . It was this perception which brought about their eventual downfall. Chapters One and Two discuss the overall career of the T emplars : their origins, their rise, their success in Palestine and Spain, and their sudden ii suppression, which ended with the burning of their last Master in 1314. Chapter Three gives an overview of the Crusades, both in Palestine and in Spain (the Reconquista). Chapter Four explores the nature of the arabization of the Templars , both real and perceived, its limits, how it affected their place in medieval society , and how it led to their suppression . Chapter Five discusses how, and why , the perceived arabization of the Templars has affected their place in history, even leading some modern groups to imitate the fantasies created to destroy the Order. iii Acknowledgement Research for this scholarship was funded by a Tuition Scholarship and Teaching Assistantship through the History Department at the University of Rhode Island, the H.W. Wilson Scholarship for Library Science students with an interest in History, and the Catherine & Walter Eckman Scholarship in History . I would also like to thank the Cape Cod National Seashore and Gordon Hollister, my supervisor there, for providing me with summer employment that helped fund the writing of this thesis for the past two years. I would like to thank my thesis committee , Dr. Joelle Rollo-Koster, Dr. Gary Thurston, Dr. Kenneth Rogers, and Dr. Jonathan Tryon for taking the time to go through this thesis and ensure that it was of high quality. I would especially like to thank Dr. Rollo-Koster for answering my questions and providing encouragement , even outside of class time, and for helping me avoid the Von Daniken school of writing which prevails in too many works on this subject. I would like to thank the senior clerk in the History department , Louise Hilliard, and the administrative secretary in the Library Science department , Rosemary Northup, for helping me juggle the requirements of two degrees while writing my thesis. I would also like to thank the Graduate School office personnel, who walked me through the paperwork for my defense . Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for listening patiently to long declamations about medieval heresy, the military orders, and the Crusades. I would especially like to thank my mother, Bonnie Dee Stiles, my brother , Mikhail Stiles, my grandparents, John and Ruth Stiles, and my friends , Carol Pinney, Cheryl Madden, and Ameni Darwish for giving me their love and support throughout this process . iv Preface This thesis is an essay in the history of mentalities--a discipline which explores how people's ideas evolve over time. It examines the Knights Templar and their legacy in medieval, and modern, popular culture. The Templars were an order of fighting monks founded in 1119, during the Crusades . As the creators of the first military religious order, they garnered more praise--and more criticism--than subsequent religious knights. Their assimilation into local Arab culture is generally assumed . Since historians do not contest this cultural interchange, this essay concentrates on the nature, extent, and chronological progression of the Templars' arabization. Then, it examines how real, and perceived, cultural assimilation fueled criticism during their heyday, and their posthumous reputation as exotic, mysterious sorcerers. This essay examines both primary sources (chronicles, cartularies, court documents, and contemporary fiction) and secondary literature. The latter will focus on the Templars, as well as the Palestinian and Spanish Crusades--to show how members of the Order became assimilated into local Arab culture . The paper consists of five chapters . The first three discuss the T emplars' organization, as well as the Palestinian and Spanish crusades. Chapters One and Two look at the history of the Templars , and how this subject has been treated in secondary literature . The Order's historiography is separate from that of the Spanish and Palestinian Crusades, with different historians V dominating in each of the three areas. Studies of the Crusades in Palestine, of the wars against Germanic and Slavic pagans in northern Europe, and of the Spanish Reconquista, overlap frequently throughout the histories of the military orders because these groups operated on all three frontiers. This essay explores the similarities--and differences--in Templar arabization during the Palestinian and Spanish Crusades, and how local conditions affected cultural assimilation . The paper does not explore the Northern Crusades in de.tail for two reasons: one, the Templars had only a small role in the North and, two, there were no Arabs or Muslims in these regions . Chapter Three discusses the Crusades in Palestine and Spain and the cross-cultural issues between Crusaders and Arabs--both Christian and Muslim. The chapter also explores how the Crusades in Spain were affected by the fact that they occurred on a European frontier and how relations between Christians and Muslims changed as the former began to outnumber the latter in the Iberian peninsula. The fourth chapter discusses how the Templars became partially assimilated into Arab culture. It outlines the extent, nature, and pattern, as well as the chronological and local fluctuations , of Templar arabization. Chapter Five investigates why the Templars continue to be popular today, and why so many organizations claim descent from them. This chapter suggests that the Templars' posthumous reputation and "afterlife" have been enhanced by their perceived islamization before 1314, as outlined in the charges at their trial. What is unique in their nature stems from their perceived role as a cultural bridge. The Order of the Temple was put on trial for heresy by the French king, vi Philip IV (the Fair) in 1307 and was dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1311. Some early 14th century writers , such as Pierre Dubois and Ramon Lull, had accused the Templars of selling out the Crusader kingdom (which fell in 1291) to the Muslims, but these rumours of arabization did not directly appear in the charges . Instead, Philip's lawyers tried the Templars for heresy and witchcraft. Because of their chronic insolvency and lack of manpower in Palestine, the Templars were forced into much closer relations with the Muslims there than most Europeans found comfortable . This closeness led to the charges that destroyed them. There were five principal accusations : the denial of Christ, desecration of the crucifix through trampling or spitting , obscene ritual kisses, sodomy , and "Islamic" idolatry. The first three were said to have been conducted at the initiation of a new Templar , thus tainting his entire career. This paper shows that these charges were based on contemporary views of · Islam, and reflected Latin Christians ' terror of infection by heresies from the East, like Islam and Catharism. Guillaume de Nogaret, the author of the charges, came from Toulouse , in southern France. This area was the center of the Albigens ian Crusade in the early thirteenth century and had been subject to Muslim influence in previous centuries . Finally, this paper discusses how European views of Islam since the Templar suppression in 1314 have affected Templar