ORDINES◆ MILITARES COLLOQUIA TORUNENSIA HISTORICA XX Yearbook for the Study of the Military Orders 2 0 1 5 ISSN (print) 0867-2008 / ISSN (online) 2391-7512 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/OM.2015.001 pp. 7–24 A V. M Institute for Medieval Studies University of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT United Kingdom
[email protected] THE GRAND DESIGNS OF GILBERT OF ASSAILLY. THE ORDER OF THE HOSPITAL IN THE PROJECTED CONQUEST OF EGYPT BY KING AMALRIC OF JERUSALEM 11681169 KEYWORDS Military Orders; Order of the Hospital; Egypt; Amalric, king of Jerusalem; Gil- bert of Assailly; Fātimids he Order of the Hospital of St John originated as a charitable institution offering medical care and support to pilgrims coming from Western Eu- rope to the Holy Land. However, under the direction of Raymond of Le Puy,T master from ##$%, it began to take on significant military responsibilities, possibly in emulation of the newly-founded Order of the Temple. In ##&' the Hos- pitallers were given the castle of Bethgibelin, one of a ring of fortresses which King Fulk of Jerusalem had constructed to isolate the Fātimid strongold of Ascalon on the kingdom’s south-western frontier. In ##)$ the Order was given a large, con- tiguous bloc of territory including the Krak des Chevaliers and four other castles on the frontier of the county of Tripoli by Count Raymond II. While the defence of such territories clearly required military forces, it is difficult to know how far the Order’s own personnel was militarised, since it could well have made use of vassals, mercenaries or sergeants to provide most of its forces.