Postgraduate Course: The Trial of the Templars (PGHC11403)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The Order of the Temple was established in Jerusalem in c.1119 for the protection of pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. Within years the Knights Templar had become a significant force in Syria, Palestine and in the West, forging a reputation for military prowess as well as accumulating vast wealth and influence. However, in 1307 the Templars in France were arrested on the orders of King Philip the Fair. In the name of the Inquisition, their property was seized and the men charged with a host of severe heresies, including the denial of Christ, homosexuality and idol worship. Confessions extracted under torture were brought before royal and papal tribunals, and although defences were mounted in their support, in 1312 Pope Clement V officially dissolved the Order. In March 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Templars, was burned at the stake in Paris.
Seven hundred years after the dissolution of the Order, the trial of the Templars still arouses enormous controversy and speculation. This course will cut through the rumours and myths surrounding the trial to uncover the causes for this notorious affair. It will begin with an exploration of the situation in Europe and the East on the eve of the arrest of the Templars. It will examine the criticisms facing the Order after the loss of the Holy Land in 1291 and the growing influence of the French Crown over the papacy. The arrest and trial of the Templars from 1307-1312 will then be analysed in detail, drawing from a range of sources, including trial records, arrest warrants, confessions, inquisitorial accounts and diplomatic correspondence. The course will end with a look into the trial of the Templars in Scotland and the formation of myths surrounding the last members and the legacy of the Order. By studying this module, students will be able to engage with many pertinent historical themes, including heresy, religious-secular conflict, justice and torture, myth formation and local history. |
| Course description |
The course will be seminar-based, here is a list of topics covered in the seminars:
1. Introduction: The Foundation of the Military Orders
2. The Templars, the Crusades and the Fall of the Holy Land
3. Philip the Fair and the Papacy
4. Prelude to Disaster: The Templars on Ruad and Cyprus
5. The Arrest of the Templars (1307)
6. The Defence of the Order
7. The Trial (1): Charges and Torture
8. The Trial (2): Testimonies
9. The Trial (3): The Templars in Scotland
10. The Suppression of the Order (1312)
11. Templar Myths (possible visit to Rosslyn Chapel)
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1 x 4000 word essay |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course it is intended that students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the relevant areas of the history of the military orders and the Knights Templar
2. Execute defined research and produce structured and analytical essays on aspects of the course
3. Critically analyse the sources relevant to the course and be familiar with their strengths and limitations
4. Make formal presentations in relation to course topic
5. Work effectively with classmates and take part in detailed discussions and debates
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Reading List
Primary sources:
Documents on the Later Crusades: 1274-1580, ed. & trans. N. Housley (1996). D172 Doc.
Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils: Nicaea I to Vatican II, ed. N.P. Tanner, 2 vols (1990), pp. 336-401. BX825 Dec.
Heresies of the High Middle Ages, ed. & trans. W.L. Wakefield & A.P. Evans (1969). BT1315.2 Her.
Le dossier de l'affaire des Templiers, ed & French trans. G. Lizerand (1923).
The Proceedings against the Templars in the British Isles, ed. & trans. H. Nicholson, 2 vols (2011).
The Templar of Tyre, trans. P. Crawford (2003). D177 Cra; IHR EU.611/Cra.
The Templars: Selected Sources, trans. M. Barber and K. Bate (2002). CR4735 Tem.
The Trial of the Templars in the Papal State and the Abruzzi, trans. A. Gilmour-Bryson (1982). KBU128.5.T46 Gil.
Secondary Reading:
Barber, M., The Trial of the Templars (1978). KJV131.T46 Bar.
Barber, M., The Trial of the Templars, 2nd ed. (2006).
Barber, M., The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple (1994). CR4743 Bar.
Burgtorf, J., Crawford, P.F., & Nicholson, H.J. (eds), The Debate on the Trial of the Templars (1307-1314) (2010). KJV131.T46 Deb.
Cohn, N., Europe's Inner Demons: The Demonization of Christians in Medieval Christendom, 2nd ed. (2000), pp. 79-101. BF1584.E9 Coh.
Demurger, A., Vie et mort de l'Ordre du Temple, 1118-1314 (1985). CR4743 Dem.
Forey, A., The Military Orders: From the Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Centuries (1992). CR4701 For.
Housley, N., The Avignon Papacy and the Crusades, 1305-1378 (1986). D172 Hou.
Menache, S., Clement V (1998). BX1275 Men.
Mollat, G., The Popes at Avignon, trans. J. Love (1963), pp. 229-46. BX1300 Mol.
Morton, The Medieval Military Orders: 1120-1314 (2013).
Nicholson, H.J., The Knights Templar on Trial: The Trial of the Templars in the British Isles (2013).
Nicholson, H.J., The Knights Templar: A New History (2001), pp. 196-237.
Nicholson, H.J., Love, War, and the Grail (2001). PN682.M57 Nic.
Partner, P., The Murdered Magicians: The Templars and their Myth (1982).
Peters, E., Torture (1996). K5410.T6 Pet.
Riley-Smith, J., Hospitallers: The History of the Order of St. John (1999). CR4723 Ril.
Strayer, J.R., The Reign of Philip the Fair (1980). DC92 Str.
Wood, C.T., Philip the Fair and Boniface VIII: State vs. Papacy (1976). BX1253 Phi. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Trial Templars |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michael Carr
Tel:
Email: Mike.Carr@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: Lindsay.Scott@ed.ac.uk |
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