Knights of the Cloister : Templars and Hospitallers in Central-Southern Occitania, c.1100-c.1300

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work on an interesting topic
Review: Selwood, Dominic. Knights of the Cloister: Templars and Hospitallers in Central-Southern Occitania, c.1100-c.1300 (Woodbridge, UK: The Boydell Press, 1999)

In the light of recent events, the history of the Crusades, and what these events can teach us, has once again become a popular subject. The military orders are one facet of the Crusades that interest modern readers. To our modern minds, the mix of religion and war, though common in our times, seems anathema. It is hard for many us to understand that the medieval warrior monk was seen as a true soldier of Christ, fighting for the defense of Christians and the Christian religion. War was not seen as a necessary evil, but rather as something meritorious. Victory, in the mind of the medieval warrior, could lead to salvation or at least a reduction in penance.

Dominic Selwood's work, Knights of the Cloister: Templars and Hospitallers in Central-Southern Occitania, c.1100-c.1300, looks at the history of these two religious military orders, detailing not only their history, their relationship with each other and the Church, but Selwood also puts the function and actions of the military orders into their true context.

Concentrating mainly on the orders' actions in southern France, Selwood looks in depth at the orders' recruiting techniques, their agricultural and economic ventures, and their role as an integral part of Occitanian society. Though Selwood gives a thorough and interesting account of the history of the orders, the work is sometimes lacking in flavor, making it occasionally 'dry reading'. As this work was Selwood's doctoral dissertation, and thus written specifically for academia, one cannot lay the fault entirely at Selwood's feet. Despite the dryness and lofty academic tone sometimes taken, the book is highly recommended for anyone looking for an in-depth introduction into the history of these two major religious military orders.

By Jennifer Regan and Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren

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Summary: first book that I see exact relation templar-cathars
Review: Sorry ! probably my english so highly bad. ! Dear author ! Your book is the first that I read on exact relationship between cathars and templars. During last 4 years I try to find exact relations between Cathars philosophy and Anatolian Soufisme. Me too I am writing an book about this gnostisme equality Directly subject is related with templar and free-masons specially node is under the last period of medieval story between the North Spain and Southern France. While I am writing my book I read around 200 books about and my related subjects.Many many thanks for your book that I have found all the relations which I believe