The Fate of the Former Templar Estates in England, 1308 - 1330

Abstract

This article looks at the fate of the former Templar estates in England. Despite the papal instructions to transfer them into the hands of their main competitors, the Hospitallers, it took a good number of years for King Edward II to implement those instructions. In order to explain this paradox, it is necessary to consider the political context of England during Edward II’s reign, and more specifically Edward’s relationships with his nobles. A close analysis of the sources suggests that Edward used the former Templar properties to meet his own political ends and aspirations, by distributing them among his supporters in the time of need. Frequent transfers of some properties from one lord to another reflect the highly dynamic nature of Edward’s relationships with his magnates, but also the wider political and socio-economic context of his uneasy reign. Once the agrarian crisis and the conflict with Scotland and his nobles were temporarily over in 1322, Edward became free to carry out the papal instructions.