This book provides the first reconstruction of the Templar presence in North-west Italy. Based on extensive archival searches, it gives general insights into the development and organization of the Order in this area, also examining the links between the Templar houses and the Latin East and their involvement in the struggle between Papacy and Empire. Recruitment, relations with lay and ecclesiastical institutions and the activities of the Templar settlements are highlighted as significant factors in shaping the particular development of the Order in the region. The trial records also confirm the special nature of the Temple’s establishment in North-west Italy where the vicissitudes of the Templars on trial were intertwined with local factionalism, and positive relations with lay and ecclesiastical authorities continued and in some places even defeated the charges leveled against the Order.

Table of Contents:
Figures Acknowledgements Abbreviations Map of the Templar houses in north-west Italy (1142-1310) Introduction Part I The Temple in North-West Italy: a General Picture I. The Templar Order in North-west Italy (twelfth-thirteenth centuries) 1. The first Templar houses (1142-1160) 2. The consolidation of the Templar presence up to the end of the twelfth century 26 3. Templar houses in the thirteenth century 4. Between papacy and secular powers: where the Lombard Templars stood 5. A look at the East: the maritime activities of the Temple and the Ligurian houses II. Settlement strategies and types of houses 1. The Templar houses 2. The road network and the location of the Templar houses 3. Charitable and hospital activities 4. General orientations in management of wealth and possessions III. Hierarchical organisation 1. The Templar provinces of Italy and Lombardy 2. The Masters of Italy and Lombardy: chronology and prosopographical notes 3. Provincial masters’ delegates active in North-west Italy 4. Local preceptors and provincial chapters 5. The brethren 6. The Templar familiares IV. Taking root in local society: Recruiting the nobility and relations with ecclesiastical and communal institutions 1. Relations with the nobility 2. Relations with church institutions 3. Cooperation and conflict with communes V. From the early fourteenth century to the end of the Order 1. The eve of the trial 2. The trial in North-west Italy 3. Depositions of Templars from north-west Italy tried in the rest of Italy, France and Cyprus 4. The Templars after the end of the Order 5. The transfer of the Templar possessions to the Hospital Conclusion: The Temple in North-west Italy: local reality and Mediterranean vocation Part II: The Templar Houses in North-West Italy Templar houses known to have existed Unconfirmed houses Appendices I. List of houses that definitely existed (ordered by date of attestation) II. Prosopographical Catalogue 1: Templar masters of Lombardy and Italy (in chronological order) III. Prosopographical Catalogue 2: Templar brethren and lay associates (in alphabetical order) 1. Templar brethren attested to or originating from North West Italy 2. Lay associates 3. Templar brethren and lay associates whose existence or origin from North-west Italy is uncertain or whose membership in the Temple or actual status is unspecified Bibliography Manuscript sources Printed sources Secondary works Unpublished theses