Publisher's Synopsis
This is a study of the balance of power between the monarchy and the nobility in the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. It demonstrates the unprecedented strategic and economic influence wielded by the Knights Templar and the Knights of St John in determining the political future of the region.;The shifting balance of power within the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem has been the subject of much scholarly debate. The noble jurists of that time portrayed the King of Jerusalem as merely "primus inter pares", but Dr Tibble demonstrates conclusively that the feudal jurists view of their own world was little more than a fantasy. The king exercised far more control over the baronage and feudal structure, especially in the 12th century, than has hitherto been recognized.;Based firmly in the source material, especially in the chronicles of the 12th and 13th century, this study shows that secular power as a whole was on the wane much earlier than has previously been imagined. As early as the third quarter of the 12th century, it is clear that the Military Orders had made major in-roads in terms of their economic and strategic influence. The key question no longer concerned the balance of power between the king and his nobility; the future of the Kingdom now centred on the strategic balance between the secular authorities and the Military Orders.
