Revision Topic Sheet 10: Latin Church in the Latin East

Question 1

How was the Latin Church established?

Answer 1

After papal legate Adhemar of Le Puy died during the siege of Antioch in 1098, his replacement Archbishop Daimbert of Pisa arrived in the Holy Lands as the patriarch of Jerusalem.

Question 2

What were the problems encountered when initially establishing the Latin Church?

Answer 2

• Daimbert crowned both Godfrey and Bohemond to establish church authority over them, and then got Godfrey to agree to surrender Jerusalem and Jaffa to Daimbert should he die without heirs.
• However, Baldwin I was elected after Godfrey’s death instead of Daimbert’s preferred candidate Bohemond.
• Baldwin’s insistance on being crowned by Daimbert forced the acceptance of royal authority over the Church, and he later mounted a campaign against Daimbert, accused him of embezzlement and plotted his assassination due to his refusal to accept Godfrey’s agreement.
• The status of the Latin Church was finally settled at the 1120 Council of Nablus when Baldwin II granted the church the right to collect taxes throughout the kingdom in exchange for control over church elections.

Question 3

How do historians disagree over Daimbert’s objectives?

Answer 3

1. J Riley-Smith argues that Daimbert was a reformer who would have been horrified to see a newly established church with a clergy of poor quality and cites his attempts to impose traditional western interpretations and policies on the church.
2. H Mayer conversely argues that Daimbert’s political ambitions were more significant as he deliberately set out to build up a theocratic (religion-driven) power base backed up by the Pisans who equipped a fleet for Daimbert to use for private means in Outremer.

Question 4

What were the Military Orders, specifically the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller?

Answer 4

The Knights Templar was a group of warrior monks created by Hugh de Payns in 1118 with the intention of developing the idea of an armed pilgrimage into a permanent lifestyle. Baldwin II supported them and gave them a base in the Temple of Solomon.

The Knights Hospitaller was founded by merchants in 1080 to provide for sick and poor pilgrims, and was later recognised as a monastic order in 1113. In 1136, King Fulk gave them responsibility for a castle, which led to them having 25 castles by 1150.

Question 5

How do historians disagree over the significance of the Military Orders?

Answer 5

1. J Riley-Smith argues that their impact was limited as estimates put their knights at around 300, a small army.
2. H Mayer argues that their significance was due to their representation of a trained army, as the Templars emphasised discipline and obedience in battle.
3. R Smail argues that the Military Orders played a significant role in politics and battles, such as the Battle of Hattin in 1187.