The templars’ land acquisition policy in the crusader kingdom of jerusalem, c. 1130-1187

This chapter focuses on the acquisitions made by the Templar Order in the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Since the outcomes of the Templar land acquisition policy appear to be similar to those of the other military orders whose archives have survived, the Templars presumably employed the same policy as the Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights. Therefore, a comparison between the military orders’ activities in the lordship of Caesarea and elsewhere in the kingdom should clarify whether the military orders’ acquisition policy may have applied throughout the kingdom. Although Gustav Beyer’s extensive and detailed study on the history of the territory of Caesarea during the crusader period was written over eighty years ago, it is still considered a major reference work. Yet, while the Hospitallers concentrated their efforts in the south of the lordship of Caesarea, the Templars were more active in its northern district.