A long way from Jerusalem: the Templars and Hospitallers in Ireland, c. 1172–c.1348

Geographically Ireland is a long way from Jerusalem, but by the mid-thirteenth century there were clear links between Ireland and the Holy Land. In particular, the Jerusalem-based military orders of the Temple and Hospital held widespread properties in Ireland, emphasising a spiritual closeness; although it is questionable how far their role in this island was spiritual. This chapter introduces the collaborative volume Soldiers of Christ: The Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar in Medieval Ireland. It begins by considering the military orders’ origins and first arrival in Ireland, arguing that the English king was largely responsible for their acquisition of land here. Royal patronage, however, did not protect the Templars of Ireland from dissolution in 1311. The orders’ organisation was centred on the Cymro- and Anglo-Norman-dominated areas in the south and east of Ireland, where they played an important administrative role; the Hospitallers also provided military forces. In this, and their involvement in charitable and hospitable roles, they were performing the same functions as other religious orders in Ireland. Unlike other religious orders, however, their ultimate purpose was always to support Christianity in the Holy Land