Alan Forey

THE FALL OF THE TEMPLARS IN THE CROWN OF ARAGON

The trial of the Templars and the dissolution
of the Order of the Temple are popular
subjects for historians, but the focus of most
work has been on France. In this book Alan
Forey adds greatly to our understanding of
the drama, not just by examining events in
Spain, but also by looking at aspects which
are often ignored, such as the treatment of the
Templars while in custody, and their
situation after the trial. Since the Aragonese
Templars possessed numerous castles - a
legacy of the Spanish Reconquest - they were
also able to offer stouter resistance to
attempts to arrest them than their colleagues
elsewhere. A series of sieges was needed
lasting up to a year and a half, and the study
of these provides a useful contribution to our
knowledge of medieval siege warfare.

Consideration is also given to the fate of
Templar property, both during proceedings
and later, when their lands in Valencia were
used to endow the new military order of
Montesa. The work is based throughout upon
the examination of unused testimonies and
manuscript sources, especially from the
Crown Archive in Barcelona, and its sound
scholarship will help dispel some of the
myths which still surround the fall of the
Templars.… (mer)